Today, Digital Foundry provided an early glimpse at the next Xbox, Project Scorpio, with an in-depth look at the specs that will power the console. Specs are great, but what do they mean in practice? Along with the big reveal, DF released a video showcasing five different ways that Scorpio will improve current Xbox One and 360 games. (Scorpio will be compatible with all current Xbox One games, as well as all backwards compatible-enabled 360 titles.)
The list includes things like faster loading, smoother performance with reduced screen tearing, and improved texture filtering. Scorpio will also feature fairly substantial GameDVR support, allowing users to capture 4K, 60 fps video, along with improved screenshot capabilities. “Retroactive screen captures are a new featuring coming to the Scorpio GameDVR,” DF explains. “Users will have the ability to scan through their captures with 'to-the-frame' precision, allowing them to extract the precise screenshot they want.” And for games that support dynamic resolution, Scorpio will allow you to play them at full resolution.
DF does note that there may be some compatibility issues, so that not every game will support every feature upgrade. "There will be some cases where we have to dial down some of those attributes,” Microsoft technical fellow Andrew Goossen says.
Project Scorpio was first revealed last June at E3, with Xbox chief Phil Spencer calling it “a dramatic step up for us in terms of hardware capability.” It’s expected to release this fall.
