Microsoft is set to unveil its much-awaited Xbox Project Scorpio console at the E3 event this Sunday at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET). Ahead of the official unveiling, the software giant has started posting teaser videos on Twitter and Facebook using the slogan “Feel True Power,” reiterating the console’s powerful specs. Project Scorpio is dubbed to be the most powerful gaming console ever.
Microsoft’s teasers contain hidden clues
Xbox fans expect Microsoft to announce the Scorpio release date during the E3 event on Sunday. But the Redmond company might already have revealed the console’s release date in one of its teasers. Twitter user XboxInGame analyzed the teaser videos frame by frame. They found that Microsoft has added hidden messages in the teasers that many people thought were only aimed at building up consumer excitement.
Xbox Scorpio release date hidden in the teaser?? #XboxE3
X10S101-317 = X10S 10/13/17 = Xbox 10 13th October 2017?? #Xbox #Microsoft pic.twitter.com/BUx84vMxmx— Ingame (@XboxIngame) June 7, 2017
YouTube channel The Red Dragon has compiled the recent teaser videos Microsoft has been posting. One teaser includes a message “6>4” next to a Ferris wheel. It’s an obvious dig at Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro. The Project Scorpio offers 6 teraflops of graphics processing power compared to the PS4 Pro’s 4 teraflops. The clues in the second teaser are even more interesting.
Xbox Project Scorpio release date: October 13, 2017
The next teaser includes a shot of a crowded venue, where a string of text on a platform reads “X10S101-317.” The Redmond company traditionally uses a similar date format for the Windows and Xbox software builds. Here the “X10S” is a reference to the Project Scorpio itself. The “10” in X10S hints at a big numerical upgrade over the Xbox One. Or maybe it’s intended as binary, which would make the X10S as Xbox 2.
The remaining “101317” could be the Scorpio release date. If this is indeed a clue, the Project Scorpio would hit the store shelves on October 13, 2017. Windows Central points out that October 13th falls on a Friday, which is a typical release day for consoles. The console would arrive in time for the holiday shopping season to capitalize on the holiday sales.
The Redmond giant released one more teaser on Thursday, but it doesn’t seem to contain any hidden messages. Microsoft has a history of releasing games and teasers ahead of its console announcement.
Microsoft trademarks an “S” logo
Earlier this week, Microsoft filed an application to trademark an “S” logo. The trademark was filed on June 5 with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. Microsoft noted in the application that the logo was related to video game consoles and computer game software. Don’t be surprised if it turns out to be the logo for Project Scorpio itself, which would help explain why Microsoft included “X10S” in one of its teasers.
The EUIPO is still examining the trademark application. Microsoft’s Surface Studio naming was also found before its debut in a trademark filing. Ahead of its E3 show, the company has released a video showing the Scorpio dev kit. Game developers will use the dev kit to build games for the upcoming console. The dev kit has more powerful specs than the retail version.
Should Sony be worried?
Project Scorpio, arguably the world’s most powerful gaming console, will be competing directly with Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro. So far, Sony’s consoles have sold far more units than Xbox. The Project Scorpio could help Microsoft regain some lost ground against Sony. Should the Japanese company be worried that the Scorpio would be more powerful than its flagship console?
Maybe. Or maybe not. But Sony executives said earlier this week that they were not frightened of Project Scorpio. In an interview with Business Insider, Sony Interactive Entertainment America CEO Shawn Layden and Sony’s PlayStation global marketing head Jim Ryan said those praising the Scorpio are “probably the same people who predicted the demise of the console in 2012.”
Jim Ryan said Sony wasn’t worried about competition because everything in the console market boils down to the games. PlayStation has a far bigger library of exclusive games than Xbox. Most of the titles on Xbox One are also available on the PS4. Sony believes upcoming games such as Uncharted: The Lost Legacy would further help it attract gamers.
In North America, the PlayStation is outselling Xbox 2-to-1. In Europe, PlayStation is leading with 3-to-1 against Xbox. The upcoming Project Scorpio features six teraflops of GPU, 1TB of internal storage, true 4K resolution, a custom octa-core processor with an impressive 2.3GHz clock speed, and 12GB GDDR RAM. The console would offer backward compatibility with existing Xbox games.
Microsoft hasn’t revealed how much the Project Scorpio would cost. Given its premium features and specs, we can be sure that it wouldn’t be cheap. Recently, SegmentNext learned from its sources that the console’s price wouldn’t exceed $500. More recent rumors indicate that Project Scorpio would be priced at $399.
