Project Scorpio Specs Revealed, Capable Of Native 4K/60 FPS

Microsoft has revealed fresh new tech specs about its upcoming upgraded Xbox One console, Project Scorpio.

According to a new report from Digital Foundry, the console's specs are beyond what we've seen in the current console generation. Scorpio was able to run a Forza Motorsport demo at 60 FPS in seemingly native 4K, with graphical settings at an "Xbox One-equivalent" level.

In terms of specs, the console boasts a 1 TB hard drive, as well as 12 GB of GDDR5 memory--the same type of RAM contained in the PlayStation 4, though Sony's device only contains 8 GB.

That 12 GB is split into two portions: 8 GB is accessible to developers, while 4 GB is reserved for system use. That's an increase over Xbox One's 8 GB overall memory, which was split the same way into portions of 5 GB and 3 GB, while GDDR5 represents a speed increase over Xbox One's DDR3 RAM.

Digital Foundry--which was shared this information by Microsoft itself--says Scorpio will run all Xbox One games "better," whether they're patched for the new console or not. This is because the console uses no emulation--Xbox One games will run natively using the system's internal power.

Scorpio's GPU--which is 4.6 times as powerful as Xbox One's--is described by Digital Foundry as "a beast." Combined with a faster CPU, the result is a more stable or higher frame rate, no screen tearing, and faster load times. All of that is also reportedly true for backwards-compatible Xbox 360 games, even though changes in hardware between Xbox One and Project Scorpio mean Microsoft has had to go through every existing game individually to make them run on Scorpio.

Scorpio also contains some improvements to Xbox One's features. Game DVR now lets you capture 4K, 60 FPS, HDR gameplay, and it will also allow you to scrub through captured gameplay to find the best screenshots. However, the new console does not contain a Kinect port--you'll need a USB adapter to use your Xbox One camera device.

The site says Scorpio's internal design brief was to scale existing titles up to 4K--and this latest batch of information suggests Microsoft has succeeded. it should be noted, however, that the demo only contained one test version of an unconfirmed Forza game--though the build apparently was built using the same tech used to make Forza Motorsport 6. Additionally, titles that were originally 30 FPS will not go over that unless patched to do so, while the level of optimization seen in all titles could vary.

Users who own 1080p televisions will still be catered for, too: "ultra HD-rendering should super-sample down for those 1080p displays," says the site, meaning games should look sharper, even if you don't own a 4K set.

Although no price has officially been confirmed, Digital Foundry and Eurogamer estimate from the specs they've seen that the console will cost US $499--the same price as the Xbox One at launch. For more on the latest Scorpio specs--including all the technical details of the console's CPU and GPU--check out our rundown here.

We already knew that Scorpio will boast six teraflops of performance--including 320 GB/s memory bandwidth and eight CPU cores--though the console will differ from Xbox One by reportedly not containing ESRAM.

Microsoft says Scorpio is the most powerful console ever made and that it will be more powerful than the PlayStation 4 Pro, which came out last year. It will still support Xbox One games, controllers, and accessories, however.

The new console is due to launch this holiday, but it remains to be seen when Microsoft will start to officially show it off in more detail. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said he is unsure if Microsoft will show off Project Scorpio before E3 in June, while also stating recently that he thinks it's "critical" for first-party games to be ready for the system's launch.