Xbox One Scorpio vs PS4 Neo specs: Video game consoles almost have same features, but PS4 Neo has performance edge

Visitors play games on PlayStation 4 (PS4) at the Paris Games Week, a trade fair for video games in Paris, France, on Oct. 28, 2015.Reuters/Benoit Tessier

It looks like the battle for the better new gaming console is on.

As reported by ArsTechnica.com, Sony recently sent out invites to a "PlayStation Meeting" that will take place in The PlayStation Theater, New York on Sept. 7. The website reported that an update to the PS4 and to the PlayStation business will be part of the event, and this will most likely involve the new PlayStation 4 Neo.

This development puts pressure on Microsoft, which is also rumoured to release its updated game console, called the Xbox One Scorpio, during the holiday season next year.

These two upcoming gaming consoles were placed side-by-side in a review by Pocket-Lint.com. The website looked at the capability of both the Xbox One Scorpio and the PlayStation 4 Neo to double as a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, or quite simply, if it can play new format discs.

According to the website's comparison, both the Xbox One Scorpio and the PlayStation 4 Neo have this function. Although makers of the PlayStation 4 Neo has not yet categorically stated that it can be used as a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, this feature can already be expected from the console because Sony pioneered this format.

The website also reported that the Xbox One Scorpio and the PlayStation 4 Neo will also be 4K-ready for streaming services. It also said that the PlayStation 4 Neo will be backwards compatible with all PlayStation 4 games, while the Xbox One Scorpio will also be completely compatible with present and future Xbox Games.

Where the PlayStation 4 Neo edges the Xbox One Scorpio is in terms of performance. According to Pocket-Lint.com, the PlayStation 4 Neo will supposedly have a 2.1GHz octa-core processor and a graphics chipset with a purported 4.14 teraflops of power and GDDR5 memory running at 218GB/s. The Xbox One Scorpio will meanwhile have a quad-core processing chip which will be better than its predecessor.

The website compared this match-up to " a drag race between a Ferrari F12Berlinetta and an Audi A5." "Yeah the Audi A5 is a lovely car... but it's no Ferrari," the website commented.