Microsoft seems to be sending mixed messages now as they said that the framerates on the Xbox Scorpio and possibly cross-platform PC titles could be limited by the Xbox One depending on the developers' choice.
The Redmond-based tech giant has been touting the Xbox Scorpio as the "most powerful console" but the details they are giving suggest the contrary. Microsoft has said that the new upgraded Xbox One console will deliver "true 4K gaming" with smooth framerates but they are also saying that it will still be limited with what the developers can do with the game.
Microsoft Studios general manage Shannon Loftis said in an interview with Game Informer that there will be no frame rate difference between a game with the Xbox One and the new Xbox Scorpio, Forbes has learned. She added that the developers will determine the right frame rate for the overall gameplay of the title.
An even more confusing statement from Loftis is that she believes two different configurations should not have "two different mechanics." It could mean that the Xbox One and Xbox Scorpio titles that would also be available for the PC may have caps on the framerate as well which could ruin the whole experience as PC rigs usually have more power than their console counterparts.
In fact, one Xbox executive previously criticized PC gaming rigs for being too expensive in order to run high-end games. They are boasting that their Xbox Scorpio will be able to dish out 4K and VR with just 6 TFLOPs which is funny considering that NVIDIA's new GTX 1080 with almost 9 TFLOPs cannot really keep up with 60 frames per second on most current titles.
The Xbox Scorpio will still be more powerful in terms of computing power compared to the PlayStation Neo from Sony which is expected to run with 4.14 TFLOPs, CBC.ca reported. Both will be a huge leap over the current PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Another possible concern is the timeframe for when they expect to release the console. Microsoft expects it to be available by 2017 but 6 TFLOps could be long outdated by then as AMD releases their Vega GPUs along with new NVIDIA video cards.
The Xbox Scorpio does have the potential to be one of the most powerful consoles but not to the point that it can beat the PC gaming industry at 4K gaming. They could also hold back the 4K content in games as developers try to scale down in order to accommodate the new console.