It’s no secret that PlayStation was thought of as a preferred console for the current generation, but Microsoft has been gearing up to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. In a recent article, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, revealed several new pieces of information about the upcoming next-gen console.
Xbox Series X is well on its way to becoming the most powerful console on the planet. The console is backed up by some serious tech like 12 teraflops of GPU processing power, a next-gen SSD, and hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing. It’s not all just tech and new features for Xbox Series X. The console will be supported by tons of new games from Microsoft's 15 Xbox Game Studios. The biggest reason gamers preferred PS4 was because of its exclusives, and now Microsoft aims to diminish the gap.
Let’s look at all the features that Microsoft’s next-generation console has to offer.
Next Generation Custom Processor: Xbox Series X uses a custom made processor which is based on AMD’s latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures. It offers up to four times the processing power of Xbox One and has over 12 teraflops of GPU processing power – twice that of an Xbox One X and more than eight times the original Xbox One. All of this horsepower can support a more complex game world while maintaining a high FPS target.
Variable Rate Shading (VRS): The patented VRS tech improves the efficiency of the console. Normally, the GPU renders each pixel on the screen uniformly, but with this tech, developers will be able to give priority to certain game characters or important environmental objects. VRS will help games achieve more stable FPS with higher resolution without sacrificing the final image quality.
Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing: Raytracing is the latest toy that all the cool kids are playing with, and Xbox doesn’t want to get left behind. Xbox Series X will be the first console ever to support hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing. In laymen’s terms, the environments of games will have better reflections and more realistic lighting.
SSD Storage: The biggest edge PC has over consoles is the SSD, well, not anymore. The upcoming Xbox Series X will come with a next-gen SSD. This will drastically reduce the loading times of games, while also allowing developers to make much bigger worlds.
Quick Resume: Quick Resume is a cool new feature that will let players play multiple games at the same time. You can put games in a suspended state that can be accessed whenever you want. The game will resume from exactly where you left it, without any loading time.
Dynamic Latency Input (DLI): Thanks to its higher bandwidth and improved wireless communication protocol, DLI aims to decrease the input lag in games and make controls feel much more precise and responsive. The feature will be used in the Xbox Wireless Controller that will synchronize input immediately with what is displayed.
HDMI 2.1 Innovation: Both Xbox One and Xbox Series X will use exciting new features like Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) to improve the gaming experience. ALLM will automatically set a monitor to its lowest latency mode and VRR will match the display’s refresh rate to the game’s frame rate. This will ensure smooth visuals while at the same time removing any screen tearing.
120 FPS Support: No more locked FPS at 60! Xbox Series X will have 120 FPS support, allowing developers to exceed the standard 60fps limit.
Four generations of gaming: Backward compatibility is also one of the best features of PC. And now, Xbox wants that feature in its corner. The next-gen console will be able to play games made for Xbox One, Xbox 360, and the original Xbox. The new console will provide a better experience as it will support higher framerate and resolution while keeping load times minimal. All of this will be achieved with no extra developer work.
Smart Delivery: Smart Delivery takes compatibility to a whole new level. With this, you will have to buy an Xbox game only once. If you buy a game on Xbox One, then it will also work on Xbox Series X. This will ensure that players get the best version of the game on the Xbox console they choose to it play on. Smart Delivery will be used in all the Xbox Game Studios originals.
Xbox Game Pass: Microsoft doesn’t want Xbox to suffer from a lack of games. That’s why they decided to double down on their successful subscription service called Xbox Game Pass. It has been confirmed that Halo Infinite will be a part of the Xbox Game Pass.
