Microsoft apparently has such great confidence in its Xbox Project Scorpio that it's turning it in to its harshest critic for review.
Digital Foundry is a subsidiary of Eurogamer and its game hardware assessments have been pretty tough on Microsoft so far. In the past few years, Digital Foundry has basically slammed Microsoft's Xbox every chance it got, while singing praises for the PlayStation's superiority.
With this in mind, it seems quite a gamble for Microsoft to submit its upcoming Xbox Project Scorpio to Digital Foundry for an unconventional unveiling. At the same time, it also indicates how confident Microsoft is that it got it right this time.
Xbox Project Scorpio Reveal Through Digital Foundry
Microsoft has been teasing Project Scorpio for a good while now and the console is expected to be the company's most powerful one to date. The Xbox Scorpio console is yet to make its official debut, but the big reveal is just around the corner.
In an interesting and unexpected twist, Digital Foundry has announced that it will offer "exclusive" information about the upcoming Xbox Project Scorpio on Thursday, April 6, at 9 a.m. ET.
To clear up the speculation: @digitalfoundry will have an exclusive Xbox Scorpio reveal on @eurogamer this Thursday at 2pm UK / 6am Pacific. pic.twitter.com/bacxOGerjJ
— Digital Foundry (@digitalfoundry) April 4, 2017
Such a specific date and time indicates that the Xbox team granted Digital Foundry a timed exclusive, which makes things all the more exciting. Over the past few years, Digital Foundry has repeatedly criticized the Xbox One for its game performance, deeming it inferior to the PlayStation 4.
Make It Or Break It
Microsoft's move to team up with Digital Foundry's brutal game hardware analysts for the Xbox Project Scorpio reveal indicates that the Xbox team is either positive that Scorpio is the force it needs, or desperate enough that it will try anything.
As it seems now, having Digital Foundry unveil the upgrade Xbox Project Scorpio could either doom the new console before it even hits the market, or give it the ammunition it needs to finally trump the PS4.
It remains to be seen, however, if Microsoft still stands a chance on the gaming market or it has already lost the war. Forbes' Erik Kain, for instance, believes that the war between Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation is pretty much over and the PS4 has won by a wide margin. Truth be told, the PS4 has been constantly and repeatedly outselling the Xbox One ever since both consoles hit the market back in 2013.
"That's not even a war. It's a slaughter," Kain argues.
In this context, Project Scorpio might be too little, too late, but it remains to be seen.
If it's powerful enough and delivers the right balance between pricing, performance, and content availability, it could finally manage to give Microsoft an edge against Sony on the gaming market. If so, a positive review by Digital Foundry, one of the toughest Xbox critics, could only boost its success. On the other hand, a negative review could drown it for good, so it will be interesting to see how things will pan out.
If you're excited to see how things unfold, tune in for the Xbox Scorpio Digital Foundry reveal tomorrow.
