Microsoft-Developed Xbox Scorpio Games Will Run Natively at 4K, Exec Says

According to Microsoft Studios publishing general manager Shannon Loftis, Microsoft-developed Xbox Scorpio games will render natively at 4K instead of being upscaled to that figure.

She made the comment in an interview with USA Today recently (via NeoGAF). She said, "Any games we're making that we're launching in the Scorpio time frame, we're making sure they can natively render at 4K."

The Xbox Scorpio console, or whatever Microsoft ends up calling it, will launch in holiday 2017. Pricing has not been announced, but Microsoft has referred to the system as a "premium" device, so you can expect it will not be cheap. The system boasts 6 teraflops of performance, making it the "most powerful console ever made," according to Microsoft.

On the other side of the aisle, Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro goes on sale in November, priced at $400. Estimates have pegged Xbox Scorpio to be more than 40 percent more powerful than the PS4 Pro. According to one Xbox higher up, the performance advantage that Xbox Scorpio has over PS4 Pro will be "obvious."

The PS4 Pro is capable of 4K. In an interview with DigitalSpy, PlayStation president Andrew House confirmed that the majority of PS4 Pro titles would be upscaled to 4K instead of running natively at that resolution.

"I would say the majority will be upscaled--at least based on the game portfolio I have seen to date," he said.

The interviewer then asked if Sony's description of 4K is perhaps misleading. House said he doesn't think it is.

"No, I don't think so," he said when asked if this could be construed as misleading. "I think that whatever the term is, it's a question of whether people see a demonstrable difference in the game experience or not, rather than the term we use to apply to it. I think that's what people are looking for and they'll make their judgement as to whether that's working for them or not."

For more on how PS4 Pro and Xbox Scorpio compare, check out GameSpot's detailed breakdown.