Microsoft XBOX (XBox One X / Project Scorpio) - Prerelease News and Rumours

[Rangers]

The problem with 'the response' is that it's the same strange vagueness that always crops up in these interviews. You rarely get a clear answer to anything. eg. from the same interview asked about XB1S having a slight performance boost (it has, he could have said 'yes' and explained it's very small):
Look how much total bollocks there is in that answer, where the thought process isn't 'what's the right answer to these questions to tell them what they want to know' but 'how do we communicate our message within this framework of them asking questions?'

So really, don't try to read too much into the phrasing, because the phrasing is speaking PR and not English.

It seemed like he was really scared of a backlash at the time if he comes out and says "yeah it's got more processing power". And then people throw a fit "wtf it's got 1 more FPS, Microsoft are such liars!". That's the way I read it as, he was really trying to downplay and not get people's hopes up. Probably because of the crap (somewhat justly) they took over the cloud and whatnot.

Or I dont know the timing of that article but it aso reads like he didn't feel authorized to give out specifics. Because AFAIK eventually MS came out and gave us the exact nature of the increase, the new GPU clock of 914 mhz.

But Phil has said he's really good at unclear

 

[Rangers]

Yah, 2013 should have been 2014. Xbox One wasn't announced until May 22nd 2013. In 2014 it took just ten weeks for a radical change in strategy, product features and pricing. And if Microsoft feel the target RAM pool for Scorpio is off, they'll make changes. They mentioned Scorpio at E3 2016 before Sony had detailed Pro and that may have changed things.

Are people thinking they'll go up or down? Up, nearest target would be 16GB. Down, well you'd hit 8. The problem I see with 8 is it's not more than prior consoles and also it doesn't really allow you all kinds of extra room like 12GB would feel like, it doesn't feel next gen (yeah I know) enough. With 12GB you can increase games allocation from 5GB (that PS4 Pro and Xbox One both use) to 8GB, still toss another GB to reserves for a whopping 4GB (way too much IMO). Why, you'd be veritably swimming in RAM. Also thinking about top GPU's, they currently go to about 12Gb max (Titan X=12, 1080Ti=11).

So I expect it will just be 12. Occam's razor.

 

[Rangers]

Oh I almost forgot what I came here to post, Windows Central/Jez Cordon has another sort of non article article up. In it they claim MS will be pushing Scorpio with a raft of 4k games, pushing 4K Forza 7 most heavily, but also Red Dead Redemption 2 and other third party games in native 4k.

http://www.windowscentral.com/forza-motorsport-7-4k-project-scorpio-xbox

Microsoft will unveil Forza Motorsport 7 as the headline title for Project Scorpio in the next few weeks, and it will run at a blistering True 4K resolution. We've heard reports from reliable sources that the game, in true Forza fashion, already looks utterly stunning, and will showcase just what the console is capable of.

Our list comes from marketing materials that include titles Microsoft wants to use to exemplify Project Scorpio's six-teraflops (TF), True-4K capabilities. And it naturally includes several first-party titles, such as the aforementioned Forza 7, Crackdown 3, and State of Decay 2. But it also contains a few heavy-hitting, third-party titles.

The list includes some fairly obvious games, such as "Call of Duty", FIFA, and Madden, but also Battlefront 2, and Red Dead Redemption 2. It seems that each of these games will appear on Project Scorpio with a 4K resolution.

IF this article is true, it seems MS is pushing true 4K a lot. I think we all here pretty much agree that's somewhat of a mistake.

Also Jez tweeted

Not me, but there will be Scorpio info next week.

Isn't there some Windows event next week? Anyways as always, lets all downplay any expectations.

 

[MrFox]

Anyways as always, lets all downplay any expectations.

This is not the B3D way. We have a tradition going back generations.

(pun intended)

 

[AzBat]

Oh I almost forgot what I came here to post, Windows Central/Jez Cordon has another sort of non article article up. In it they claim MS will be pushing Scorpio with a raft of 4k games, pushing 4K Forza 7 most heavily, but also Red Dead Redemption 2 and other third party games in native 4k.

While a neat attention grabbing headline they had an article posted just before that had a little more meat...

As of this writing, Project Scorpio kits are operating below 80 percent of their planned system performance at launch. The roadmap received from trusted sources states specifically that Scorpio optimizations will help the console hit between 80 percent and 90 percent of its target output thanks to May's XDK update. That fact that some industry figures have voiced positive impressions about Scorpio's power in spite of this performance delta is encouraging.

The most significant update for Project Scorpio will be June's XDK update. If Microsoft hits its targets, June's XDK update will bring Scorpio's graphics stack up to its six-teraflop (TF), 4K-powering launch targets. Additionally, developers will be able to begin submitting their games for Project Scorpio certification with this update. For distribution, games will need to be certified against the XDK's final Scorpio code, planned to launch around the 2017 holiday season.

The roadmap reinforces our previous information about how Project Scorpio will boost "change-resilient" Xbox One games without the need for an update. Games that utilize dynamic scaling technology, such as Halo 5, Battlefield 1, and Tom Clancy's The Division, will achieve their maximum 1080p resolutions more frequently, if not permanently, on Scorpio. This will make even unpatched Xbox One games look far prettier on Project Scorpio, in a similar fashion to the PS4 Pro's "Boost Mode."

Change Resilience, it seems, extends all the way up to 4K. As described by the roadmap, developers can bake 4K assets and relevant code into a single project's codebase for use across Xbox One and Project Scorpio. Using updates in March's XDK, developers can also designate chunks of code to be deployed only when Project Scorpio is detected. This is not only necessary to keep download sizes from exploding on Xbox One consoles but also to restrict things such as VR, which has no business on non-Scorpio Xbox device. Additionally, it looks like improvements to streaming game installations are on the way to help support those potentially larger file sizes.

These "intelligent delivery" capabilities also ensure that game developers can ship Scorpio features separately when the console launches later this year. Middle-earth: Shadow of War, for example, will launch in the summer for Xbox One and will more than likely receive Scorpio-boosted resolution and textures later on. The developers could also opt to make Shadow of War change resilient, giving it the scaling capabilities needed to run all the way up to 4K as soon as it hits Xbox One this summer.

http://www.windowscentral.com/project-scorpio-dev-roadmap-june-xdk-boost

Tommy McClain

 

[BRiT]

Anyways as always, lets all downplay any expectations.

This is not the B3D way.

It is for Nintendo products.


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YEEEEAAAHHH!

 

[rokkerkory]

I think I need to save a few more pennies for this baby. It sounds like a premium product indeed.

 

[Cyan]

Oh I almost forgot what I came here to post, Windows Central/Jez Cordon has another sort of non article article up. In it they claim MS will be pushing Scorpio with a raft of 4k games, pushing 4K Forza 7 most heavily, but also Red Dead Redemption 2 and other third party games in native 4k.

http://www.windowscentral.com/forza-motorsport-7-4k-project-scorpio-xbox



IF this article is true, it seems MS is pushing true 4K a lot. I think we all here pretty much agree that's somewhat of a mistake.

Also Jez tweeted

Isn't there some Windows event next week? Anyways as always, lets all downplay any expectations.

bah, Forza again.... I have Forza 5 and liked it very much, the trailer and the game but...

 

[MrFox]

It is for Nintendo products.


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( •_•)>⌐■-■

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YEEEEAAAHHH!

Spoiler

 

[Deleted member 11852]

To be fair, two different people are being quoted there, though. Maybe the head of PR for the UK wasn't necessarily up on all of the latest discussions back at HQ?

If that was the case, then Microsoft didn't learn from the DRM communications snafus at E3 2013. When you have a product or strategy, you need to communicate it consistently. But I think it likely that while they hadn't planned to drop Kinect in February, that they were thinking about it. No harm, no foul.

Are people thinking they'll go up or down? Up, nearest target would be 16GB. Down, well you'd hit 8. The problem I see with 8 is it's not more than prior consoles and also it doesn't really allow you all kinds of extra room like 12GB would feel like, it doesn't feel next gen (yeah I know) enough.

It may not be all GDDR5. PS4 had DDR3 day one and the amount of DDR3 was increased with Pro, meaning more GDDR5 could be released for games use. If Scorpio has 8Gb GDDR5 available for games would do the trick, with 2-4Gb cheaper DDR3 for system software and apps would enabled that. If Sony can do it, Microsoft, an operating system company, can do it.

It seemed like he was really scared of a backlash at the time if he comes out and says "yeah it's got more processing power". And then people throw a fit "wtf it's got 1 more FPS, Microsoft are such liars!". That's the way I read it as, he was really trying to downplay and not get people's hopes up. Probably because of the crap (somewhat justly) they took over the cloud and whatnot.

He wasn't downplaying it, he was refusing to even acknowledge it.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

While a neat attention grabbing headline they had an article posted just before that had a little more meat...

Interesting reiterating of VR. I guess we'll learn what the real plans are at the reveal. Will Ms have their own headset, or, most likely, just support their IHV partner headsets?

 

[Pixel]

If that was the case, then Microsoft didn't learn from the DRM communications snafus at E3 2013. When you have a product or strategy, you need to communicate it consistently. But I think it likely that while they hadn't planned to drop Kinect in February, that they were thinking about it. No harm, no foul.



It may not be all GDDR5. PS4 had DDR3 day one and the amount of DDR3 was increased with Pro, meaning more GDDR5 could be released for games use. If Scorpio has 8Gb GDDR5 available for games would do the trick, with 2-4Gb cheaper DDR3 for system software and apps would enabled that. If Sony can do it, Microsoft, an operating system company, can do it.



He wasn't downplaying it, he was refusing to even acknowledge it.

I think the 12GB RAM is almost certain.
Its certainly not just the motherboard rendering.
Its also the consistent/leaks and rumors that developers can use Ultra/4K textures identical to PC. That would simply not be possible if available memory was raised from 6GB to 8GB and the OS was moved to supplemental DDR3. It also makes zero logical sense to have that 320GB/s memory bandwidth but not have the available ram needed to take advantage of that with large file size for ultra setting assets which require more RAM.
Microsoft apparently has also made statements that the Xbox Scorpio can use identical settings to PC ultra. (that is only possible with more RAM)
Also Penello's mentioning 384 GB/sec memoy bandwdith was likely the 384 bit interface, and he got the specs confused. The 384 bit interface would work out perfectly to achieve 12x 8gbit modules of GDDR5.
There was also the recent info about how Scorpio does not have ESRAM and utilizes GDDR5. While GDDR5x falls in the category of GDDR5, you'd need 12 Gbps gddr5x modules and no videocard is even using that likely because of the price premium. Most of the rumors make no mention of gddr5x, only gddr5. And logically when scorpio was in development they wouldn't be able to rely on the uncertainty of the unknown gddr5x release roadmap or development issues for unestablished 12gbps gddr5x.

 

[Jay]

i don't expect them to do it, but if it is using a vega Gpu and amd can get away with 4GB gddr5, then it could've got away with a split memory pool. Even if it was 4/2GB gddr5 & 12(?)GB ddr4.
sounds like vega even has automatic paging, and probably can be handled programatically also.

probably cheaper, with at least same amount of overall memory if not more.

the problem with esram wasn't necessarily layout or design that made it complicated, it was the size that made it harder to work with.

 

[iroboto]

The weather is telling me to begin to keep an eye open for news Thursday forward. Unsure if this means official capacity or unofficial capacity. But if true, it's nice to finally get some significant news since E3 last year.

 

[mpg1]

uhhh....Jez now suggesting Scorpio will be shown off next week

https://twitter.com/JezCorden/status/848185183006322688

https://twitter.com/JezCorden/status/848186884346056705

Edit: User on neogaf claims it will be Thursday and the specs will be revealed but not the box.

 

[iroboto]

uhhh....Jez now suggesting Scorpio will be shown off next week

https://twitter.com/JezCorden/status/848185183006322688

https://twitter.com/JezCorden/status/848186884346056705

Edit: User on neogaf claims it will be Thursday and the specs will be revealed but not the box.

The forecast calls for news!... soon!

 

[mpg1]

Sounds like whatever this is it won't be a "event" per say. Seems like it might be something akin to a Nintendo Direct or also could just be a video released with information released to news outlets. Another user on neogaf claims that Eurogamer/Digital Foundry will have "exclusive rights" to info or an interview with Microsoft.

Honestly it's probably the best way to do it for now.

 

[iroboto]

Sounds like whatever this is it won't be a "event" per say. Seems like it might be something akin to a Nintendo Direct or also could just be a video released with information released to news outlets. Another user on neogaf claims that Eurogamer/Digital Foundry will have "exclusive rights" to info or an interview with Microsoft.

Honestly it's probably the best way to do it for now.

Banking on this being true, I'm hoping all my questions I've ever had about Scorpio are answered

 

[mpg1]

Banking on this being true, I'm hoping all my questions I've ever had about Scorpio are answered

Seems like it might the very type of information most on here are interested in. Don't think they want to use E3 to talk about spec details/tech related stuff. E3 is probably going to reveal hardware design/showing off games/saying "4K" a lot.

 

[Jay]

would be interesting if ms makes (native/true) 4k mean more than just resolution.
what i mean by that is, start saying 4k assets, etc.
that way they can say even checker boarding with 4k assets is a bigger difference than just native 4k or 4k checker boarding.
make it that even at lower native res, due to assets it's truer 4k.

they can have couple 3p explain how using 4k assets and checker boarding, gives superior output for their title. Which highlights that ms is letting 3p do what they want.

hopefully fps will have a presence also.

obviously show 1080p stuff and the difference on those displays.