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Battle lines are drawn again for the video game title of “I’m the best console” because Xbox Scorpio and PlayStation 4 Pro are going head-to-head in a no disqualification match! Fans are tweeting nonsense in their hundreds, sending messages of love to their console gods while casting hate towards the other. Brand Loyalty is in full effect, forums are on fire and keyboards are being rapidly tapped forming words! (where’s that Michael Jackson eating popcorn gif?).

So Scorpio has had “some” details released (no price point has been reviled yet though), but it’s basically what you would expect, a jazzed up Xbox One with a 4K Blu-Ray player and the ability to play your Xbox games in glorious Native 4k on your wonderful 4K tv-screen (you do own a 4K tele right? No? Better get saving then). Of course, a few details are worth very little to nothing, and here they are. The Scorpio won’t support Kinect, It will arrive fall 2017 (Christmas), the GPU is 4.6 times more powerful than the original Xbox One, AMD CPU has seen its speed increase from 1.75GHz to 2.3GHz, supports Dolby Atmos and the possibility of supporting VR and doing a good job at it. You can find more detailed information and get your nerd on at Digital Foundry. So basically, it’s a decent upgrade from your standard Xbox One (say goodbye to 900p or less games). This builds on some of the great caveats Xbox One has like, EA Access and backwards compatibility.

Here are some pretty darn exciting details about the Xbox Scorpio and PS4 Pro.

Of course though what’s even more exciting than all those details is the fanboy wars surrounding the two companies. Because it’s like WWE fans vs WCW fans, you could only like one. So if you like both, then you’re a stupid idiot. Twitter acts like a great window into the madness on both sides and the blind loyalty for what essentially is… A toy. The arguments over “Secret Sauce” (It’s not Jr’s BBQ sauce) and the obsession over “MOAR POWA” just seems unhealthy it’s just a new 4k console, calm down, but have you seen those six Teraflops? Blimey, pass the tissues! (I need them to wipe the tears of joy away, you dirty buggers).

“The world’s most powerful console” May so be, but where’s the exclusive games at?

Furthermore, the thing that matters isn’t just how powerful a console is, but it’s also about the core part of any console, that being the GAMES. So when there is a console release, there’s usually exclusives and at the moment PlayStation is rolling in them with some major releases from “Horizon Zero Dawn” to “Persona 5”. Xbox however, has more tumbleweeds than games. To be honest, “Halo Wars” is the only game that I can think of that’s been released so far this year. So naturally, with Microsoft unleashing a new beasty machine (Xbox Scorpio is set for a release this Christmas) one would hope the big M have a few exclusives up their sleeves that aren’t just another Halo or Forza. However, It’s been a bumpy road for Microsoft, especially with Lionhead having its doors closed and “Scalebound” receiving an RKO out of nowhere. So you would have to wonder what big game will they will launch with the Scorpio. So if I was to make a prediction, then it will most likely going to be “Crackdown 3”. “Crackdown 3” of course, has been known about before Xbox One even hit the shelves; As it had a trailer at that god-awful E3 conference. We heard about the “Powa of tha Clowd” and funnily enough we’re hearing the same thing again with Scorpio, just quit with the damn buzzwords and deliver the goods!

The console fanboy wars really do remind me of the WCW & WWE arguments back in the day.

As for the PS4 Pro, it’s a fair mid-gen console. I’ve had mine for a few months, and it does a good job, the recent update on stabilizing frame-rates on unpatched games was very welcome. On the downside though is the support for games being patched up to 4K. You see, not all of them are getting that sweet 4K patch, and even then in some cases it’s not that great where only the HUD is made into 4K (like in the case with “Overwatch“). However, one major benefit is for PlayStation VR, on the Pro games do look crisper and can push better graphical fidelity compared to the base unit. However, again, this can differ from game to game. Games like PlayStation Worlds Heist mission have night and day difference when it comes to textures and increasing Resolution, another game to show this off would be “Robinson the Journey“, what a time to be alive eh? So looking at the stats for Scorpio it does make for an exciting prospect for VR on Xbox One.

The Oculus Rift will likely be MS choice of VR rather than developing their own.

You know, it’s a funny time to live in. Especially as I work in retail and a customer asks “Which console should I buy Xbox One or PS4”. Well, for the most part I recommend the PS4 if they enjoy a good variety of games. However, if all they want to do is to play is “Halo” and “Fifa” (gotta get those exclusive Legend players in Ultimate team yo), then I recommend the Xbox One. Nevertheless, both consoles have their pros and cons. So one isn’t immediately better than the other and in some ways they’re different. For example, the fact Xbox One is backwards compatible, but personally I don’t care for that. Even if I did, the PS4 now has me covered, and it seems Microsoft have taken notice as their launching a similar service “Xbox Game Pass” later in the year. Of course, you can own both consoles (believe me, I tried), but it’s rather expensive to go down that path. So I found myself neglecting the Xbox for the PS4. Microsoft needs to deliver the goods to convince me, and the largest part of this isn’t the price or how it looks, but it will be the games.

This is what the inside of the Xbox Scorpio looks like.

These are the said specs for the Xbox Scorpio console (the specs are taken from the official US homepage).

I’m not convinced that the new Xbox Scorpio poses as any feasible threat to the PS4; Because they have the games in the bag and plenty to keep fans interested. So in my opinion, the Xbox One are still in the proving grounds. Sure, it’s great being able to play games in Native 4K because they look bloody lovely, while not all of PS Pro’s games are native 4K, the checkerboard rendering looks just as good and the extra power for better frame-rates are most welcome. Nevertheless, for me, it always comes down to games and during the last few months, PlayStation has spoiled me, but can they keep up the momentum? Time will tell.

Well, we will know for sure once Christmas arrives, because when the dust settles there will only be only one champion, possibly a new King of the ring, the undisputed champion of them all! And who knows, maybe the Switch console will become a joker in this upcoming console war?

And with that said, what’s your take on this matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!

Credit:
Robin Ek – Editor

Source:
Gamespot
Euro Gamer
Xbox
IGN
pcadvisor

***Disclaimer***
This is a personal opinion of the writer, and it doesn’t necessarily represent the other writers (nor The Gaming Ground´s) opinions.