Microsoft’s Project Scorpio Gets a Launch Date: Xbox One X, $499, November 7th
by Ryan Smith on June 11, 2017 7:30 PM EST_678x452.jpg)
Over the last several months, Microsoft has been trickling out details about their mid-generation hardware update for the Xbox One console, which has been going under the name Project Scorpio. Now at this year’s E3 conference, the company is releasing the final details. We now have a name, a launch date, and perhaps most importantly, a price.
Hitting the streets on November 7th will be the new Xbox One X, which is Microsoft’s retail name for the console.(ed: I’m convinced MS is trying to keep us from writing their console names in short-hand) It will be priced at $499 in the US and equivalent prices in other regions, which is the same price as the original Xbox One (with the Kinect) at its launch back in 2013. On a relative basis, this stacks up as being twice the cost of the Xbox One S, whose base model (and now bundles as well) has been $249 for a while now.
| Xbox One Specification Comparison | ||||||||||||||
| Xbox One (Original) | Xbox One S | Xbox One X | ||||||||||||
| CPU Cores | 8 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||||
| CPU Frequency | 1.75 GHz | 1.75 GHz | 2.3 GHz | |||||||||||
| CPU µArch | AMD Jaguar | AMD Jaguar | "Custom CPU" (AMD Jaguar Variant) |
|||||||||||
| GPU Cores | 12 CUs 768 SPs 853 MHz |
12 CUs 768 SPs 914 MHz |
40 CUs 2560 SPs 1172 MHz |
|||||||||||
| Peak Shader Throughput | 1.31 TFLOPS | 1.4 TFLOPS | 6 TFLOPS | |||||||||||
| Embedded Memory | 32MB eSRAM | 32MB eSRAM | None | |||||||||||
| Embedded Memory Bandwidth | 204 GB/s | 218 GB/s | None | |||||||||||
| System Memory | 8GB DDR3-2133 | 8GB DDR3-2133 | 12GB GDDR5 (6.8 Gbps) |
|||||||||||
| System Memory Bus | 256-bits | 256-bits | 384-bit | |||||||||||
| System Memory Bandwidth | 68.3 GB/s | 68.3 GB/s | 326 GB/s | |||||||||||
| Manufacturing Process | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 16nm | TSMC 16nm | |||||||||||
| Dimensions | 343mm x 263mm x 80mm | 295mm x 230mm x 65mm | 300mm x 240mm x 60mm | |||||||||||
| Weight | 3.54kg | 2.9kg | 3.81kg | |||||||||||
| PSU | 220W (External) |
120W (Internal) |
245W (Internal) |
|||||||||||
| Optical Drive | Blu-Ray | UHD Blu-Ray | UHD Blu-Ray | |||||||||||
| Wireless | 802.11n (Dual Band) | 2x2 802.11ac | 2x2 802.11ac | |||||||||||
| Launch Price | $499 w/Kinect | $299 | $499 | |||||||||||
| Launch Date | 11/23/2013 | 08/02/2016 | 11/07/2017 | |||||||||||
As far as the hardware itself goes, thanks to Microsoft’s ongoing campaign, we already know the bulk of the details of the console. The 16nm SoC at the heart of the new Xbox One design is meant to be significantly more powerful than the original and S versions of the Xbox One, vaulting MS from having the least powerful console to the most powerful console. All told, the Xbox One X will offer almost 4.3x the GPU compute throughput of the Xbox One S, while the CPU cores have received a healthy 31% clockspeed boost (Interesting aside: Microsoft is still not calling it Jaguar, unlike the XB1/XB1S). The memory feeding the beast has also gotten a great deal faster as well, with Microsoft switching out their 8GB of DDR3 for a large and very fast 12GB of GDDR5, which has a combined memory bandwidth of 326GB/sec.
Meanwhile the only real details we didn’t have on the console itself, such as the size, have been answered. Microsoft is going for a super slim design on the console, announcing that it’s the “smallest Xbox ever”, placing it below even the already slimmed-down Xbox One S. At 300mm x 240mm x 60mm, the console is 5mm wider and 10mm deeper than the Xbox One S, but it's 5mm shorter than said console. Or to put things in terms of volume, it's 98% the volume of the Xbox One S, indeed making it smaller, though just slightly so.
Otherwise, Microsoft has largely confirmed that the Xbox One X will function as you’d expect as a mid-cycle console upgrade, similar to the Xbox One S. Existing games will benefit from the more powerful hardware, though to what degree is apparently going to depend on the game. For games that are fully Xbox One X enabled, Microsoft is targeting a 4K (3840x2160) resolution, and will offer downsampling for improved quality when hooked up to 1080p TVs. And all of the existing Xbox One ecosystem accessories will work as well.
Source: Microsoft
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Ryan Smith - Sunday, June 11, 2017 - link
It's a mid-cycle upgrade. It's the existing console architecture expanded for much more performance.When it's the Xbox Two using a new CPU architecture, then you will have a new generation.
wr3zzz - Sunday, June 11, 2017 - link
So if I got this right that console generation is dictated by CPU and not GPU? It really says a lot about CPU stagnation, or the lack of push to use more CPU (AI, physics etc) that we got two GPU upgrades within a single console generation. It used to be that a mid-cycle upgrade was mostly just a die-shrink.wr3zzz - Sunday, June 11, 2017 - link
Also if Xbox One X is not next-gen then its games are not DX12?close - Monday, June 12, 2017 - link
Until recently a new generation was the one that managed to break game compatibility with the previous one suggesting some major changes under the hood. Now, as the console market matured, we'll get lots of incremental updates similar to what PCs offer. You will be able to play older and newer games with varying degrees of success (maybe slower, maybe faster).I think the "generation" has become a pretty arbitrary thing right now but we'll see what comes in 2 years.
ajp_anton - Monday, June 12, 2017 - link
It's dictated by game compatibility. All games, past and future, will be compatible with both consoles. There will (should) be no games, ever, that only works with the other. Hence the same generation.nikon133 - Wednesday, June 14, 2017 - link
Sony boss said, around the time of PS4 release, that there might never be PS5.I think that really means we will be seeing updates rather than new platforms. I also expect that at some point support for older systems will become optional. When next PS is released, I can see Sony insisting on all games running on PS4Pro and new PS, while original PS4 support will be left to developers to decide. I also wouldn't be surprised if devs will be allowed to make lesser version of game for older console - not just in visuals and frame rate, but also players count in multiplayer, smaller maps... stuff like that.
Santoval - Monday, June 12, 2017 - link
No, I am quite sure Ryan meant both a new CPU and new GPU. If anything, GPUs are most relevant in consoles. The Xbox Two (unless it switches to Nvidia) will presumably have a Vega GPU, presumably Vega 11, if it is released in ~2 years. If it takes 3+ they might use Navi.drothgery - Sunday, June 11, 2017 - link
It's next-gen but positioned as a mid-cycle upgrade for marketing reasons. It's been 4 years, which is short but not unheard of between console generations. It's roughly 4X the GPU. 50% more RAM. Yes, it's not a whole new architecture, but it's at least as big of an improvement, relatively speaking, as there was from the OG Xbox to the 360.shabby - Sunday, June 11, 2017 - link
Next gen xbox will be a zen cpu and vega gpu, obvious is obvious.Still don't see how this will run games in 4k, the rx480 has similar tflop numbers yet its 4k performance is... well you know. Maybe they'll set the detail to low and hope for 30fps?
mr_tawan - Monday, June 12, 2017 - link
I guess it could run Mario Kart at 4K/60fps just fine, I mean ... the first Mario Kart.Wait ... the game is not available in that console :/