Microsoft has finally revealed more information about the Xbox Series X, and from what we have seen, this is gearing up to be a true monster, more so than the Xbox One X. It goes to show how important the console market is to Microsoft, and why Sony and other competitors must be fearful of what is to come.
Xbox Series X features
In a recent information dump, the software giant revealed key data about the Xbox Series X, much of which we already found out due to prior leaks. According to the company, the Xbox Series X aims to deliver a superior balance of speed and power, which is an advancement on all technical fronts. What we’re about to talk about are just a few aspects of the Xbox Series X.
Next-generation processor
The company states the Xbox Series X is the most powerful console they’ve ever created, and it is powered by a custom processor designed by both Microsoft and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The processor is powered by the latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures, a first for consoles.
It delivers four times the processing power of the Xbox One, but it doesn’t end there because the 12 TFLOPS of GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) power delivers eight times the power of the Xbox One, and two times the power of the Xbox One X.
Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing
Raytracing is the new must-have thing in the PC gaming community today, and it is coming to the Xbox Series X when the console launches later this year. The technology should deliver true-to-life lighting and realistic reflections as the player explores the game world.
Support for 120 FPS
The current generation was all about game developers providing games that are 60 FPS (Frames Per Second). Most games failed to deliver a steady frame rate, so no way could the consoles today support 120 FPS. However, with the next Xbox, this is indeed a possibility, and gamers should look forward to it.
SSD Storage
Mechanical hard drives were for a long time the primary storage option for game consoles, but with the new Xbox, Microsoft is focusing heavily on SSDs. With this type of storage, game worlds will be larger and more dynamic than ever before.
Most importantly, load times will be a lot better when compared to what we have today.
Dynamic Latency Input (DLI)
What is this, you wonder? Well, it’s all about improving the latency of the Xbox controller to make sure when a key is pressed, the action on-screen happens immediately, or as close to that as possible. Us regular users might not notice the difference, but those who compete in competitions will likely do.
We can’t wait to learn more about DLI in the coming months.
Smart Delivery
Another key aspect of the Xbox Series X is a feature called Smart Delivery. With this, when you purchase a game once, it will work expected across different versions of Xbox. For example, if you buy a game on the Xbox One, then upgrade to the Xbox Series X at a later date, you will get the right version of the game for that console.
Overall, we like what Microsoft is doing with the Xbox Series X, and no doubt it will be a monster of a console. However, the most important thing right now is the price, something we will have to wait for until E3 2020, or thereabout.
