Microsoft shows how Xbox Scorpio games could look compared to Xbox One (hint: it's good)

Microsoft hasn't shown any real, intended-for-release games running on Xbox Scorpio yet, but these new screenshots from Windows Central give us our best idea so far. The screens are taken from Microsoft tech demos, starring a steampunk scientist (as played by Sarah Palin as played by Tina Fey) and a lil' ladybug on a flower.

Here are all the images so you can make your own comparisons simultaneously. The headings indicate what hardware and display settings they were captured with - pay special attention to little details like how sharp the strands of hair and documents in the background look.

Xbox Scorpio on a 4K display

Xbox One on a 1080p display

Xbox Scorpio on a 1080p display

Xbox Scorpio on a 4K display with Scorpio assets

Xbox Scorpio on a 4K display with Xbox One assets

Keep in mind that these images are just from tech demos, meaning they were purpose-built to make Xbox Scorpio look as impressive as possible. This isn't necessarily indicative of what real games running in real conditions will look like. Still, it's a nice start. And it would be pretty cool if this was a stealth tease for a new game - I'd totally play a hard-boiled scientist with a super-rad lightning lab. Or a ladybug, whatever.

Dig deeper with our look at whether Xbox Scorpio is really the most powerful console ever, and how it compares to PS4 Pro.

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.