I am absolutely fascinated by the marketing direction Microsoft are taking with the next generation of the Xbox gaming console, the Xbox Series X. Starting with the surprise reveal of how the console will look along with the sequel to ‘Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice’ being a launch title for the new console along with ‘HALO: Infinity’ at the Game Awards in December 2019, and now today just randomly date dumping a lot of information about the specifications of the console via Xbox Wire, the official news website for all things Xbox.
What was revealed today also confirmed many of the reports that have been doing the rounds in recent weeks about the power and storage that the Series X is going to have such as moving to the much faster loading SSD drives instead of the usual HDD drive. This is revealed to be the ongoing plan to make loading times a thing of the past and therefore increasing the immersion you can have with your Xbox Series X experience, even going as far as having multiple games running and instantly being able to switch to anyone of them.
From Xbox Wire:
- Next Generation Custom Processor: Xbox Series X is our most powerful console ever powered by our custom designed processor leveraging AMD’s latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures. Delivering four times the processing power of an Xbox One and enabling developers to 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. Xbox Series X delivers a true generational leap in processing and graphics power with cutting edge techniques resulting in higher framerates, larger, more sophisticated game worlds, and an immersive experience unlike anything seen in console gaming.
- Variable Rate Shading (VRS): Our patented form of VRS empowers developers to more efficiently utilize the full power of the Xbox Series X. Rather than spending GPU cycles uniformly to every single pixel on the screen, they can prioritize individual effects on specific game characters or important environmental objects. This technique results in more stable frame rates and higher resolution, with no impact on the final image quality.
- Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing: You can expect more dynamic and realistic environments powered by hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing – a first for console gaming. This means true-to-life lighting, accurate reflections and realistic acoustics in real time as you explore the game world.
- SSD Storage: With our next-generation SSD, nearly every aspect of playing games is improved. Game worlds are larger, more dynamic and load in a flash and fast travel is just that – fast.
- Quick Resume: The new Quick Resume feature lets you continue multiple games from a suspended state almost instantly, returning you to where you were and what you were doing, without waiting through long loading screens.
- Dynamic Latency Input (DLI): We’re optimizing latency in the player-to-console pipeline starting with our Xbox Wireless Controller, which leverages our high bandwidth, proprietary wireless communication protocol when connected to the console. With Dynamic Latency Input (DLI), a new feature which synchronizes input immediately with what is displayed, controls are even more precise and responsive.
- HDMI 2.1 Innovation: We’ve partnered with the HDMI forum and TV manufacturers to enable the best gaming experience through features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). ALLM allows Xbox One and Xbox Series X to automatically set the connected display to its lowest latency mode. VRR synchronizes the display’s refresh rate to the game’s frame rate, maintaining smooth visuals without tearing. Ensuring minimal lag and the most responsive gaming experience.
- 120 fps Support: With support for up to 120 fps, Xbox Series X allows developers to exceed standard 60 fps output in favor of heightened realism or fast-paced action.
The specs are something we have known for a while but for me it is the tone in the manner in which the specs have been described and to me, this is an Xbox under Phil Spencer that has learned the lessons of how the Xbox One was originally launched and how they got so many things wrong but each mistake has brought them to how they want the entire Xbox experience to be seen and felt by both players and developers going forward. The Series X has twice the power of the Xbox One X and an incredible 8 times that of the original Xbox One console.
But there is also an appreciation that not everyone will be able to or choose to jump into the next generation on launch and to that end, Microsoft are making it known that everything Xbox is as important to enjoy no matter which console you choose or can play on. With that in mind, every game on Xbox One, including backward compatible games from the Xbox 360 and original Xbox consoles will all work on the Series X, four generations of Xbox brought together in one console. That includes Xbox One hardware as well such as controllers will all work on the Series X from day one.
From Xbox Wire:
- Four generations of gaming: Our commitment to compatibility means existing Xbox One games, including backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, look and play better than ever before. Your favorite games, including titles in Xbox Game Pass, benefit from steadier framerates, faster load times and improved resolution and visual fidelity – all with no developer work required. Your Xbox One gaming accessories also come forward with you.
- Smart Delivery: This technology empowers you to buy a game once and know that – whether you are playing it on Xbox One or Xbox Series X – you are getting the right version of that game on whatever Xbox you’re playing on. We’re making the commitment to use Smart Delivery on all our exclusive Xbox Game Studios titles, including Halo Infinite, ensuring you only have to purchase a title once in order to play the best available version for whichever Xbox console they choose to play on. This technology is available for all developers and publishers, and they can choose to use it for titles that will be release on Xbox One first and come to the Xbox Series X later.
- Xbox Game Pass: In addition to games from across four generations of consoles, our leading game subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, will continue to have our first party games, like Halo Infinite, included at their launch. We look forward to millions of you experiencing the Xbox Game Pass portfolio and immersing yourselves in a deep library of high-quality games, playing those you love now and also discovering your next great adventure.
Right now there are a lot of reasons to be excited for the Xbox Series X, and right now the complete silence from Sony about the PlayStation 5 is very noticeable. Microsoft are bold and confident in coming out with the specifications and build information for the Xbox Series X and that is refreshing. None of this feels like the arrogance that made the Xbox One such a mess on its own reveal and launch and with more information promised as we approach E3 in a few months….so far, Xbox are making all the right noise!
