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Written Monday, February 24, 2020 By Matt Lorrigan |
Microsoft has dropped a load of information on Xbox Series X, via an Xbox Wire blog post from Phil Spencer, outlining new features such as quick resume and smart delivery.
Quick Resume is one of the more interesting new features, and will allow players to suspend multiple games at the same time, returning to them near-instantly without waiting for the title to boot up from scratch. We don’t currently know the maximum number of titles you can suspend simultaneously, but the current generation of consoles can only suspend one game at a time, so this is already an improvement.
Smart Delivery is the second standout, and could prove to be extremely important for cross-generation games in the first few years of Xbox Series X. This feature will mean that you’ll only need to purchase a game once, even if it has been released for both Xbox One and Xbox Series X, and the tech will make sure you’ll be playing the right version of that game for your console. It sounds like an expansion of the tech that scales up Xbox One titles on Xbox One X, and Microsoft has committed to use Smart Delivery for all Xbox Game Studio titles including Halo Infinite. Interestingly, Microsoft are making the tech available for all other developers and publishers to use. In theory this would mean, for example, you could purchase FIFA 21 for Xbox One, and then have access the Xbox Series X version of the game – however, publishers like EA could instead choose to release the two titles separately, as has been done in previous generations. (Update – Cyberpunk 2077 will support Smart Delivery)
We also got a load of tech details, both old and new, including details on the next-gen processor using AMD’s Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architecture, and giving developers 12 terraflops of GPU to use – this is eight times more than Xbox One and twice that of Xbox One X. Confirmation of DirectX Raytracing for better real-time lighting and reflections is in there as well as Variable Rate Shading, which helps developers “prioritize individual effects on specific game characters or important environmental objects”.
Spencer gave us a quick reminder on the SSD for faster loading times and bigger game worlds, and confirmed that Xbox Series X will have support for 120 FPS gaming. Finally, Xbox are tackling input latency in every area, partnering with HDMI and TV manufacturers to allow Xbox Series X to automatically set a connected TV or monitor to its lowest latency modes. The Xbox Wireless Controller will also have Dynamic Latency Input, which synchronises input immediately with that is displayed using some tech wizardry.
Wow, that was a lot of information, huh? It sounds like good stuff though, and we at XBA towers are even more excited for the monolith than we were before. Not too long to wait now, with the Xbox Series X due to launch in Holiday 2020.
