If Sony opted to hold off on the unveiling of PlayStation 4.5 at E3 2016, then Microsoft came in swinging, executing an astute one-two punch that confirmed both the Xbox One S and the beefed up, 4K-capable behemoth known as the Project Scorpio.
But was it really astute? In the aftermath of Microsoft’s press showcase, a select portion of the Xbox community have questioned the publisher’s decision to parade the Xbox One S on the stage, only to undercut the slimmer hardware by confirming that, yes, a new console will land in 2017 – one considered to be the most powerful gaming device yet built, touting VR capabilities and 6 teraflops of processing power.
Reflecting on that slate, Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke to Giant Bomb about why he believes E3 2016 represented the opportunity to essentially set out the stall, educating the consumer about how the Xbox One “family” is beginning to welcome one or two new members.
“The reason we announced when we did–one is I wanted to give customers a view into what we were doing,” Spencer said. “If they say I have an Xbox One now, I’m thinking about an Xbox One S, I want to be as transparent as I can be so they know they’re buying with as much information as I can give them. I can’t always give them all the information, but I want to give them this information. I want to talk about Scorpio so customers can feel like they have a view into what we were doing so they could make the decision that is right for them.”
Though Microsoft once contemplated launching Project Scorpio in 2016, the Xbox One S is the latest model in line for release. It’ll be available from August.
