There’s been much speculation regarding how much Xbox Scorpio will cost when it launches towards the end of 2017, with a portion of gamers worried that Microsoft will price the console out of their price range. However, it looks like that the Scorpio may be more affordable than first feared as Phil Spencer has stated that Microsoft want Xbox Scorpio to have a console price point.
Speaking during an interview with AusGamers, Head of Xbox Division Phil Spencer stated that Microsoft are not trying to compete against high-end rigs when it comes to Xbox Scorpio and are focusing on developing a balanced console that can come together at a reasonable price point. For Microsoft, that’s a console price point meaning that it won’t cost anywhere near to what higher end PC rigs cost.
“When you talk to me about Scorpio, the term I use about the architecture isn’t the six teraflops which is obviously what we’ve announced, it’s balance,” Spencer said. “Really what it is, is you want a platform that is balanced between memory bandwidth, GPU power, you know, your ability to move memory and [an] amount of memory around in many ways is more inhibiting to the performance of your game than absolute teraflops on any one of the individual pieces, and when we designed Scorpio we really thought about this balanced rig that could come together at a price-point.”
“Like, I want Scorpio to be at a console price-point, I’m not trying to go and compete with a high-end rig. And because we’re building one spec, we’re able to look at the balance between all the components and make sure that it’s something we really hit that matters to consumers and gamers.”
Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro launched with a price tag of $399, so it would be surprising if Microsoft priced Xbox Scorpio much higher than that given that PS4 Pro is currently the most powerful console on the market. There’s speculation that Microsoft could decide to price the Scorpio at $499, although this is likely to be the very upper limit.