The Price Of Xbox Project Scorpio

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Excitement is building over the Xbox Project Scorpio from Microsoft, with many people speculating on the specs and games that the next generation console could bring.

Gamers are so far impressed with the rumored specs, with plenty of people keen to see the console before its predicted holiday season 2017 release date. Given the monster specs, talk has now turned to how much the console could cost, according to Windows Report.

Xbox Project Scorpio will be a monster of a console

Commentators have pointed out that there will be 6-teraflops of GPU power along with rumored 4K and high fidelity VR gaming. This could push the cost of the console to more than $700.

If PC gaming is anything to go by this could be a realistic price. 4K gaming does not come cheap on any platform. However Microsoft knows that it cannot price the Xbox Project Scorpio out of reach of normal consumers.

Microsoft made a similar mistake with the Xbox One, where high prices put people off owning the console. However the console still has to make sense financially, and is likely to cost bearer $499 when it is released.

Pricing a sensitive issue as always

You may point out that this is the same price as the Xbox One at launch, but the difference is that Xbox Project Scorpio will have the beefy specs to justify the price tag. A lot of the problems with the Xbox One arose due to confusion over the message that Microsoft wanted to convey, with even executives apparently confused.

This time around Microsoft will need to communicate the message behind Xbox Project Scorpio a lot more effectively. If they can do so then a slightly higher price tag may not cause too many problems.

At $499 the console will seem expensive. However gamers could justify the purchase if the specs and games are impressive. There is no reason why developers will not throw their weight behind the new console and bring the biggest titles to Xbox Project Scorpio, so Microsoft needs to work on the technical side of things.

Trade-in programs to encourage buyers

The issue of pricing has in fact already been addressed by Dave McCarthy, general manager of Xbox Services. “Some of our retail partners today do trade-in programs and that is definitely going to be partnerships we continue to move going forward. We want to make that transition as smooth as possible,” he said.

With continued trade-in programs the financial cost of the new console could be mitigated, encouraging more people to buy.  McCarthy has also said that Xbox One games will still work on the new console.

“The compatibility thing is a big deal, because the feeling that you have to give up your games is not a good feeling, so we take that angst out of the equation,” he said.

All the signs point to the fact that Microsoft will do its utmost to make the switch to the Xbox Project as painless as possible. At the same time the company will face stiff competition from long time rival Sony and its next generation PlayStation 4 Neo.

There has been no word on how much power the new Sony console will pack in, but the console market is set to heat up as these two titans continue their battle. Rumor has it that the Xbox Project Scorpio will be more powerful than existing gaming PCs, which is impressive for a console.

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