Category: Microsoft

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Microsoft Confirms the Xbox Series X & S are “The ONLY Next-Gen Consoles” with FULL RDNA 2 Hardware Support

AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 Series of RDNA 2 GPUs have been revealed today, and following the presentation, Microsoft released an statement of their own. Simply put, the Xbox Series X/S will be the only next-generation consoles “with full hardware support for all the RDNA 2 capabilities AMD showcased today.” This flies directly into the face of those that have been disputing the implementation for months now, and puts the narrative to bed.

The following are some excerpts from the announcement that go into further detail regarding the technology:

“AMD’s latest RDNA 2 architecture delivers a significant increase in performance and efficiency over previous architectures, as well as adding new hardware acceleration capabilities including hardware accelerated DirectX Raytracing, Mesh Shaders, Sampler Feedback and Variable Rate Shading. Hardware accelerated DirectX Raytracing, showcased at launch by titles such as Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs: Legion, enables developers to deliver a new level of visual fidelity and immersion through techniques such as realistic lighting, shadows, reflections and acoustics. 

Mesh Shaders can manipulate geometry in real time to provide a high level of fidelity and flexibility that developers have never had before. Sampler Feedback greatly improves memory efficiency by allowing games to load into memory, with fine granularity, only the portions of textures that the GPU needs for a scene, as it needs it, providing an effective 2.5x memory and bandwidth multiplier beyond the raw hardware capabilities. Sampler Feedback also enables efficient creation and shading of textures on-demand. 

Finally, Variable Rate Shading (VRS) delivers much finer grain control on how developers can leverage the full power of the Xbox Series X|S by enabling developers to focus their GPU resources on the areas of a frame that most benefit without reducing the overall image quality. 

By leveraging techniques like VRS, games such as Gears 5 can see performance increases up to 15% and beyond resulting in higher, more consistent frame rates and resolution at the exact same image quality. All of these next-generation capabilities are available via hardware in both the Xbox Series X and Series S and we are excited for them to also come to PC, providing a common set of features that developers can rely on when developing their games across console and PC.” 

Check the full article Here

On the flip side of things, Sony’s PS5 will feature some Custom RDNA 2 features, but will not be utilized at the Hardware level. 

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Preparing for Launch

With just 15 days left before the Global launch of both the XBOX SERIES X & S on Nov. 10th, Microsoft has released an official and comprehensive breakdown of to expect and how to prepare for, what is arguably, one of the Xbox brand’s biggest console launches ever.  

Right away we’re treated to a speedy boot sequence that brings to like the latest UI, as well as the dynamic backgrounds. Via Quick Resume, we jump right into Gears of War 5 which has become a showcase for the how the visual fidelity and overall performance of games can be improved thanks to the Series X’s beefy hardware and software architecture. After a few minutes our hosts snap over to Dirt 5 in literal seconds. If I’m being honest, Quick Resume is probably one of the biggest game changers coming to consoles in this new generation. The feature is akin to using ‘Save State’ when running emulators on PC, or PC games in general. 

After some more gameplay we get into the new Share Button on the controller and just how convenient and quick it is to not only save, but also share your captures. Quite literally, a tap or two of the button is all it takes to being building and sharing your content with friends and the community.

Watching just how smooth and snappy the UI and Storefront are is definitely encouraging and impressive. What’s more; Navigating “My Games & Apps” is quicker than ever. For someone like myself that has literally hundreds of games installed on my internal and external drives, this is truly a Godsend. 

The mini-presentation is just over 14 minutes long and goes over the primaries of what to expect when booting up your new console. While it is disappointing that there wasn’t a quick clip or two of some new gameplay, it wasn’t expected from this video anyway. Microsoft is committed to providing content every week leading up to launch, a strategy that will keep consumers/fans engaged and excited. They’ve also confirmed that there WILL exclusive Series X gameplay footage before launch, so keep it locked here for future updates! 

 

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So Fresh and So Clean

With the official launch of the Xbox Series X|S looming in the distance, Microsoft has officially opened Pre-Orders for their new line of controllers. The new accessories are coming in three distinct flavors: Robot White (Comes with Series S), Carbon Black (Tried & True Classic that comes with the Series X), and the infamous Shock Blue which looks very nice and will probably end up in a lot of owner’s homes before the year’s end.

Aside from numerous performance tweaks, both Hardware & Software based, and the new Share Button, anyone familiar with current Xbox Controllers will feel right at home with the new designs. Better yet, each controller will retail for $59.99-MSRP. That’s right; No arbitrary price hike. You get premium, improved products for the same price you’d pay right now. Win-Win. What’s more, if you don’t want/need an extra controller right away, you can still use ALL of your existing accessories with your shiny new Series X|S.

Check the image below for the official landing page!

Official Microsoft Image

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Scorn Not Thine Masters

Originally announced back in 2018, Scorn always draws attention whenever it rears its disfigured head from the murky depths of obscurity. With its H.R. Giger inspired aesthetics, grotesque creature and weapon designs, disturbing environmental puzzles, and Bioshock esque thematic design; Scorn is much an enigma as it is one of the most arresting and anticipated games coming in early 2021. 

We now have nearly 14 minutes of raw gameplay footage courtesy of Gamespot, running on-wait for it-The Xbox Series X. This is VERY important because this has been a point of contention for consumers wanting to see those golden letters “Captured on Series X” during previous Xbox events. Thankfully, we have been getting plenty of it by way of games like Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Dirt 5, The Falconeer, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon just to name a few.

What we have on offer here with Scorn is nothing short of stunning. The attention to detail in nearly every aspect of the game’s design is absurd. The pulsating walls of the labyrinthine corridors look alive, to the point where you feel compelled to reach out and satisfy your morbid curiosity with a quick touch. Idle animations of the player’s weapons are suggestive and elaborate. This not only impacts gameplay as it makes you conscious of choosing when to reload, but it’s a constant reminder that everything around you is potentially alive.

I, for one, am truly excited to finally discover (hopefully) the nature of Scorn’s world and why things are. I won’t bore you with anymore banter. Check the video and enjoy!  

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Speed. Power. Efficiency.

The embargo on the preview builds of the Xbox Series X and Series S has been lifted; well, for most of its functionality and Backwards Compatible features (We have to wait a bit more for Next-Gen only games running natively.), but already the impressions have been nothing short of invigorating. 

Media outlets and figure heads such as Digital Foundry, Engagdet, The Verge, Geoff Keighley, Jeff Grubb, and IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey have been chiming in with the time they’ve spent putting the Series X through its paces thus far. Since they were all restricted to certain features such as Quick Resume, specific UI functionality and only able to play Backwards Compatible games they are limited to exactly what they can report, but what they have is overwhelmingly positive. The overall consensus is that the Series X is not only super fast, but it’s also whisper quiet and wholly efficient.

Xbox Series X

Jesica Conditt from Engadget stated after trying out  Remedy’s Control “-booting up a scene on Xbox One takes 30 to 38 seconds, while the same scene on Series X consistently takes just 9 seconds, 10 at the most. This ratio rings true for most games I’ve tested, and it’s significantly changed the way I interact with the new console overall.“. These are just raw improvements thanks to the SSD and I/O solutions as well. Any devs that decide to add a little extra TLC to their existing titles can do so  and really crank up the performance and visual fidelity. 

Tom Warren from The Verge provided a nice breakdown (posted below) of load time comparisons for the games he tested out. Across the board you can see a nearly 50% decrease in load times, with big games like Red Dead Redemption 2 having almost a full minute shaved off. Again, this is all just raw performance boosts from running on the Series X. 

XBOX SERIES X LOAD TIMES

Game Xbox Series X Xbox One X
CoD: Warzone 16 seconds 21 seconds
Red Dead Redemption 2 52 seconds 1 min, 35 seconds
The Outer Worlds 6 seconds 27 seconds
Evil Within 2 33 seconds 43 seconds
Sea of Thieves 20 seconds 1 min, 21 seconds
Warframe 25 seconds 1 min, 31 seconds
AC: Odyssey 30 seconds 1 min, 7 seconds
No Man’s Sky 1 min, 27 seconds 2 mins, 13 seconds
Destiny 2 43 seconds 1 min, 52 seconds

Why is this dedication to a quality Backwards Compatible solution so important though? Don’t we buy new consoles to play new games? Yes, we do. However, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that games consistently whom does not have an extensive backlog. There will be millions of Xbox owners that have a metric ton of physical and digital games sitting in their backlog. The Series X and S are offering them improved versions of those games at no additional cost beyond buying the console. This increases the value of current and older gen games by virtue of making them even more appealing to the consumer.

I can go on record and say that I have dozens fully sealed and unfinished games I’m holding off on to boot up on my Series X, simply because I know they will play and perform better there. My digital library is another beast entirely that may never be fully conquered. 

On the subject of Quick Resume, IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey had this to say: “I tried out Quick Resume, and Microsoft wasn’t kidding around. It works! I like that they even put a little “Quick Resume” icon in the upper right corner of the screen to let you know that you won’t have to wait for the entire game to load from scratch.” Renowned content creator, Jeff Grubb also confirmed that he was “-able to jump into 4 different games in under 90 seconds. Totally. It was kind of incredible.“

Now, for some real meat and potatoes comparisons I wholly suggest watching Digital Foundry’s extensive testing of these features. Games like Dead or Alive 6 saw a jump from variable 30+ fps to a rock solid and consistent 60fps with cleaner visuals. One more time; These are just raw improvements. None of the tested games have been enhanced by the developers. Where Final Fantasy XV’s Lite Mode saw dips within the 40-30fps range, on the Series X it maintained a buttery smooth 60fps throughout.  

Image

I, for one, am very excited for the performance benchmarks we are about to see for Next-Gen only titles on the Series X. If you want to take a look at the previews, I’ve included the links below!

Digital Foundry

The Verge, Tom Warren  

Engadget, Jesica Conditt 

Jeff Grub 

IGN, Ryan McCaffrey  

Geoff Keighley 

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Bring a Towel

Scorn has been in development for many years now. It usually pops up via a short gameplay snippet, media blurb, or mention on social media then sinks back into the shadows where development continues. Today, YouTube channel GameClips has provided us with a disturbingly satisfying 7-Minute reel of gameplay and sweeping vistas to wet our palate before launch.

If you haven’t heard of it before, Scorn is an H.R. Giger Inspired First Person Horror title coming exclusively to the Xbox Series consoles and PC. The obsessive attention to detail in the world and its inhabitants is unnerving and at once, captivating. The droning and foreboding music only lends to the chill inducing atmosphere. Everything twitches, slithers, skitters, and breathes with unsettling life; constantly making you question what may be friend or foe, if such concepts even exist in this twisted world.

Check out the full video below. Scorn doesn’t have a set release day yet, but is scheduled to launch in early 2021.

https://youtu.be/mOOu3tUyB3o

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The Next-Gen Storage Solution

Director of Program Management, Jason Ronald has spoken with Xbox Wire  regarding the portable NVME Storage Expansion Cards that will be usable with both the Series X and Series S. Aside from confirming how easy the cards will be to use (simply plug it into the expansion slot on the back of the console.), he goes into great detail about why and how the SSDs were necessary to deliver the smoothest and fastest data transfer solutions possible.

Of very important note is the reaffirmation that you can still use your existing USB HDDs, up to 3.1, to play your existing library of games as well as to swap Series X/S specific games to and from internal or expanded memory. It’s just another quality of life that continues to drive home Xbox’s Generational focus, something that long time fans will greatly appreciate.

It was also discovered that the Expanded 1TB drives will run a pretty $219.99 USD. Pretty hefty, but to no one’s surprise. NVME drives are still fairly expensive, but will slowly drop in the future. Check the attached Twitter post for more details!

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Sculpting Next-Gen Hardware

Xbox Wire Editor in Chief, Will Tuttle has written up a very lengthy and very informative piece of just how much care and thought went into designing the Xbox Series X and Series S. From the get go the design philosophy has been to make the consoles “more accessible, more flexible, and ultimately to seamlessly fit in to the modern lives and living rooms of Xbox fans around the world.”. You can this coming in the simple but functionally impressive structure of each console. With the amount of power and speed humming under the hood, cooling and efficiency were at the top of the list of priorities.

You can read the full article right HERE .

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Bethesda Joins the Xbox Game Studios Family

Announced quite literally, moments ago, the official Xbox Twitter account has announced that Microsoft has acquired Bethesda studios. Many have insinuated and guess that this deal may have been on the table for quite some time, but today we have the official verdict. So, what does this mean? Well, any forthcoming IPs coming from the legendary studio will be exclusive to the Xbox Ecosystem and will likely release Day and Date on GamePass.

Bethesda has had some missteps (most recently Fallout 76, which has thankfully seen plenty of positive refinements and updates), but the studio’s pedigree is irrefutable. Dropping news like this just before pre-orders go live tomorrow is a strong, momentum building move and will definitely pay dividends down the road. The next big question is whether The Elder Scrolls 6 will become exclusive or release as a multiplatform title since it’s already in development. You can read more official information on the acquisition right here!

Either way. Awesome gaming news to start the day with!

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What’s Going on at Team Blue’s Home Base?

In what can only be described as one of the most random and iconic gaming moments of 2020, the public was leaked not only confirmation of the Xbox Series S, but also it’s price, release date, and full spec sheet in the middle of the night last Tuesday. Microsoft’s PR team gracefully dove into action and not only met the leak head on by confirming it hours later with their own official announcement, but they did so while meme’ing and having fun with the whole situation. Literally over night we were given the full breakdown of the Series S and Series X’s pricing and release dates. Not only this, but developers began springing forth with confirmation of games releasing with the consoles on launch day, as well performance specs. Most notably being Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla confirmed to be running at 4K 60fps.

Social and Gaming Media were absolutely abuzz for the past 48 hours, and the fire is showing no signs of being put out. So, what does that mean for Sony? Surely they would seize the opportunity to leverage all the excitement and make their own announcement. Surely they would want to capitalize on the fact that all eyes would subsequently on them, especially on the day of the PSX’s anniversary, right? So far, the answer has been a disappointingly loud NO.

Not only has there been no response, reveal, or announcement of any kind during the height of the buzz, but it has recently come out that the PS5 was potentially going to be more expensive than the Series X. The sudden reveal of Microsoft’s hardware seems to have pushed Sony back to the drawing board to reevaluate their pricing and marketing strategy so that they can find something to One Up Microsoft with. The PS5 being the more expensive console was always within the realm of possibilities. Sony’s Bill of Materials was outed to be as high as $470 USD, meaning that if they were to try undercutting Microsoft anywhere below $500, they would stand to lose substantially more per console sold.

 

Now, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that regardless of what happens between now and launch day, the PS5 will sell and sell well. The Playstation has an immense amount of Mindshare built up from the PS4’s wholly successful run and their marketing team is diabolically talented at roping in the average consumer with their messaging. However, I can’t help but feel that this particular moment in time has been one huge missed opportunity for Team Blue, and has put them under further scrutiny by their fan base and shareholders. Remember, there is still plenty we don’t know about the PS5’s functionality, pricing, release date, capabilities, and exactly when 1st party games will be available.

Insomniac’s Spiderman: Miles Morales is slated to be a launch game,  but as of right now, the official date still says Holiday 2020. Ratchet and Clank:  a Rift Apart is set in the PS5’s launch window; Same as Horizon: Journey to the West. After having multiple successful presentations that got consumers excited and eager to know when they can get their shiny new PS5s, it seems as though Sony is inadvertently trying to quell expectations. First we have their limited pre-order system that was presented not too long ago. The parameters for being selected give the the pre-order process an air of being in the Cool Kid’s Club, when in reality it only creates confusion for the average consumer. 

Follow this up with Sony’s peculiar silence after their last presentation and you have a fair bit of people scratching their heads. Sure, Sony doesn’t really have to meet Microsoft head on in this scenario. They are still the most popular of the two brands after all. What’s concerning is that with the very real implications of the Global Pandemic affecting production and marketing, one has to wonder if Sony will actually be able to make it to market for a Holiday 2020 release. While they have increased their initial production allocation from 5-6 million up to 10, we still have no confirmation of what the retail unit truly looks like and whether they’ve even begun full production. Their absence from the recent Hot Chips Symposium   has also raised a few eyebrows. Where the Series X has been stripped down to the very last CU, the PS5’s overall internal composition is still far from having substantial and concrete data available beyond Mark Cerny’s presentation earlier in the year. 

If it sounds like I’m lighting the Signal Fires and raising the alarm…Well, I think I am. Again, the PS5 selling well is not in question. It’s Sony’s seemingly lackadaisical demeanor and response to the demand for info on their product. I plan to purchase a PS5 for myself whenever Blue Point Studio’s Demon’s Souls: Remake is released, but prior to that…Well Sony is doing a pretty swell job on not reaffirming that purchase. 

As of this writing, news has surfaced that Sony has plans to make some kind of announcement today that was indeed planned for yesterday’s anniversary, but moved for obvious reasons. There is also an event scheduled for the 14th, so hopefully all the concerns raised above will be addressed. Fingers crossed, everyone.