Josh Hendrickson
Microsoft took some time to tell us more about the upcoming Xbox Series X Console, and while it’s not getting a better name, it will be a powerhouse of a console. The company claims the console will be capable of 12 teraflops of GPU performance, among other noteworthy high-end specs.
We still don’t know when the Xbox Series X will release, or how much it will cost, but we do know a lot more about the hardware that powers it now. First up, Microsoft says a new custom processor powered by AMD’s latest Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures drive the heart of the upcoming Xbox. That’s where the 12 teraflops of GPU comes from, which is double the Xbox One X’s capabilities.
The Xbox Series X will also be capable of utilizing Variable Rate Shading (VRS) (using Microsoft’s patented version for the technique) and Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing, which should improve the look of every game that utilizes the features.
All of that will require a lot of power and speed, and as such, the Xbox Series X will use an NVMe SSD for storage. Between the fast storage and powerful processor, Microsoft says the console is capable of 8K gaming and frame rates of up to 120 frames per second. That means you’ll likely have to upgrade your TV to take full advantage of the new Xbox’s capabilities.
You may be wondering whether you should keep your old Xbox consoles around once you upgrade to the new model, and the good news is you won’t have to. The Xbox One can already play quite a few Xbox 360 and original Xbox games through the company’s backward compatibility efforts.
The Xbox Series X will continue that, and play games from Xbox One, 360 and original Xbox games. Best of all, you may not need to rebuy games for each generation. Developers can choose to turn on a new Smart Delivery system the company is introducing which will make a single game buy work for Xbox One and Xbox Series X.
Microsoft says if you buy a Smart Delivery digital game once, its systems will always deliver the best game for the console you are currently playing on. That means if you buy a videogame for Xbox One, and then switch to an Xbox Series X, you’ll get the upgrade console’s version of the game for that system.
CD PROJEKT RED has already announced the upcoming Cyberpunk2077 game will utilize Smart Delivery:
Gamers should never be forced to purchase the same game twice or pay for upgrades. Owners of #Cyberpunk2077 for Xbox One will receive the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when available. https://t.co/nfkfFLj85w
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 24, 2020
Microsoft promised to share more information in the coming months, and we’re expecting to learn a lot at the company’s E3 event.
via Microsoft
