Xbox Project Scorpio Dev Kit: Microsoft details the console in new video

Impact

We already know how Project Scorpio, the beefed up version of the Xbox One, compares to PS4 Pro. But we still haven't seen what the console actually looks like ahead of its imminent E3 reveal.

Thanks to a new video from Microsoft, we know what a version of Project Scorpio looks like, even if it's a version you'll likely never own.

Microsoft details Scorpio dev kits in new video

Xbox/YouTube

In case you didn't know, game developers use special versions of consoles called dev kits to make games. They have features you wouldn't normally see in the retail units, things that normal people would never need. According to IGN, the Project Scorpio dev kit has higher specs than the actual console will, so developers have more headroom to make their games before optimizing them for the real thing.

Microsoft made a surprisingly candid video detailing the dev kit in (mostly) layman's terms:

As you can see, it's a generic looking box with a bunch of weird switches and knobs that the real Scorpio won't have. My favorite part is at the 4:30 mark, when they start talking about how they use a goofy dolphin animation to test out consoles. It sounds like what would happen if Cinco made a game console.

This is actually pretty cool, even if the technical side of it flies over your head. As consumers, we don't normally get to see console dev kits because, well, why would we?

It feels like Microsoft is gearing Scorpio more toward people who really care about tech.

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