Project Scorpio: 5 Things Microsoft's High-Spec Xbox Must Have - Games, Price & More

Project Scorpio’s specs easily make it the most powerful games console ever made, but having the right chips is only one part of a winning formula. Between price, software and more, here are five areas Microsoft should investigate to make Scorpio a success.

1) A Price Below $500: Based on hardware alone, Digital Foundry estimates Xbox Scorpio will cost about $500. That’s not a totally unheard of number considering Xbox One launched at that price in 2013, but that MSRP didn’t prove helpful to Microsoft in the early months of this console generation.

In the current console landscape, a $500 price just won’t cut it. A PS4 Pro costs $400 today and could be even cheaper by the fall. While serving a different subset of gamers, standard PS4 bundles and Nintendo Switch cost $300. The gulf between three and five is a massive ask for something being discussed as an iterative console. If Microsoft wants Scorpio to truly succeed, a loss must be taken to bring it down to $450 or less.

2) Exclusive Xbox One Games: Last year Microsoft launched its Xbox Play Anywhere program, and it essentially offers cross-buy and cross-play on PC for high-profile Xbox exclusives. It’s a cool idea on the surface, but, provided you have a decent gaming PC, it totally removes the need to buy Xbox hardware at all. Games like Crackdown 3, Sea Of Thieves and even Halo 6 are all headed to Windows 10.

A premium console like Project Scorpio cannot thrive in that environment. After all, if the pricing estimates we’re hearing are correct, it’s possible to build a comparable PC for a couple hundred dollars more. If you do that, not only will you be able to play all Xbox exclusives, but you can also get cheap games on Steam too. To combat that competition, Microsoft needs to start making Xbox-exclusive software again. It’s the only way to make Scorpio feel necessary.

3) Premium Services: Xbox leadership has often described project Scorpio as a “premium” version of the Xbox One. If that’s truly your message, why not own up to it with some premium benefits for Scorpio owners? For example, maybe they get a discount on Xbox Live Gold or a free membership to the recently announced Xbox Game Pass platform.

If Microsoft refuses to add value to Scorpio through exclusive software, the best that can be done is to foster it from a services perspective. Xbox loyalists may complain a bit at first, but then they’ll cave and invest in the new hardware to get the goods.

4) Expanded Backwards Compatibility: One of the most consumer-friendly moves Microsoft has made during this console generation is continuously supporting the Xbox One to Xbox 360 backwards compatibility catalog. Whether you want to play old games or not, it’s awesome to see so many last-gen classics instantly accessible on your newer machine for free.

With that goodwill in mind, why not expand backwards compatibility even further on Project Scorpio? By that we mean making original Xbox games playable on Xbox One. If this console really is about blurring the lines between generations, going back that far is one way to prove it. It’s hard to say just how much Scorpio’s power is necessary to pull that off, so maybe it’s doable on standard Xbox One as well. Regardless of console, full backwards compatibility adds tremendous value to all Xbox products.

5) A Promise Of Extended Support: As we’ve said, Scorpio is very much seen as an iterative console today. However, if Microsoft wants to sell more units, maybe the best thing to do is step away from that classification. Instead, Phil Spencer and crew should come right out and promise an eight-year support cycle for Scorpio.

In other words, it’d be wise to tell consumers that Scorpio will still be viable hardware for future games long after the standard Xbox One is phased out. It may eventually be on the lower end compared to a newer model, but at least Scorpio buyers can feel like they’re funding something that will have legs beyond an older Xbox One. It’d make the expensive purchase feel more worthwhile.

More details on Project Scorpio are anticipated for E3 in June.

Do you think Project Scorpio needs exclusive games and a low price to succeed? Will this high-spec console flop? Tell us in the comments section!