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In the face of PS4 Pro, Microsoft maintains that Xbox 'Scorpio' is 'most powerful console ever made'

The difference in power between the upgraded Xbox One and PS4 will be 'obvious' to consumers.

David Craddock

September 8, 2016 2:51 PM

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Xbox senior director of product management Albert Penello told IGN that Microsoft has nothing to fear following Sony's reveal of PlayStation 4 Pro yesterday.

"We were very confident when we made the announcement. It was kind of a bold thing to say, given the rumors that were out there. And I’m more confident today that we’re going to have the most powerful console ever made."

Penello went on to declare that Microsoft has been one step ahead of Sony as of late, and will stay ahead as competition heats up. For instance, neither PS4 nor PS4 Pro have a 4K Blu-Ray player—an odd omission, given that Sony was one of nine companies responsible for creating the technology. Xbox One S does, and, presumably, so will Xbox Scorpio.

"I think for $299 the Xbox One S with 4K Blu-Ray, with HDR, with the upgraded controller with Bluetooth, and the new design, I think we’ve got a killer product that beats their PS4 Slim on the low end."

To be fair, not much separates Xbox One S and PS4 Slim, launching next week for $300, in terms of hardware. Sony will push out a firmware patch next week that adds support for HDR to all PS4 models, putting standard PS4 and PS4 Slim on even footing with Xbox One S.

One area where Microsoft may compete is higher framerates. While the company has yet to unveil Scorpio and disclose its hardware specs, many publishers have said that titles new and old will run at 30 frames per second on both PS4 and PS4 Pro, even though Pro's beefier hardware allows developers to hit a steady 60fps in many cases.

It's likely that publishers are aiming for a steady 30fps on PS4 Pro to even the playing field. Both Sony and Microsoft are stressing that their respective console upgrades are not new consoles, but upgrades to this generation's boxes. While there will be advantages to buying PS4 Pro or Xbox Scorpio, both manufacturers assure consumers that every game released for upgraded hardware will work on older models.

"We think about [Xbox One and Scorpio] as part of the same family," Penello said. "All of your existing Xbox One games and accessories will work. Your Xbox One games will look better on Scorpio. And I believe we will have a very good story for customers for both upgrading their content and how the cross-compatibility between the two products works. Every game that you’re buying this holiday for Xbox One and Xbox One S is going to work on Scorpio, no problem. Out of the box."

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.