Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Microsoft's Project Scorpio console will support AMD FreeSync and HDMI 2.1

By

xbox fanfest project scorpio chip 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The details on Microsoft’s upcoming Project Scorpio gaming console were recently released, and the upcoming addition to the Xbox line will offer unprecedented power. While its overall success will depend on developer support and the quality of the games that are created for it, Project Scorpio will undoubtedly bring a new level of console performance.

Processor and GPU maker AMD is at the heart of Project Scorpio, providing the computing and graphical processing power. Some additional details were released Tuesday by Project Foundry, which released the overall specs last week, and they indicate that Project Scorpio is using AMD’s FreeSync technology and HDMI 2.1 for even smoother performance.

FreeSync is AMD’s solution for the issues that can occur when a system’s GPU and an attached monitor are out of sync when a game is being played. If the GPU doesn’t render the right number of frames based on the monitor’s refresh rate, then juddering, stuttering, and tearing can occur as either the GPU can’t keep up with the monitor or the GPU stalls while waiting for the monitor to catch up.

Related

Instead, FreeSync works to reduce or eliminate tearing and stutter by letting the GPU itself control the monitor’s refresh rate. That way, instead of the monitor running at a fixed 60Hz, the monitor displays the next frame right after the GPU renders it — keeping everything perfectly in sync, or pretty close to it. FreeSync is AMD’s open-standard equivalent to Nvidia’s close G-Sync technology.

Project Scorpio will also support HDMI 2.1 variable refresh rate (VRR) technology. This spec hasn’t been fully ratified and isn’t yet supported by living room displays, so anyone wanting to benefit from HDMI 2.1 VRR will need to use a PC monitor that can run FreeSync via an HDMI connection, as opposed to the more common DisplayPort implementation.

The following video provides a visual overview of how these technologies all work together.

Project Scorpio Supports FreeSync and HDMI 2.1 Variable Refresh!

Eventually, it’s clear that the best experience will come via a Project Scorpio console connected to a 4K monitor with HDR and FreeSync 2 support through an HDMI 2.1 connection. As Digital Foundry points out, what’s most important  is the support for these standards that’s being built into Project Scorpio.

Microsoft is clearly serious about making Xbox more competitive against the PlayStation 4, and is checking off a bunch of boxes to ensure that the new console can provide the right performance. This kind of attention to detail should also make it more likely that developers will support Project Scorpio, which would complete the other half of the equation.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Computing Writer
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works
Basim perched on a ledge overlooking Baghdad

In a company interview with CEO Yves Guillemot posted on the Ubisoft website Thursday, the executive reveals that there are remakes of Assassin's Creed games in the works, although he doesn't specify which ones.

"Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them," he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. "There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich."

Read more
Surfaced patent shows what an Xbox streaming console would’ve looked like
An Xbox Series X sits next to both Series S models.

There have been a few Xbox devices that have never come to fruition, one of which was Keystone, a prototype for an affordable game streaming device you could hook up to your TV or monitor. Thanks to a surfaced patent, we've gotten an even closer look at what it would've potentially looked like.

The patent, first spotted by Windows Central, gives us a more complete view of the device. We've previously seen the Keystone in the flesh. Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer is known for hiding teases and interesting collectibles on the shelf in his office. In a 2022 X (formerly Twitter) post congratulating Bethesda on Fallout's 25th anniversary, you can see a small white device on the top shelf that's actually a Keystone prototype. Xbox told Digital Trends that it was a version of the device made before it decided to "refocus our efforts on a new approach.”

Read more
Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for June 28
Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on June 28, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "ORDER." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter D.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle can refer to a large number of animals, particularly livestock like cattle or sheep, that are moving together in a group.

Read more