UPDATE: A Microsoft spokesperson got in touch to say that the job role in question related specifically to emulation for the Xbox 360, rather than the Xbox One. It seems we'll have to wait a little longer to find out more about how games will scale between Xbox One and Project Scorpio.
UPDATE 2: In a back and forth, Microsoft has clarified that while there is "some work" involved to ensure Xbox One games run optimally on Scorpio, it won't require any emulation. One could speculate that Scorpio will feature similar architecture to the Xbox One in this case, albeit with beefed up, 6 TF specs. The original article is as follows.
Microsoft is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to work with the team that created the fabled Xbox One backward compatibility emulator, that allows us to play an expanding library of Xbox 360 games on our consoles. Interestingly, the same job listing states that the team will be working on bringing "Xbox One games to Project Scorpio," implying that Project Scorpio won't run Xbox One games natively.
From the Microsoft Careers website (via h0x0d):
"We are the Xbox Compatibility team. Our mission is to bring the 360 game catalog to the Xbox One, and Xbox One catalog to Project Scorpio. We have a culture of collaboration and lean process with a straightforward and laid back style. We especially value transparency, competency and self-direction. We work in assembly as well as native and managed languages, in all layers of the platform. We eagerly work on some of the most difficult technical challenges in gaming, and love what we do.""Backward Compatibility is built on advanced emulation technology. We are looking for a highly motivated developer to build, debug, and optimize features related to CPU and OS emulation. This is often done in the context of diagnosing and fixing bugs in games. Intellectual horsepower is crucial for this role. Technically challenging projects with healthy and high-caliber teams don't come along often - don't miss this rewarding opportunity to contribute and learn like never before!"
Microsoft has gone on the record multiple times to state that no gamer will be "left behind" with Project Scorpio. The company has indicated that not only will every game that is available on Xbox One function on Project Scorpio, but also that games launching on Project Scorpio would have lower-end versions on Xbox One as well, with the exception of VR titles.
The idea that Scorpio requires emulation to run Xbox One games confuses the idea of games scaling natively between devices. The emulation layer could simply be for older games that aren't "updated" to the new system Microsoft has cooking for Project Scorpio, which would allow games to scale up and down natively between devices.
If the emulation layer is simply for games that haven't been developed to take advantage of the scaling capabilities between the Xbox One and Project Scorpio, it seems likely that Microsoft will bring the games to Scorpio on behalf of the developers, as seen with the Xbox 360 emulator.
Still, the job listing could also hint to the architectural nature to Project Scorpio. If the new console requires some form of emulation to run all Xbox One games, it could feature a wildly different hardware and software infrastructure than what is present in the current box.
This job listing raises more questions than answers, it could be a long time before we get explanations for these mysteries. I've reached out to Xbox to ask for some clarification, either way!
Thanks @vitorgrs for the tip!
