Microsoft is revealing the Xbox Series X boot screen animation today and is promising to focus on first-party Xbox Game Studios games during a July event. In a teaser video for Thursday, May 7th’s, Xbox Series X gameplay event, Microsoft subtly reveals the Series X boot animation and sound with a “boot up a new episode of Inside Xbox this Thursday” caption.
The boot animation simply states Xbox and isn’t as aggressive as the thud and boom of the current Xbox One X that still shocks me every time I turn the console on and my surround sound system is up high. The Xbox Series X boot-up sound is a lot more reserved and sounds a little like some of the older Windows sounds from the XP and Vista era.
Alongside boot screens, Microsoft is promising to reveal more about its Xbox Game Studios titles over the summer. “In July, we will dedicate time to focus on the incredible games coming from Xbox Game Studios,” explains Jerret West, head of game marketing at Microsoft. “A number of our studio teams are looking forward to sharing first looks at new gameplay, insights from development teams being optimized for Xbox Series X, and brand-new game announcements.”
Despite warnings of possible game delays for the Xbox Series X, Microsoft says “our goal remains to launch Xbox Series X and Halo Infinite this Holiday.” Microsoft will now hold monthly “Xbox 20/20” streams in the lead-up to the Series X launch. These start with an event on Thursday where Microsoft plans to highlight third-party Xbox Series X games, including titles that will take advantage of the new Smart Delivery feature.
The Xbox Smart Delivery program allows you to buy an Xbox One version of a game and get the upgrade to the Xbox Series X version free of charge. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla — the new Viking-based iteration of the popular franchise — will support Smart Delivery, which is an encouraging sign for the next generation of consoles.
This week’s event will also include games that are optimized for the Xbox Series X, including titles that will support 4K resolution, 120fps, DirectStorage, hardware-accelerated DirectX ray tracing, faster load times, and more. We’ll be covering all of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X announcements on Thursday, so stay tuned.
