Rumors Are Often True, the Xbox One Slim and Xbox Scorpio a Reality
Only a few weeks ago we reported on a rumor that suggested the boys in green would be releasing an Xbox One Slim come this summer. Other turnings in the rumor mill suggested that a new and improved Xbox 1.5 was in the works too. Well, if some sources from Kotaku are to be believed we will be seeing not only the Xbox One Slim releasing sometime in August, but we’ll see a massively improved Xbox One as well. Codenamed Xbox Scorpio, it is said that this new version of the Xbox One will be over four times more powerful than the current hardware. If this is true, it would put the Xbox Scorpio in the position of being even more powerful than the PS4 Neo.
Reportedly 40% smaller than the current hardware, and with 4K video support, the Xbox One Slim would be the smallest Xbox ever made. This is a welcome announcement as there’s been no small amount of quibbling about the size of the current Xbox One. It’s most definitely a monster. This would come with a redesign of the current Xbox One controller as well. Whether or not any significant changes would be made to the controller is yet to be revealed, but any sweeping changes are unlikely. We’d expect an E3 reveal for the Xbox One Slim if the rumored August release date holds any truth.
The bigger of the rumors, the Xbox One Scorpio wouldn’t likely see an announcement at E3 or even a release date until the latter parts of 2017. To say that the Xbox One could use a power upgrade is an understatement. While still a powerful machine in its own right, it has consistently lagged behind the PS4 console. As it stands the Xbox One is said to run at a peak of 1.32 teraflops compares to the 1.84 teraflops that the existing PS4 can reach. Sources over at Giant Bomb have secured documents that state the PS4 Neo runs at approximately 2.25 times the power of their current console reaching around 4.14 teraflops. Again, if the rumors are true, the current target for the Xbox Scorpio is a whopping 6 teraflops which would end the power debate for good.
There is no doubt that Microsoft and Xbox have been feeling the heat as of late with the rumors of the PS4 Neo floating around. Perhaps this is just the reason we’re seeing announcements for their own new hardware on the horizon. Word is that these announcements are coming well ahead of when they were intended meaning that Microsoft upped their timeline in order to stay competitive.
One of the more important discussions when it comes to an upgrade of the current Xbox One hardware is compatibiltiy and it is being said that Scorpio is being designed with universal compatibility in mind. Bottom line, it’s not a new platform, just an improved version of the existing one. All current Xbox One software would be able to run on the new machinery. One addition that would be made over the current hardware however, the promise of Oculus Rift support which would put Xbox properly into the VR game with its competition in PlayStation VR.
As is to be expected, we’ll likely hear a ton more at E3 this year so keep it locked to COGconnected.