GameTech: Get ready for the new Xbox
AS the Joker would say, ‘Why so Series X?’ But the next generation of the Xbox isn’t a joke for Microsoft, who have ground to make up on Sony in the console wars. The Redmond team disappointed this generation, making early mistakes that gave Sony all the momentum.
The Xbox Series X launches later this year. To get the hype started, the Xbox team have revealed many new features. Here is what to expect from Xbox Series X, say Microsoft:
A custom processor will “deliver four times the processing power of an Xbox One and will leverage 12 TFLOPS of GPU (graphics processing unit) performance, twice that of an Xbox One X and more than eight times the original Xbox One.”
Nothing surprising there, but it’s reassuring that Master Chief’s visor will be more shiny than ever.
In short, this means more efficient special effects. Instead of applying effects to every pixel on screen, Microsoft claim their custom VRS will allow developers to target character models or specific areas only, which means better frame rates and more stable gameplay.
Ok, now Master Chief’s visor will be really, really shiny. Microsoft claims this is the first time hardware-accelerated Direct X Raytracing will be available on consoles, meaning better reflections and lighting and improved acoustics in game environments. These advancements are to be expected, but exciting nonetheless.
Loading times? Just like this comment, they will be short.
A quality-of-life feature, which Microsoft claim will allow players to resume multiple games from a suspended state with almost no loading or delay. We imagine this will be like having multiple videos paused on a PC, or multiple apps open on your phone, ready to pick up where you left off.
A very fancy way of saying ‘your controller works better.’ Microsoft claim that their DLI will reduce lag from player input to game, making for quicker response times. We can’t imagine most people will notice the difference, but any reduction of lag is welcome.
We’re beginning to see a recurring theme here. The latest version of HDMI will supposedly reduce lag between console and screen, making for a more responsive gaming experience. A nice touch is that HDMI 2.1 can synchronise your display’s refresh rate to the game’s refresh rate, smoothening out screen tear.
High frame rates usually mean a compromise on graphics, but we’ll take smooth gameplay over special effects any day of the week.
The limit on consoles has traditionally been 60FPS, but giving developers the option of 120FPS is welcome. Expect shooters and fast-paced action games to explore this option, although we’ll happily accept more games hitting 60FPS for a start.
A superb feature, which means previous generations of Xbox software will be playable on the Series X. Microsoft have yet to reveal if all games will be playable from day one of Series X, but the potential is huge.
If you buy a first-party game on Xbox One, but it also releases on Series X, then Microsoft have committed to giving you the ‘best’ version of that game for each respective platform.
Other developers will also have the ability to provide this feature. In other words, if you a buy a game on Xbox One and then switch to Series X, or vice versa, you’ll own both versions of the game, made specifically for each console.
If you subscribe to their Game Pass, that means all Microsoft published games are free to you at launch, along with a big library of other games, too. It’s a great deal for €10 a month. While Game Pass is already available (across consoles and PC), we expect it to become even stronger with the launch of the Series X.
Microsoft didn’t list this ‘feature’ in their Series X rundown, but we’re adding it for good measure. We expect the return of Master Chief to be huge. The timing is right for an ‘old school’ shooter to take some players away from Fortnite and that’s what we expect Halo Infinite to do.
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