E3 2017: Project Scorpio is now Xbox One X, coming to Singapore this year for $699

Microsoft must have been really looking forward to this day. Following a low-key start to the year, the company finally unloaded a long heap of announcements at their E3 2017 press conference earlier today (12 June), beginning with details of Project Scorpio.

Sticking to a safe naming convention, the Xbox One X represents a return to basics for the console development team, a project that sought to delight both gamers and developers while pushing technical innovation. It had three goals at the outset – power, compatibility, and craftsmanship – and the result seems to have succeeded on all accounts.

We were promised “True 4K” at last year’s teaser and, today, Microsoft’s Head of Xbox Phil Spencer explained that they meant it in every sense of the word. The Xbox One X will render games at a 4K UHD resolution with corresponding 4K textures and assets, HDR, wide-color gamut, and Dolby Atmos support. Importantly, the games will be running at a rock solid 60fps too.

They’re confidently pushing it as “the most powerful console ever” and it certainly looks the part. Yet a key edge it has over Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro is that the improved hardware is compatible with “all Xbox games and accessories”. In other words, current Xbox One and Xbox One S owners will see performance improvements for their existing games if they upgrade. What’s more, they won’t need a 4K TV see the visual benefits thanks to supersampling.

Some games specified for a free enhancement update at launch are Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Minecraft, Resident Evil 7, Final Fantasy 15, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, Rocket League, and more. For new games, we’re looking at 22 exclusive titles from developers big and small.

As discovered earlier this year, the Xbox One X sports a custom-made liquid-cooled vapor chamber and optimized power management, all of which allowed the team to shrink the console’s form factor even further.

These advancements come at a cost, however. The Xbox One X will retail in Singapore at an official estimated price of $699 – a high entry point compared to others, complicating the brand’s comeback from what is essentially last place. It boils down to games appeal now, which we’ll look at in a separate article.

The Xbox One X will be available worldwide on 7 November.