Microsoft Gives a Preview of Xbox Series X | TechTree.com

Microsoft Gives a Preview of Xbox Series X

Microsoft gave the world a first proper look of its next gen gaming console that seems to have grown from a flat boy into a tall boy ready for a 2020 launch

 

Two years shy of two decades ago, Microsoft had created a tumult among geeks by offering a video game console in the market that was populated by a bevy of companies that limited itself to this business. However, when the then market leader in software business came out with a piece of hardware, the reaction was hardly just ‘oohs and aahs’ There was skepticism.

However, after 18 years and three generations of gaming consoles, Microsoft today stands tall with the gaming community which is why Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, took to the media to share the contours of their next generation console, a full one year before the company actually plans to release it to the eager gaming community.

“And, finally you’d dream where you are now,” is how the latest commercial on the latest Xbox lures compulsive gamers into the new generation of the console, christened Series X. The new console has grown taller and is possibly broader than the second-generation Xbox 360 which was when Microsoft went with the tower design for the first time.

Writing on a blog, Spencer says the next generation console would be the fastest and most powerful ever that would increase the bar for the industry in terms of performance, speed and compatibility. “Its industrial design enables us to deliver four times the processing power of the Xbox One X in the most quiet and efficient way, something that is critically important in delivering truly immersive gameplay,” he says.

A report published on Gamespot says Series X's square footprint is roughly as wide as an Xbox One controller and (again, roughly) three times as tall. There's an illuminated Xbox-logo serving as the power button, a slot for inserting discs, and very little else to speak of on the front. It's simple and elegant overall, and a far cry from the more elaborate Xbox designs of old. Modern Microsoft consoles like the Xbox One S and Xbox One X lean into similarly refined looks, but Series X's stark aesthetics are unparalleled in the console space. It's also capable of standing horizontally or vertically.

From a tech spec point of view Microsoft says that the Xbox Series X can handle 4K visuals at 60 frames per second, and potentially up to 120FPS. The console will also offer hardware-accelerated ray tracing and variable refresh rate, along with 8K capability. Under the hood, it'll have a custom processor, an Xbox Series X GPU and next-gen solid-state storage, the latter of which will "virtually eliminate load times," says a report published by Engadget.com.

A crucial question that gamers often ask when consoles are changing is about backward compatibility that ensures access to old games. This is what Spencer says on the blog: Building on our compatibility promise, with Xbox Series X we’re also investing in consumer-friendly pathways to game ownership across generations. Leading the way with our first-party titles including Halo Infinite in 2020, we’re committed to ensuring that games from Xbox Game Studios support cross-generation entitlements and that your Achievements and game saves are shared across devices.

Engadget.com further reported that Microsoft also revealed the new Wireless controller for the Xbox X Series (is this something they’ve borrowed from Apple X series though?) which has a new look that the company says would be comfortable for more people. The controller has a DualShock 4-style share button in the centre for capturing screenshots and game clips as well as an upgraded D-pad that’s based on the earlier Xbox Elite Series 2 controller.

And finally, how much would it cost? This is where the blog post and the event go silent. Looks like we would be given a few more sneak peaks to build up the yearning before Microsoft actually announces how big a hole the new generation Xbox could burn in our pockets.

Just another part of Microsoft’s gaming, isn’t it?


TAGS: Microsoft, Xbox, gaming console, Series X, Phil Spencer

 
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