An early leak may have spoiled one of Microsoft's big Gamescom Xbox One X surprise announcements, as a series of photos appear to show a special Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition. Several German retailers reportedly released a listing for an as-yet-unannounced version of the Xbox On X named the Project Scorpio Edition. According to the leaks the Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition will feature a unique design for both console and controller and will only be available in limited quantity.

For comparison's sake, think of the Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition as the Xbox One X's take on the Day One Edition of the Xbox One. The Day One Edition of the Xbox One was available only in limited quantity for pre-orderers of the Xbox One and the lucky few who could find stock at retail. They were sold out either the day of the Xbox One launch or shortly thereafter, depending on the retailer. The Project Scorpio Edition of the Xbox One X will also likely be pre-order exclusive, with limited stock made available.

The Project Scorpio Edition itself seems like a step above the Day One Edition, however. According to the retail listings, the Project Scorpio Edition will feature exclusive designs for both the controller and console. Both will feature unique coloring, while the console will feature a textured pattern on the top. Both will also have "Project Scorpio" engraved on them, in the middle of the controller and on the faceplate of the Xbox One X. Finally, the special edition will include a vertical stand which apparently won't be featured in the standard edition.

Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition Leak - Vertical Stand

As for the hardware itself, it's unlikely the Project Scorpio Edition of the Xbox One X will feature a different model than the standard edition. This is more of a marketing push to get early pre-orders for the console, rather than any sort of hardware strategy.  Both the standard edition and the special edition should feature the same 1TB hard drive, and no other meaningful changes are expected for the special edition.

Today's leak also reconfirms that pre-orders for the Xbox One X are coming very soon - Sunday, August 20 going by Microsoft's previous statements. Microsoft will be hosting a Gamescom press event on Sunday, during which the Xbox One X Scorpio Edition will likely be revealed as well as any other surprises that might be in store. And then once the event ends, pre-orders will reportedly go live.

The Xbox One X releases on November 7, 2017 and will retail for $499.

Source: MS Power User