Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick offers his opinion of Microsoft's Xbox Scorpio and the impending release of other upgraded gaming consoles, such as PlayStation Neo.

With its competitors remaining secretive about their new consoles, it was a surprise to see Microsoft reveal so many details about Xbox Scorpio at E3. The system is set to be the most powerful console made to date when it launches in holiday 2017, and so it has understandably caught the attention of some of the industry's biggest publishers. This includes Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive, with CEO Strauss Zelnick sharing a mostly positive opinion about the device.

Zelnick called the announcement of Xbox Scorpio, and other upgraded consoles like PlayStation Neo, "great news." The new hardware will allow Take-Two to utilize more power with its console games, which should result in games that perform better than they would otherwise.

This added power has concerned some that the cost of game development will rise. Zelnick isn't worried, however, and doesn't think that games will become more expensive as a result of the new hardware. Since most all Xbox Scorpio games will be compatible with both Xbox One S and vanilla Xbox One, it seems likely that Zelnick's prediction is right.

It remains to be seen if a console upgrade like Xbox Scoprio, as opposed to a full generational leap forward, will even resonate with gamers. The concept may also struggle to catch on with game developers, as some have spoken out against the idea, with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk calling upgraded consoles, "A gigantic pain in the ass." Zelnick, despite his general positive outlook in regards to Xbox Scorpio and PlayStation Neo, was also quick to point that the upgraded consoles may not be entirely necessary.

"We're still pushing the envelope on current-gen consoles," he said, "so it's not like we're screaming for more power." Game makers were able to squeeze eight years out of the last generation consoles, so many expected a few more years to pass before a new Xbox or PlayStation hit the market. Despite this change to the console market, though, Microsoft claims that Xbox Scorpio won't shorten console life cycles, but if it's successful enough, perhaps upgraded consoles will become the norm.

Time will tell if consumers and game developers embrace upgraded consoles, but Take-Two appears to be mostly enthusiastic about the idea. It will be interesting to see how the company will utilize the additional power of Xbox Scorpio and PlayStation Neo to improve its future gaming projects, such as the rumored Red Dead sequel, Mafia III, and all the other games it has in the pipeline.

Xbox Scorpio will be available holiday 2017.

Source: Associated Press