A first impression is often a lasting one, and this is as much true of a video game console’s launch as it is a limp handshake or a lack of eye contact. Sega learned the hard way with the Saturn, Sony with the PS3, and Microsoft with the Xbox One; a successful launch is vital to winning a “console war”. More than just creating a buzz by touting cutting-edge tech, though, a console’s strong beginnings are about establishing momentum and ensuring it continues to snowball.
Microsoft is now seeking to execute that strategy with its upcoming Project Scorpio console, and it all starts with a new E3 conference date. By moving that date forward, Microsoft aims to aggressively plant its flagpole in the ground, triumphantly touting its upcoming Project Scorpio console, and affording itself some extra time for gamers to marinate on its specs. It’s a clever move, bolder and less reactive than what we’ve seen from Microsoft this generation, but there’s still a big potential problem with Scorpio’s design that could undermine that initiative.
Having been soundly beaten commercially by Sony’s PS4, Microsoft is rather in need of hitting the reset button and regaining the initiative. Scorpio should provide the perfect platform to achieve that: the ultimate response to PS4 Pro that moves the goalposts so far beyond its competition that it effectively reinvents the game. The upcoming console has the power to facilitate developers to make prettier, larger, and more ambitious games than anything available on PlayStation.
Or at least, it does on paper. But in practice, committed to marketing the console as part of a shared ecosystem with no exclusive content from the base Xbox One, Microsoft is actually sending Scorpio into battle with one hand tied behind its back. Despite loudly trumpeting its strong performance, Scorpio will only afford boosted visuals and framerates, not a full generational leap – this sounds awfully similar to the PS4 Pro mandate. If this does ends up being the whole of Scorpio’s story, I’d suggest that stifling its design for a halfway house upgrade is somewhat of an unforced error. Most important, this conservative strategy could well end up being a missed opportunity, handing the initiative straight back to Sony moving forward into the next generation.
It really is a strange decision, especially given Phil Spencer’s insistence that Scorpio is not a reaction to PS4 Pro. But then again, Microsoft’s messaging about iterative consoles and Scorpio hasn’t been especially clear from the start, trying to appease Xbox One owners with one hand and attempting to deliver a knockout punch to Sony with the other.
Even if Microsoft is confident in a premium device that churns out 60fps and 4K gaming better than Sony’s PS4 Pro, I’m not actually sure many gamers’ expectations are measured in line with that precedent. Scorpio’s graphical and processing qualities invite rhetoric in support of a more ambitious jump in quality, further encouraged by Microsoft’s hot and cold messaging in the build up to the console’s reveal.
Microsoft’s CEO, Phil Spencer, had actually originally suggested Microsoft wouldn’t make a premium system unless it offered a significant jump in capability. But what he meant was… well, exactly what he said; Microsoft would offer a premium console, but with a much more significant amount of horsepower than PS4 Pro. Was this a trolling, of sorts? A jibe at Sony’s efforts while trying to simultaneously add more punch to Scorpio’s big reveal, or was it just Spencer backtracking? Certainly, Scorpio’s specifications do make Pro seem rather underwhelming by comparison, but without exclusive content, games aren’t likely to benefit any more than PS4 Pro games do, with faster frame rate boosts or up-scaled 4K visuals. What is the point of Scorpio’s big engine if Microsoft isn’t going to go pedal to the metal?
For all the talk of beautiful pixels and 4K rendering, the Scorpio’s E3 reveal, a lack of purpose-built software for the console seems like a case of wasted potential. Because in reality, if the messaging of its shared ecosystem is to be believed, the 2017 release date firm, and the specifications accurate, Scorpio is just a slightly better PS4 Pro, without PlayStation’s stellar lineup of games in 2017. It might actually be the most frustrating piece of hardware ever conceived; a veritable powerhouse, shackled by the conditions of its release.
At the root of this issue seems to be the timing of Scorpio’s release. History suggests it isn’t far enough after Xbox One’s 2013 launch for Microsoft to fully commit to offering exclusive content for a new console. But these are changing times, where iterative consoles have rewritten the rulebook, and if Microsoft wants the reward, it probably should be prepared to fully commit to the risk.
But maybe it actually is after all? Should we really trust Microsoft and Spencer’s suggestion that Scorpio, a console with six times the power of the base Xbox One, will forever continue to operate with a ball and chain tied to its leg? As I see it, the only way for Scorpio to actually wrestle momentum away from Sony is to have its full potential unleashed, to offer a gaming experience that Sony simply doesn’t have the power to compete with. Scorpio simply must transition into the next console generation. It has the power to do so and Microsoft has enough cause to draw the curtains on Xbox One, the question is whether it is willing to gamble and take a chance.
Ultimately, Microsoft might have been better holding off on Scorpio until 2018, marketing the console as an entirely new generation. It would have given Microsoft the sort impetus that Sony currently commands; the Japanese giant having already enjoyed a successful PS4 launch and had the head start with PS4 Pro’s earlier release. It would give Microsoft a chance to kick off the next generation, get ahead of the competition and hit the ball firmly into Sony’s court. I’m afraid that if the half-hearted approach to Scorpio’s release is continued with, Microsoft is allowing Sony time to lay its plans for PS5 and once again dictate the pace and set the trend.
But then again, I don’t actually believe Microsoft will continue with this charade for much longer, anyway. Sure, it needs to stay consumer-savvy to appease current Xbox One owners and give this current generation a final push, but then it has to use Scorpio to pave the way for a full generational leap. A soft launch, if you will, to establish momentum before rolling out quality exclusive content that unleashes Scorpio’s full power that keeps it snowballing.
Published: Mar 1, 2017 04:13 pm