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After several months of waiting, Microsoft has launched its new generation of consoles in stores. Both models aim for a more complete positioning, offering a more accessible and fully digital version, but less equipped than the crown jewel Xbox Series X, which is technically considered the most powerful console on the market.
For this, the console features the Xbox Velocity architecture, which combines a custom processor based on AMD’s new RDNA 2 and Zen 2 architectures, as well as 12 TFLOP GPUs and 16GB of GDDR6 RAM. According to Microsoft, the console has about four times more processing power than the previous Xbox One X, but its hardware acts as the “heart” of the console.
The “soul” of the architecture is the result of integrating software with hardware for new gaming experiences. And for that it offers a 1TB NVMe SSD and a new way to unpack game file packages to reduce loading time. In practice, this means loading much faster than ever. Depending on the games, they can drastically reduce loading time by more than 50%, compared to previous generation titles. Because the latest ones, already made with the new console in mind, take very little time. An example of this was the DiRT 5 we tested, which takes no more than 8 seconds to load a track.
While fast loading is very important, priority goes to Quick Resume technology, and this is one of the console’s great strengths. It’s easy to describe the functionality compared to Windows 10 – if you’re working on several applications, using ALT + Tab you can switch between them. Same with Xbox Series X games (obviously supported). You can switch between games in the blink of an eye, like playing Forza Horizon 4, running Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and other titles in parallel, without having to load them again. Best of all, you can continue playing where you left off, without any additional loading.
On Xbox One, only a few games supported the feature, and there were often bugs and crashes. The new console has refined the system, inviting producers to introduce this feature natively in their titles. One thing is certain, more than a convenience, the system allows us to spend more time playing than looking at the loading screens. And even if you turn off the console, the games are still accessible when you turn the system back on.
Of course, to take advantage of the new game consoles you have to equip the rest of the setup, that is, you have to have a 4K TV with HDR support, and if you really want the best, it has to be compatible with 120Hz refresh rates. Yes, games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will allow you to play in 4K at 120 FPS, in an early example, which also includes Ori and the Will of Wisps. Others, like Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition and Metal: Hellsinger, offer 120 FPS at 1080p. And in the future, more games will be added with this resolution and framerate.
This also means that players will be able to choose between performance or loyalty modes. That is, it is possible to get better framerate results, at the expense of some images, i.e. playing at 4K with more frames per second.
What are the main launch titles?
Sadly, the bad news is that Microsoft hasn’t been able to guarantee any exclusive games from its in-house studios for the console’s launch. The so-called “killer app”, that game that sells consoles would be Halo Infinite, but this was postponed shortly after the reveal of the first gameplay. It was felt that the new chapter of Master Chief was not representative of what Xbox Series X | S has to offer.
This means that Microsoft therefore depends on third-party publishers to launch the first games on consoles, as far as news is concerned, until its studies acquired in recent years begin to bear fruit.
The new console’s first-party game offering is based on improved versions of some of its most recent titles, such as Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Sea of Thieves or Gears Tactics, just to name a few. But on the other hand, it features a huge catalog of games available on its Game Pass service, including those mentioned, so there will be plenty of games to test the console. The service also includes other titles from various publishers and is constantly fed by news, especially high-quality indie games.
And from today you can also count on the EA Play catalog, which although it does not offer new titles, such as FIFA 21 or Star Wars Squadrons, the service offers more than 60 titles from the Electronic Arts catalog, such as Need For Speed Heat, Plants Vs Zombies: Battle For Neighborville, the sports games of 2020, such as FIFA 20, Madden 20 and NHL 20. For those who love action there are Anthem, Battlefield V, Unreavel Two, A Way Out and UFC 3, to name a few. You can view the full list of Xbox games offered on the service.
There was no shortage of memes at the presentation of the S Series.
Additionally, Microsoft claims that the Xbox Series S | X will be complemented by around 1,000 games originally released in previous generations. And it presents a speech to highlight the passion of the players and the importance of keeping not only the games compatible, but also their progression and the list of achievements. And likewise, the same community and the same list of friends will be the same, not just across generations but across platforms, embracing PC and mobile.
It is also confirmed that Xbox One gaming accessories will also work on new consoles. Xbox reports that the backward compatibility program began in 2015 with Xbox 360, with the team amassing 500,000 hours of gameplay to fine-tune its catalog and ensure that the titles work well on the new console.
But that is not all. One of the most important technologies in the new console is Smart Delivery. And what is this? It is a kind of fidelity “protocol” in the transition between generations of Microsoft consoles. This means that games with the Smart Delivery label only need to be purchased once to play in the Xbox ecosystem. In other words, imagine a new title is released and you decide to buy it for Xbox One, because you will only buy the S series | X in a while. This certification guarantees that your own copy, physical or digital, of the game will work on the new console.
More importantly, it’s not about running backward compatibility, but the best version of the game. In other words, if you bought it for Xbox One, when you play it again on Series X it will be the respective version, totally designed for the new generation. This policy, also applied to several PS5 games, ensures a more thoughtful transition from the consoles, with the guarantee of enjoying the best that the titles have to offer in the best system with no added value.
However, the Smart Delivery offering depends on the publisher for the publisher, but Microsoft has ensured that all of its games, produced by internal studios, will offer this support. These improvements are made through updates, as is the case with Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 4 available at launch in Smart Delivery. The list also includes Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Destiny 2, DiRT 5, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, among others. We expect smart delivery functionality to be standard in all cross-gen Xbox games.
But games aren’t all you can use to enjoy the console. Video streaming series and services are integrated into the new Xbox, including Apple TV, Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, Twitch, among others. The company guarantees that new applications will be added in the coming weeks. These streaming entertainment services will be able to deliver enhanced video and audio quality from Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos technologies.
And if there is something that made the gaming community quite “enthusiastic” it was the rumor that Microsoft would integrate Disney + into the Game Pass service. The partnership has been made official, but only with a 30-day service offer. More than enough to try the service, especially when you can see The Mandalorian. And this can only be a test, because having access to a huge catalog of games and even TV series, it is a coincidence for us to say to Microsoft: “This is the way” …
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