Now Loading…What Will Xbox One Slim & More Powerful Xbox One Mean to PS4?

The gaming world was rocked yesterday with the reports that Microsoft has not one, but two upcoming Xbox One revisions. While an Xbox One Slim might be a no-brainer at this point, the news that a more powerful Xbox One (codenamed “Scorpio”) which is said to be even more powerful than the rumored PS4K (Neo) is a potential video game landscape changer.

Here’s what Kotaku wrote in their report regarding Scorpio:

The 2017 Xbox, which is codenamed Scorpio, will have a more powerful GP.

We hear that the folks at Xbox have yet to finalize the specs for 2017’s Scorpio, although they briefed third-party publishers on the device during a secret event last week, according to a source.

Development sources raised the concern that although the Scorpio model will be capable of supporting 4K resolution thanks to its GPU upgrade, as of right now there is no planned upgrade to the console’s I/O transfer speed–the speed at which the console can transfer assets from a disc or hard drive to its memory. This could mean long loading times for games specifically designed to support 4K, due to their larger assets.

This report was corroborated by Polygon’s own sources which said that the more powerful Xbox One might even be more powerful than the PS4 Neo!

Power is a primary concern for Microsoft with Scorpio. The PS4 has remained a constant leader over the Xbox One in this respect, with games on the platform usually running at higher resolution and a higher framerate on the PS4 than their Xbox One counterparts. Microsoft is determined to end this narrative.

The Xbox One is believed to operate a peak target of 1.32 teraflops, compared to the 1.84 teraflop performance numbers attributed to the PS4. Meanwhile, per documents secured by Giant Bomb’s Austin Walker — and corroborated by our sources — the PlayStation 4 “Neo,” at approximately 2.25 times more powerful than the PS4, is likely to have a peak performance number of 4.14 teraflops.

The current performance target for Microsoft’s Scorpio is approximately 6 teraflops.

According to both reports, the Xbox One Slim will be revealed next month at E3, and will include a redesigned Xbox One controller. The new Xbox One Slims are said to be coming out later this year, with Kotaku reporting that it will come with 2TB of storage space.  

Understandably, the big news here is the Xbox One Scorpio and this news alone managed to strip up the PlayStation LifeStyle staff. In this entry of Now Loading, we discuss how Xbox One Scorpio will affect the PS4 and rumored PS4K.

What do you think? Will gamers embrace this mid-generation console upgrade? More importantly, will Microsoft be able to catch up to the PS4 in terms of installed base and sales? As always, share your thoughts in the comments below.


Now Loading is a recurring staff-driven feature where PlayStation LifeStyle discusses anything video game-related under the sun (yes, even non-Sony platforms).

Essential Reading:

TRENDING