One of the biggest questions about the upcoming Project Scorpio, described by Microsoft as "the most powerful console ever," is how much it will cost. While the exact price tag has not yet been revealed, Xbox head Phil Spencer hinted at a price window in an interview.
According to Spencer, in an interview with NZGamer, Project Scorpio was designed in parallel with the Xbox One S, which is a revamped model of the Xbox One.
"We thought about the price performance of what we wanted to hit with the Scorpio, relative to what we were going to be able to do with the [Xbox One] S," said Spencer, as the Xbox team was looking to have a good price continuity between the consoles so that they would not look disconnected with a wide price gap.
Spencer said that Project Scorpio will feel like a premium console, but gamers who are looking forward to it should not worry that it will come with a price tag that would be unlike any video game console that has ever been released.
In addition, Spencer said that the starting price of the Xbox One S, which is at $299 for a 500 GB version of the console bundled with a free game, along with the increasing price for bigger hard drives with the standalone 2 TB Xbox One S selling for $399, will play a critical role in the price of Project Scorpio. The Xbox One S and Project Scorpio is seen by Spencer as part of the same product line, so gamers should expect the price of the upcoming console to be in line with that thought.
To come up with a possible price window for Project Scorpio, it should be noted that the highest price attached to a recent video game console was $600, which is the price tag that came with Sony's PlayStation 3 upon its launch. Given Spencer's comments on the price of the Project Scorpio not unlike what has been previously seen, it is very unlikely that it will come with a price tag of more than $600.
Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro, which is being geared as the competitor of Project Scorpio down the line, will begin selling in November for $399. However, according to Xbox senior director of product management and planning Albert Penello, Project Scorpio will have an obvious advantage over the PlayStation 4 Pro in terms of performance. This could mean that Microsoft's console will be more technologically advanced, which could mean a higher price tag compared to Sony's offering.
Given the price of the Xbox One S in the range of $300 to $400, the price of PlayStation 4 Pro starting at $400, and the highest price of a recent video game console being at $600 for the PlayStation 3 upon its release, the price window for Project Scorpio would be between $400 to $600. A price tag nearer or at $400 would allow it to provide a tougher challenge to the PlayStation 4 Pro, but a starting price point of $500 seems more likely.
Of course, all this is just speculation until Microsoft finally makes an official announcement to unveil Project Scorpio.
