Microsoft shares Project Scorpio hardware details in exclusive first look

With the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro and Nintendo Switch now out in the market, it's time to turn our attention to the next console from Microsoft, the third member of the consoles trinity. Code-named "Project Scorpio," Microsoft's upcoming console has been tightly under wraps since Xbox boss Phil Spencer first announced it at last year's E3. Now get ready for a boatload of information to process within the next 24 hours.

In an exclusive piece by Eurogamer, whose Digital Foundry team was invited by Microsoft for a hardware early access at Xbox HQ, details of the upcoming console's specs have been revealed. Remember when Spencer said that Project Scorpio will be the most powerful console ever created? Turns out he wasn't kidding. You can check out Digital Foundry's exclusive reveal in the video below.

Here are Project Scorpio's final specs:

CPU: Eight custom x86 cores clocked at 2.3GHz

GPU: 40 customized compute units at 1172MHz

Memory: 12GB GDDR5

Memory Bandwidth: 326GB/s

Hard Drive: 1TB 2.5-inch

Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray

To showcase Project Scorpio's hardware, Microsoft ran a Forza Motorsport demonstration with the Xbox One engine for Digital Foundry. Even with the settings cranked up to native 4K at a locked 60fps, the GPU used was only around 60-70 percent, giving it more than enough spare to allocate to other visual enhancements. Though it was just a port and doesn't truly show Project Scorpio's full capabilities, it was impressive nonetheless.

Microsoft is also utilizing a vapor chamber cooling system, which Digital Foundry said is "highly efficient" in keeping the temperature down. That kind of cooling system is usually paired with powerful high-end PC graphics cards like the GTX 1080. Also, you'll be glad to know that Project Scorpio will still come with an internal power supply, which Leo Del Castillo, general manager of Xbox hardware design, believes is the most efficient in Xbox history. You can check out the Project Scorpio analysis by Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter for more on Microsoft's upcoming console.

Sadly, we don't know yet what the console will look like - Digital Foundry only showed the insides of the console. But hey, E3 2017 is just around the corner. Unless Microsoft pulls off a Sony and reveals the console's design two months prior to its release, we'll likely see Spencer and the Xbox team in June with Project Scorpio in tow. Well, at least that's what we're hoping for.