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Microsoft's Project Scorpio Will Pack Internal PSU, 4K Game DVR Capture (windowscentral.com)

According to an exclusive report from Windows Central, Microsoft's upcoming "Project Scorpio" gaming console will feature an internal power supply unit (PSU), similar to the Xbox One S, and 4K game DVR and streaming at 60 frames-per-second (FPS). From the report: In Microsoft's efforts to make Project Scorpio a true 4K system, it will also feature HEVC and VP9 codecs for decoding 4K streams for things such Netflix, just like the Xbox One S. It will also leverage HEVC for encoding 2160p, 60 frame-per-second (FPS) video for Game DVR and streaming. Microsoft's Beam streaming service has been running public 4K stream tests for some time, and it's now fair to assume it will not only be PC streamers who will benefit. Project Scorpio's Game DVR will allow you to stream and record clips in 4K resolution with 60FPS, according to our sources, which is a massive, massive step up from the 720p, 30FPS you get on the current Xbox One. With every bit of information we receive about Project Scorpio, the theme of native 4K keeps appearing -- not only for games, but also console features. We now believe Scorpio will sport 4K Game DVR, 4K Blu-ray playback, and 4K streaming apps, but the real showstopper will be the 4K games Microsoft will likely flaunt at E3 2017.

44 comments

  1. "...according to our sources..." by turkeydance · · Score: 2

    details or it didn't happen.

    1. Re:"...according to our sources..." by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

      details or it didn't happen.

      This is Microsoft's time-honored SOP - vaporware announcements. Only that, these days, they do not have the deterrent effect that they used to - although it remains a despicable organization, it does not have the same muscle as twenty years ago. As usual, Microsoft, consider yourself middle-fingered.

  2. Internal PSU, talk about innovation.... by MrCodswallop · · Score: 1

    I'm perplexed as to why this is even a feature on the Scorpio.

    1. Re: Internal PSU, talk about innovation.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because ms has a history of releasing consoles with bulky power bricks.

    2. Re:Internal PSU, talk about innovation.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm perplexed as to why this is even a feature on the Scorpio.

      What do you mean? They currently have bulky external PSUs so making it internal is easier for end users. I dont know why you are labelling it innovation, i dont think anybody thinks such a thing is innovative or labelled it as such except you.

    3. Re: Internal PSU, talk about innovation.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Original Xbox...

    4. Re:Internal PSU, talk about innovation.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and it's the feature they lead with? Closely followed but a list of streaming codecs?! I thought after the botched launch of the XBone they realized nobody buys game consoles based on their cross media streaming capability (let alone the location of the power supply).

      I can only guess that they realize they are late to the refresh party without the horsepower to justify it. Native 4K gaming is something people would buy an Xbone over a PSPro for, but scorpio won't actually be capable of that either.

    5. Re: Internal PSU, talk about innovation.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which has never factored into the purchasing decisions of a single consumer. This is not a Nintendo Switch, if anything an external brick is a positive feature for fixed AV equipment as it is easier to isolate interference.

    6. Re:Internal PSU, talk about innovation.... by s_p_oneil · · Score: 1

      Easy. When the PSU dies, they want you to buy a new XBox, not a new PSU.

    7. Re:Internal PSU, talk about innovation.... by whitlocktj · · Score: 1

      I didn't know it was botched. For sure, less successful than PS4, and perhaps not the best in marketing, but I wouldn't say it was so bad as to be described as 'botched'.

  3. File format ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What file formats will it record in, because if its WMV its dead in the water, even the hardcore programmers at VLC can't make it work smoothly with 15 years of reverse engineering.

    1. Re: File format ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound like a high ranking member of the cargo cult.

    2. Re: File format ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I have seen it happen too. Do not put more than 5 in the same folder and keep them away from direct light. Lowering the brightness on your monitor helps too, but you must do it in software.

  4. 4K... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... ought to be enough for anybody.

  5. Yay.. not by wbr1 · · Score: 1

    I have 4k gaming now. And 4k streaming. I can play just about any game known to man on it, I can upgrade any time, and it serves many other services, In house data center, media server, game servers that I host, etc. Other than a few exclusive titles, why would I buy a console ever again?

    --
    Silence is a state of mime.
    1. Re:Yay.. not by Travis+Mansbridge · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Generally, because a console is a self-contained, purpose-built, standard-specced, and usually more affordable option for people who may not know how to build a computer, or be able to afford a high-end computer but still want to play high-end games. Frankly, consoles are an ideal setup for VR as the software, specs and peripherals are all standardized.

      Having said that, I have no idea why anyone would ever want a Microsoft console.

    2. Re:Yay.. not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and it serves many other services, In house data center, media server, game servers that I host, etc.

      Yes what an excellent idea, one point of failure for everything. Try to transcode 4k content from that media server while you're playing the latest game online. I much rather have my servers separate from my gaming system. (no this is not an indictment of pc gaming or consoles over pcs or pcs over consoles, just the obviously silly notion of putting all your eggs in one basket)

    3. Re:Yay.. not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Having said that, I have no idea why anyone would ever want a Microsoft console.

      Or a Sony console for that matter.

    4. Re:Yay.. not by kamapuaa · · Score: 0

      Why, ten years ago they bought a company that put rootkits on its CDs! Theoretically that could have allowed computers to get hacked, although it seems that never actually happened, and anyway nobody played CDs on their computer anyway, and also nobody in Sony was involved in BMG putting rootkits on their CDs, and also isn't this getting a little old when nobody buys CDs anymore? It's like complaining that Sony released an 8-Track with gain levels set WAY too high.

      --
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    5. Re:Yay.. not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sony and microsft should probably have stuck to making their own custom cpu's for this reason. In the past you have to have a computer many times more powerful then the console to run the exact same games. Why cause developers wouldn't spend anytime optimizing their games to run on x86 cpu's. They were too focused on the ps3 and 360.

    6. Re:Yay.. not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      God, nobody fucking cares. Seriously, are you autistic or just an asshole? We get it you are a PC guy. Do you want a cookie?

    7. Re:Yay.. not by GNious · · Score: 1

      [...] for people who may not know how to build a computer, or be able to afford a high-end computer [...]

      or... who doesn't care to build a computer, or who did in the past and had a shit-awful time with drivers and crappy OS, or who doesn't think Windows makes sense on a livingroom TV, or who just wants to play games, or .... yeah, lots of different reasons for preferring a console.

    8. Re:Yay.. not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're a gamer, you're still a loser regardless of whether you use a console or a PC.

      It's amazing to me that adults play this shit. But I guess adults don't play this shit. Only manchildren play this shit.

    9. Re:Yay.. not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    10. Re: Yay.. not by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      In the past you have to have a computer many times more powerful then the console to run the exact same games.

      At far higher resolutions and frame-rates. You're confused.

  6. Nintendo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's funny because Nintendo tries to threaten ppl and shut down streaming of it's games and M$ is building this in.

  7. Id be amazed if it can play any modern game at 4k. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Currently even Nvidia's GTX1080Ti can barely run current games at 4k with high settings. Considering that that GPU alone is double the price of a current Xbox, I doubt MS are going to put similar tech out in a console any time soon.

  8. Re:Id be amazed if it can play any modern game at by exomondo · · Score: 2

    Currently even Nvidia's GTX1080Ti can barely run current games at 4k with high settings.

    PCs have a huge amount of overhead and a myriad of potential system bottlenecks that developers cannot know of in advance and even more important than a high fps is a consistent fps and it is much easier to achieve that when you know precisely the system you are targeting. Then there is the fact that the vast majority of the target audience does not have a GTX1080Ti so the game is not optimized for that GPU, it is optimized for a generic set of functionality (an OpenGL or DirectX version) that is most broadly available to the target audience. There's no value in optimizing for say a Pascal GPU when only a comparatively tiny part of your market has them, instead you optimize for a much older set of generic functionality and the performance boost of having a newer GPU comes almost exclusively from improvements like a smaller process, faster clockspeeds and more/faster memory. Sure they might have an option in the settings to render the post-blurred buffers some screen-space effect at 4k instead of upscaled 1080p but when you're sitting 6 feet from your TV playing a fast-paced shooter do you really notice?

    So console developers can optimize things like their rendering engine for a specific set of system functionality, they don't need to worry about scaling up or down or being portable because porting the game to a different system requires a renderer rewrite anyway. You can't just whack a GTX1080Ti in any system and expect it to perform the same and even if you manage to hit some sweet spot of hardware and software equilibrium with respect to bottlenecks is there any game that is going to effectively exploit that system design? Probably not.

    Considering that that GPU alone is double the price of a current Xbox, I doubt MS are going to put similar tech out in a console any time soon.

    As above, they don't need to. PC games won't effectively utilize the features of that GPU for a few years anyway.

  9. Re:Another perfect example of white privilege by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    there isn't a huge market for video games for starving black children in Sudan.

  10. You wont get 4k gaming on triple A titles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Per usual. Microsoft just cant tell the whole truth.
    Fact is. While yes the hardware will support 4k resolutions for myriad of different media. 2160p will not be the common resolution for triple a titles.
    Here is the facts as it stand in 3d graphics right now. Nvidias highest end consumer graphics card is the 1080 TI. A card that barely meets the 4k@60fps threshold.
    This is an $800 video card running on the latest node process technology available for high power silicon. Its simply a pipedream as this point in time
    that there is any chance that 4k will be scorpios primary gaming resolution. Im thinking more like 1440p for most high end content. But 1440p is a fantastic resolution, If they can manage to achieve 1440p@60hz for multiplayer shooters for instance. It could prove to still be an excellent improvement to the current livingroom console experience, And would still give consumers a good reason to upgrade to a 4k television.

  11. Is it done yet? by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    No?

    Then why do you wake me?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  12. 4k, like 3D by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck I hope this meme dies just as hard as 3DTV did.

    4k is a worthless spec that the majority of people will never be able to benefit from, NEVER MIND GAMERS of all people.
    All those extra pixels will equal is higher energy costs and more heat.

    The storage and processing requirements for 4k is just well beyond any minute worth it gives, even in proper setups.
    Unless your setup is a 4k "retina" screen, it's worthless. Anything outside that range is worthless.

  13. Re:Id be amazed if it can play any modern game at by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you think optimization can make a $500 game console do what a $2000 PC can't you are a credulous idiot.

  14. Scorpio will not do 4k by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

    From stated specs and leaked presentation info it looks like Scorpio will be struggling to output today's games at 4k, I think potential buyers will be disappointed in the difference between MS's PR and what the system can realistically output.

    After people complained this generation's consoles were underpowered for 1080p output I don't know why they are repeating this for 4k and also saying it will carry a premium price tag.

    At that point, since Xbox games will be on PC anyway, why not skip Scorpio and get a 1080 or 1080 Ti and also have access to Steam as well?

  15. Re:Id be amazed if it can play any modern game at by ezelkow1 · · Score: 1

    This gets trotted out during every new console pre-hype, and post-release is always shown to be false. At this point consoles are basically just x86 pc's. Even common pcs really dont have huge amounts of overhead and in the end the people developing the games are still running through various apis to abstract the functionality anyway.

    Its always 'a console can dedicate 100% of its hardware to the game so it has to run better than a pc!', yet every single time the console comes out and its performance is basically that of a standard gaming pc from 2 years earlier. Which would line up with the lead time on the new console. Theres nothing magical about a console

  16. "Telemetry" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So.. how much will this new 'game console' spy on you? Built in camera and microphone? Factory-installed malware that tries to 'install' 'telemetry' on other devices on your network? Will it just plaster your TV with ads constantly?

  17. Much much much less troubleshooting by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

    So you don't have to deal with troubleshooting OS, drivers, updates, various discrete pieces of hardware that may or may not be part of the issue, and much less choice paralysis on game options. Maybe it's OCD but on PC I spent more time running benchmarks and tweaking than actually playing. Every time my game would hitch I would wonder if there was something I could do to fix it and make my experience better. And if I couldn't run at max settings with it being completely smooth it would somehow ruin my enjoyment.

    With a console I don't have the absolute best experience but I do feel much more satisfied.

  18. Existing XBOX One owner here by Kryptonut · · Score: 2

    Thing is....I dropped a whole bunch of cash on an XBOX One before the "S" was announced. I'll be damned if I'm going to replace my console now. No XBOX VR for me...no sale for them. Thanks for fragmenting the ecosystem.

    Only way I'll end up with any of that kit is if the XBOX One I have, dies. And even then, it'll depend on what titles are available for VR and the price difference between a regular console and the "S" model. I don't care about 4K and a lot of other people I know don't care either.

  19. Re:Id be amazed if it can play any modern game at by exomondo · · Score: 1

    If you think optimization can make a $500 game console do what a $2000 PC can't you are a credulous idiot.

    I don't believe I made such a claim. Also I think the idea of comparing this at a monetary level is beyond stupid, we all know the common console model is to sell at a loss where PCs aren't but more to the point a PC has a much broader set of functionality than a console so it obviously costs more, indeed there are plenty of $2000+ computers that are far poorer performing in a gaming context than a modern console.

  20. Re:Id be amazed if it can play any modern game at by exomondo · · Score: 1

    This gets trotted out during every new console pre-hype, and post-release is always shown to be false.

    I explained quite clearly the reasons and they most certainly are not false. I get that you might not like the facts but your feelings do not change them.

    At this point consoles are basically just x86 pc's.

    So? Developers aren't writing for a general purpose PC, they're writing for a specific hardware target. Whether that is x86-based or not is irrelevant.

    Even common pcs really dont have huge amounts of overhead

    Of course they have huge amounts of overhead, they also have a myriad of bottlenecks that developers cannot know about so therefore they cannot optimize for GPU architecture, speed, number of cores, amount of memory, speed of memory or CPU architecture, speed, number of cores, amount of system memory, speed of system memory, speed of system bus, etc, etc... The suggestion that these things are incidental is just completely ignorant.

    and in the end the people developing the games are still running through various apis to abstract the functionality anyway.

    And that is precisely why PC games are less efficient at exploiting hardware, features have to be abstracted away which creates overhead and inefficiencies. The features of specific system configurations are most often not used.

    Its always 'a console can dedicate 100% of its hardware to the game so it has to run better than a pc!'

    Wrong. Obviously you weren't reading because I didn't say or imply that whatsoever, even if we assume the lightest possible OS configuration with no other unnecessary processes running the performance factors I pointed out still exist and contribute significantly to the inefficiencies of the platform.

    yet every single time the console comes out and its performance is basically that of a standard gaming pc from 2 years earlier.

    Except it isn't, a PC with that same hardware performs far worse because of the abstractions and the lack of optimization for the above mentioned factors. I explained that pretty clearly in my post here and you just coming out and saying "nuh-uh" without any attempt to refute what I said, any evidence or even any explanations does seem to demonstrate your limited understanding here.

    Another practical example is the use of VR. You're not getting anywhere near the same experience on a PC with the equivalent Radeon HD 7850 that you get on the PS4 with respect to VR. Why? Well it's for exactly the reasons I outlined above.