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.  

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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 

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 .

The Road to the Next Generation: Series X vs PS5

Last year at the Video Game Awards, Microsoft dropped a megaton on viewers mid-show and revealed their newest entry into the console market: The Xbox Series X. Since then, head of Xbox Division, Phil Spencer, Marketing Manager Aaron Greenberg, and the entire Xbox team have been dolling out chunks of information not only about the new hardware, but about their vision for Xbox Game Studios, the robust services the platform offers, new games, studio acquisitions, and how it all ties together in the Xbox Ecosystem. Where does that leave Sony and the Playstation 5, though? Continue reading “The Road to the Next Generation: Series X vs PS5”

The Narrative is Changing

Traditionally, when we began to move into the next generation of consoles, the shift would be preceded by promises of jaw dropping visual enhancements. More polygons! More detail! More content! Bigger! BETTER! For all intents and purposes, manufacturers and developers alike have made good on this promise. However, coming off the back of current technology, the 9th generation of consoles are  promising something different. Something far more valuable than a few extra polygons; something consumers should start taking notice of.

Continue reading “The Narrative is Changing”