The Big Question: Purchase the Xbox One S, or wait for Project Scorpio?

At E3 2016, Microsoft dropped a few bombs and after the smoked had cleared, folks were left chatting about the official reveal of the Xbox One S and Project Scorpio. These hardware announcements stole the show and managed to overshadow the game reveals, so how do they stack up?

As you should know by know, the Xbox One S is just a smaller version of the Xbox One. While there have murmurs of the console being able to deliver higher performance than the original Xbox One, do not be fooled because that’s not the case. All games played on the Xbox One will look and perform the same on the Xbox One S. The Xbox One S does support HDR, though, so we expect future games to take advantage of that feature. Still, you’ll need an HDR compatible television or monitor for it to work and to be frank, HDR doesn’t matter so Xbox One owners won’t be missing out on anything important.

Microsoft calls Project Scorpio the most powerful console. Set to store shelves come 2017, it boasts monstrous specifications and could usher in an age of 4K gaming on consoles, something we’ve never seen before.

The question right now is: How does the Xbox One S stack up to Project Scorpio. And should you abandon any thought of picking up an Xbox One S this year?

Well, Project Scorpio is a six teraflop monster of a console, which means it is around 450% more powerful than the Xbox One S. There’s simply no competition here: Project Scorpio is beastly. If rumors hold true, this monster of a console should turn out to be at most, 150% more powerful than the PlayStation Neo.

It should be able to support high fidelity 4K gaming and VR. The Xbox One S cannot do 4K gaming nor does it support VR for gaming. It does, however, support 4K video content.

Will the games work across consoles? We do know Microsoft is aiming for all Xbox One S games to work on Project Scorpio and vice-versa. However, seeing as Project Scorpio is 450% more powerful, we do not believe all games on that console will come to the Xbox One S. The power difference is too big, so as the years go by, expect developers to focus their energies on a single Xbox.

What about Kinect? Well, what about it? It’s an accessory barely clinging to life. If anything, Microsoft confirmed its untimely death by removing the Kinect port from the Xbox One S. Now, if folks want to attach Kinect to the device, they must go out and get a USB adapter. The rule is simple: If an accessory requires an adapter to work instead of an official port, it is as good as dead.

Now, whether or not Microsoft will try its hand at Kinect again for Project Scorpio is still left to be seen, but all indication says otherwise.

Should you purchase the Xbox One S or just wait for Project Scorpio? Here’s the thing: If you own a regular Xbox One, then there’s no need to purchase the Xbox One S unless you’re interested in saving a bit on your electricity bills. If you haven’t yet owned an Xbox On and you’re on a budget, then picking up an Xbox One S should be a no-brainer.

There are several cool games out there right now for Xbox and more on the way. Jump in, enjoy them and pick up Scorpio at a later date after launch.

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