Xbox One Scorpio specs are nice, but Microsoft needs a slam dunk at E3

I’m taking Microsoft’s confidence about its upcoming Xbox One Scorpio system as a good sign for the both the rest of the year and specifically the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo trade show in June.

The Scorpio seems like the powerful, 4K console that Microsoft has promised since last year’s E3. And while that’s nice, the upgraded system’s fate will depend more on this year’s E3 and the games Microsoft shows off at that event. Sure, by partnering with the performance-tech experts at Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry to reveal Scorpio’s internals, the Xbox company is signifying that it won’t rely on listing components or specs to market the machine in the future. But given the company’s first-party output over the course of the Xbox One’s life, gamers likely won’t have a reason to get excited about spending a ton of money on new hardware unless Microsoft has a stellar showing during its media presentation June 11 — the Sunday before E3.