Xbox Series X Will Play Four Generations of Games and Other Details Revealed

Written by Brandon Hofer on February 24, 2020

News: Microsoft has pulled the curtain back a tiny bit to confirm some information about their next-generation console.

Microsoft and Phil Spencer have released some more details about what you can expect with the Xbox Series X when it releases later this year and, well, you might want to start saving up your money right now (if you haven’t already started doing so). Some key members of the Xbox team have already been using an Xbox Series X prototype at home and providing some great feedback according to Phil.

Here are some quick bullet points for the new console and then we’ll go into them a bit more below:

Xbox Series X

12 Teraflops

Variable Rate Shading

Hardware Accelerated DirectX Ray Tracing

Quick Resume for Multiple Games

Smart Delivery

One of the key things people are going to be interested in is the Xbox Series X is going to have 12 Teraflops. By comparison, the Xbox One X (the most powerful console on the market until these new consoles launch later this year) has 6 Teraflops, which means the Xbox Series X will be twice as powerful. If you enjoy seeing what your Xbox One X can do wait until you see the Xbox Series X later this year.

Next Generation Custom Processor

Xbox Series X is the most powerful console ever powered by Microsoft’s custom-designed processor leveraging AMD’s latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures. It delivers four times the processing power of an Xbox One which enables 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)

Microsoft’s form of VRS will empower 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 Direct X Ray Tracing

There will be 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

Microsoft has created a “next-generation” SSD drive that should improve pretty much every aspect of your experience. Game worlds you are in will be larger, more dynamic, and load in a flash. Even something like fast travel in a game should be significantly faster due to quicker load times.

Quick Resume

This is a feature that will allow you to resume multiple games from a suspended state almost instantly. You will be returned to where you were in the game world and what you were doing, without waiting through annoying loading screens.

Dynamic Latency Input (DLI)

Microsoft has been optimizing latency in the player-to-console pipeline, beginning with the controller. With DLI, a new feature that synchronizes input immediately with what is displayed, controls will be even more precise and responsive.

HDMI 2.1

Microsoft has partnered with the HDMI forum and TV manufacturers to try and ensure that Xbox Series X gamers will have the best possible experience. Features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) are just two examples. ALLM will allow your Xbox Series X to automatically set your connected display to its lowest latency mode. VRR will synchronize the display’s refresh rate to the game’s refresh rate. This should maintain smooth visuals without any tearing.

120 FPS Support

Xbox Series X will have support for up to 120 FPS which will give developers the opportunity to exceed the standard 60 fps in favor of heightened realism or fast-paced action.

Four Generations of Gaming

Xbox Series X will be able to play games from every Xbox generation. It will be able to play games from the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and (obviously) Xbox Series X. Microsoft has said these games will look and play better than ever before. It is important to note they didn’t say every single game will be backward compatible. This is especially important to note on original Xbox games. We’ll have to wait and see what the official list is but confirmation that games from every generation will work is great news. Games, including titles in Game Pass, will benefit from steadier framerates, faster load times and improved resolution and visual fidelity. This will all be achieved without any extra work from the developers, it is all being handled by Microsoft. Your Xbox One accessories will also come forward with you. What that means is if you just bought an Xbox Elite Series 2 controller to play games on your Xbox One, you will be able to use it on the Xbox Series X as well.

Smart Delivery

This technology from Microsoft makes sure you only have to buy a game once on the Xbox Series X. It doesn’t matter whether you are buying a game on Xbox One or Xbox Series X, you will only have to buy it once. If you purchase Halo Infinite, for example, on Xbox One and then get an Xbox Series X six months later, you will automatically receive updates for Halo Infinite to turn it into the Xbox Series X version, at no cost to you. Microsoft has said they are committing to using Smart Delivery on all of their exclusive Xbox Game Studios titles, including the aforementioned Halo Infinite. This technology will also be available to every developer and publisher and, hopefully, they all choose to use it.

Xbox Game Pass

Game Pass on the Xbox Series X will work as it does on Xbox One. There will be games from all four generations of consoles and all first-party titles will be available on launch day.

What do you think about all of this information that Microsoft has released? There is obviously still quite a bit we don’t know but so far everything looks very promising. Will you pick up an Xbox Series X when it launches later this year or will you wait? Tell us in the comments below.