Next gen is right around the corner. We’ve heard several bits and pieces about the PlayStation 5, including some demos of loading times. Microsoft has been a little quieter, but we do know they hope to have the most powerful machine on the market. We still haven’t seen any games running on full next gen hardware yet, but today we did get a bit of a demo of what that may look like via some videos from EA and DICE.

One of the trickiest things to properly convey in computer generated imagery is hair. Even nowadays, high budget titles still struggle with proper looking heads of hair (it’s also not just a video game issue, even major CG films tend to have more stylized hair to sidestep having to render proper looking hair). Looking at the videos below, you can see how the next generation Frostbite-engine games may look with their flowing locks. There’s many dynamic changes to things like volume and melanin that wouldn’t be possible on current hardware.

Obviously, it looks quite impressive. Of course, it’s also a demo specifically on one item, and it’s not taking into account the many effects of a full game and how that would impact various aspects of the graphics. Either way, it’s interesting tech and shows you how close we are to that new generation.

Microsoft started its E3 show by revealing that the Xbox Scorpio is formally going to be called the Xbox One X on the market. The system will be launching worldwide on November 7 as well.

Microsoft showed off what the system looks like in a montage- the system itself looks a lot like a smaller and slimmer Xbox One S- except it’s a grayer shade than the One S’s white color. Microsoft reiterated the system’s specs, promising, once again, that this is the most powerful console ever made, on every dimension, promising true 4K resolution. They also confirmed the system will have UHD Blu Ray compatibility, and that the system will be compatible with Xbox One games and accessories right off the bat.

The Xbox One X will also enhance all existing games, thanks to a variety of techniques that will make the system enhance all existing software. Microsoft is still talking about the Xbox One X, so stay tuned, and we’ll keep you posted.

Microsoft’s E3 show begins in less than half an hour. This year is a big one for Microsoft, because not only do they take the wraps off of the Xbox Scorpio, their long awaited super powered new console, but we also get to see what games they have been working on behind the scenes.

It’s been a quite few months for the company, so it will be good to see them not hold back, and go all out for a change. Hopefully, the Scorpio is everything that Microsoft has built it up to be, and that its fans want. Hopefully, the lineup of games announced brings Microsoft back into the race.

If you want to watch their E3 presser live and as it happens, the good news is you can. Click on the stream below, and strap yourself in. At more than 90 minutes long, this year’s stream promises to be an eventful one- one way or the other. Let’s see you on the other side.

Earlier today, Geoff Keighley said the price for the Xbox Scorpio is likely to be $499– an assessment that the analysts at IHS agree with, too. The thing is, IHS also seems to believe that at this price, the Scorpio’s impact on the larger market will be minimal, especially outside of the US and UK.

“The expected price differential between Project Scorpio and Xbox One S is high enough to reduce the impact of the new platform on the broader console audience,” IHS said in a statement. “Project Scorpio is not the device to re-ignite Xbox One sales in continental Europe and to gain market share from Sony in key sales territories outside of USA and UK.”

This is actually something I agree with, and said myself a few days ago. When I made a list of mistakes Microsoft needs to avoid this E3, I said they can’t afford to price the Scorpio at over $399, saying, “for Scorpio to actually have the impact that Microsoft and its fans are hoping it will, it can’t be too expensive- anything more than $399, and Microsoft is condemning the Scorpio to a niche, unable to actually do much to the PS4’s lead from a developer’s or consumer’s perspective, since its impact on the market will be minimal at best.” It looks like IHS agrees, too.

Let’s hope that the price leaks are wrong- $499 would kill the Scorpio dead in its tracks.

If you’re tuning in to Microsoft’s E3 presser for details on the Scorpio, the good news is that Microsoft will be tackling that first. Speaking on Twitter, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg confirmed that Scorpio will be revealed right at the beginning of Microsoft’s conference.

This may be for the best- if the price is indeed high (earlier today, Geoff Keighley stated his sources are confirming a $499 price for the system), then Microsoft gets it out of the way first, and then spends the rest of the conference showing off games and functionality that can win people over, instead of announcing a high price as the last thing. Indeed, this was the strategy followed by Nintendo during the Switch reveal earlier this year.

Even if the price is not high, they can focus on the games – the thing that most of us are tuning in for – and not have to worry about skirting around the hardware issue through the conference.

Let’s see what the Scorpio turns out to be.

https://twitter.com/aarongreenberg/status/873950783951183872

Project Scorpio has been the codename for Microsoft’s heavily upgraded Xbox One console for a good year now (longer if you followed the rumours leading up to its official announcement). While it’s expected that Microsoft will unveil the final name at its E3 2017 presser at 2 PM PDT today, it seems to have leaked already.

As per Wario64, the recent Best Buy Newsletter lists the console as simply being called the Xbox Scorpio. It’s not the strangest of all occurrences, especially with Geoff Keighley asking on a Twitter poll about the final name. One of the choices provided is – you guessed it – Xbox Scorpio.

Take this with a grain of salt for now. Anyway Microsoft’s conference is in a handful of hours so we’ll find out the truth eventually. What else do you hope to see from the E3 2017 press conference? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.

We’re right in the middle of E3 now, and people are obviously looking forward to all the major conferences coming up. One of the mostly eagerly awaited ones, though, has to be Microsoft’s press event, where they’ll be revealing the Xbox One Scorpio in full and talking about the system revision in great detail. At the same time, there have also been some concerns of whether or not Microsoft will have enough interesting content apart from the Scorpio to show off at their presser.

Microsoft, however, it looks like are more than prepared for the conference, which begins in just a few hours. Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently took to Twitter and posted an image of Microsoft’s E3 showfloor, stating that they’re ready for the conference and “can’t wait to share it with you.”

You can see his tweet below. Microsoft’s conference begins in just a few hours from now, and we’ll be covering it all the way through, as well as all the other conferences. So stay tuned to GamingBolt and we’ll keep bringing all the important updates right to you.

Show is ready #E32017 Team has done really amazing work this year, can't wait to share it with you. pic.twitter.com/sfBfApZSXl

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 10, 2017

We honestly didn’t expect much talk about the Xbox Scorpio at EA’s show today. We thought that Microsoft would want to save that for their own conference, and we thought that given EA buddying up with Sony of late – games like FIFA and Battlefront all have deals with PlayStation – but EA’s Patrick Söderlund found the time to discuss the upcoming system a bit anyway.

‘We need innovative new technology. So we were thrilled when we first got our hands on Project Scorpio devkits from Microsoft,’ he said. ‘6TFLOPS and true 4K graphical fidelity. These Madden NFL 18 pictures are just a taste of what can be accomplished with the combined power of Frostbite and Project Scorpio. And already we are creating the most detailed high resolution environments ever seen on console. Madden looks stunning, but as game makers, But good graphics are only the beginning. The game has to feel amazing as well. Project Scorpio is a powerful platform, and it is coming at the right time.’

EA is saving the full debut and reveal of Anthem, Bioware’s new IP, rumored to be like Destiny and The Division, for Microsoft’s conference tomorrow- it will be interesting to see how it leverages the power of Xbox Scorpio. We’ll have all the latest for you then, so stay tuned.

Microsoft is one of the custodians of gaming, as one of the three major console manufacturers- so it has an added responsibility to not disappoint its fans, many of whom have extra expectations from it this year, after Microsoft has clearly been building up to it, and the reveal of its upcoming Xbox Scorpio. Here, then, are five things Microsoft must not do at E3 this year if it is to come out of it without disappointing its fans.

AN EXPENSIVE SCORPIO

Look, Microsoft has already said that it doesn’t expect the Scorpio to be the mass market driver, which is fine- it will be the more expensive SKU, which means it will by definition sell fewer units. But for Scorpio to actually have the impact that Microsoft and its fans are hoping it will, it can’t be too expensive- anything more than $399, and Microsoft is condemning the Scorpio to a niche, unable to actually do much to the PS4’s lead from a developer’s or consumer’s perspective, since its impact on the market will be minimal at best.

"Anything more than $399, and Microsoft is condemning the Scorpio to a niche, unable to actually do much to the PS4’s lead from a developer’s or consumer’s perspective, since its impact on the market will be minimal at best."

THE FLUFF THAT NO ONE CARES ABOUT

Music artists, concerts, sports, TV, multimedia, apps, the cloud- they might all be buzzwords in other industries, but when it comes to games, no one gives a shit about any of that. And when it comes, specifically, to E3, the core gamer’s haven, all of it is taboo. Microsoft would best be advised to not focus on any of the side fluff they often tend to spend so much time on, and instead keep the focus squarely on games.

BORING EXCLUSIVES

Halo. Gears of War. Forza. We get new entries in all these franchises in a regular cycle, like clockwork. Then there are games like Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, and State of Decay 2– while relatively fresher and more exciting ventures for Microsoft, we have been seeing them for so long now, they’ve lost their ability to rouse. Microsoft will definitely satisfy their core fanbase by showing them these games- but if they want to appeal to the crowd beyond the core Xbox faithful, they need to show more games, exciting exclusives that can appeal to the folks who otherwise stick to PlayStation or Nintendo. New exclusives, unlike anything else in Microsoft’s catalog. Let’s hope they do it, too.

"If they want to appeal to the crowd beyond the core Xbox faithful, they need to show more games, exciting exclusives that can appeal to the folks who otherwise stick to PlayStation or Nintendo. New exclusives, unlike anything else in Microsoft’s catalog. "

TOO MUCH FOCUS ON MULTIPLATFORM GAMES

On the same note, focusing only on multiplatform games is a sure sign that Microsoft doesn’t have much in the way of an exclusive lineup. Look, the Scorpio is the most powerful console in the world, and it will definitely run games like Red Dead Redemption, Assassin’s Creed, and Star Wars Battlefront better than the competition- that’s good, and Microsoft should definitely spend time on showing that. But showing only that, or showing that at the expense of actual exclusives people can’t get on other systems, will beg the question- why buy an expensive new machine just to play games one already can, except slightly shinier?

OBFUSCATION

Microsoft has a history of sometimes misleading the customer. Remember the shenanigans with the Rise of the Tomb Raider timed exclusivity deal, where they worded it to mask the fact that the game would be a timed exclusive at first? Or how about the ads for the Xbox One S last year, which, again, were misleadingly worded to imply the console is capable of 4K gaming? Look, Microsoft now has a powerful console that can do VR, 4K, HDR, and more. There’s no need to mislead- just be honest and upfront about what it is and what it can do. People will trust you more for it.

E3 is almost here, and the question of what Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo may have to reveal this year is on everybody’s minds. Microsoft is planning on making their show all about the big reveal for the Xbox Scorpio- but it looks like they may also dedicate some time to VR at their showing. At least, if Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter is to be believed.

Speaking to GamingBolt, Pachter revealed that he believes that Microsoft will probably have some VR related announcements for the Scorpio. He also feels the company will be light on new IPs.

“Microsoft is most likely to announce something on the VR side with Scorpio (likely a partnership with Oculus) and a ton of games,” Pachter said. “I also expect something on Hololens.  They will probably be light on new IP, but you never know.”

Microsoft’s E3 conference is on Sunday, so we’re just a few days away from knowing what the company is planning on doing for sure. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage and information.