Project Scorpio Build Of ‘Project CARS 2’ On Xbox Won’t Be Limited By PS4 Pro, Dev Says

Project Scorpio and PS4 Pro have a fairly wide spec differential in Microsoft’s favor, but Slightly Mad Studios of Project CARS fame isn’t letting that scare them. When it comes to Project CARS 2 on the next Xbox, its developer plans to push the 2017 hardware to its full potential.

While speaking to GamingBolt, the game’s Creative Director Andy Tudor was pretty frank about how the game might improve on next-gen Xbox hardware. From detail to resolution, there are lots of places where the Scorpio build might differ from Pro.

Read: Destiny 2 Seems Like It Will Run 4K 60FPS On Pro & Scorpio

“We may go higher resolution on Scorpio compared to Pro, or we may keep lower res but increase detail. Again, too early to say. And if we can do something extra on Scorpio easily we will do [it]. We won’t hold it back due to Pro.”

When it comes to the fairly short history of the Project CARS franchise, Tudor’s words aren’t all that surprising. The original game is noted to be one of the most technically demanding games on modern hardware, and it’s often used in testing by hardware experts like Digital Foundry. On more scalable platforms like PC, Project CARS 2 is being designed to run at resolutions as high as 12K with full virtual reality support.

That being said, while the developer’s comments seem pretty assertive, it may be too early for car fans to get their engines revved up too much. After all, Project CARS 2 was first officially revealed this February and doesn’t have an exact release date yet. While the title is slated for a “late 2017” arrival and has been in the works since 2015, specifics are pretty slim at the moment. We know the final product will feature a grand total of 60 tracks and 170 cars including the Acura NSX, Nissan GT-R GT3 and McLaren 650S GT3. The fact that Tudor said it’s “too early” to talk Scorpio-specific features suggests a possible delay or a delay of the high-end patch.

Read: Project Scorpio’s Dev Kit Features A Screen With A Framerate Counter

With regard to how Project Scorpio stacks against PS4 Pro, experts estimate Microsoft’s customized hardware is about 40 percent more powerful than Sony’s PS4 Pro from 2016. While the Pro does a pretty solid job of simulating true 4K through checkerboarding techniques, Scorpio has been advertised as a native 4K beast. The vast majority of existing games will need a software update to take advantage of everything Scorpio has to offer, but titles with scalable resolutions will automatically run at the highest performance possible.

One thing that remains unclear is just how common Mad Studios’ stance on Scorpio is when compared to the rest of the industry. While it’s nice to push every game to its full potential on every spec, it’s a lot easier for creators to simply target the Pro as the lowest common denominator. Based on statements from studios like Bungie, it appears the Pro and Scorpio versions of Destiny 2 will be fairly similar. Will this be the trend, or is it an outlier?

Project Scorpio will be discussed in greater detail during Microsoft’s E3 press briefing. It takes place June 11 at 5 p.m. ET.

How do you feel about Project CARS 2 possibly getting the full Scorpio treatment? Is PS4 Pro still a better value? Tell us in the comments section!