Xbox Series X games are 'unlike anything you've ever seen before'

Microsoft's next-gen Xbox promises to deliver mind-blowing visuals and performance.

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15 minutes & 18 seconds read time

Microsoft continues hyping its beastly next-gen Xbox Series X console and promises games will look, play, and feel better than ever before.

Xbox Series X games are 'unlike anything you've ever seen before' 7

The Xbox Series X is shaping up to be the ultimate games console. Powered by a next-gen 12 TFLOP Navi GPU, an 8-core Zen 2, and a custom SSD, the system will allow 8K gaming, 4K 60FPS, and even up to 120FPS gaming--all with buttery-smooth variable refresh rates. Developers will use tons of new technologies like ray tracing, variable rate shading, and other software tricks to make games run incredibly well at all perf specs and resolutions. That's the theory at least. We haven't actually seen any games in action yet.

Now according to Xbox exec Jason Ronald, the Xbox Series X's in-game performance is unprecedented. The next-gen Xbox uses "bleeding-edge" tech from AMD to open a new dimension of high-FPS, high-resolution console gaming. It's basically a new era for the console market.

"The Xbox Series X is a massive increase in overall performance, but not only that, but with the new RDNA 2 graphics technology that we've leveraged from AMD, it's actually significantly more efficient as well. So it's a much more higher performance. What you'll actually see in the titles that ship on the Xbox Series X is unlike anything you've ever seen before," Xbox director of program management Jason Ronald said in a recent Major Nelson podcast.

"We have a great partnership with AMD, and we're really leveraging the bleeding-edge technology from them to make sure this console's really designed for the future."

Xbox Series X games are 'unlike anything you've ever seen before' 455

Read Also: Xbox Series X may enhance Xbox 360, OG Xbox games too

Ronald also touched briefly on how Microsoft is making it easier than ever for developers. The Xbox Series X is part of Microsoft's big Xbox SDK pipeline, which allows devs to make a single game and scale it across Xbox One, Windows 10 PCs, Project xCloud, and now the Xbox Series X.

"We've also really focused on how we make it really easy for developers to ship their game on PC, on console, and with Project xCloud. So we're really focused on making it as easy as possible for developers to reach the largest audience of players and really focus on making the best game possible."

Another exciting path with the Xbox Series X is with backwards comaptibility. Microsoft has confirmed the Xbox Series X will play the Xbox One's full library, and it'll do so even better than the base console.

The Xbox SX natively boosts in-game performance of all comaptible games like raising and tightening frame rates, increasing resolution, and reducing screen tearing.

Developers will also be able to release special enhancement patches to ensure older games run even better on the Xbox Series X. That means older Xbox One games will have an extra layer of depth, speed, and overall perf boosts.

We're not sure what the limit is on these upgrades, or whether or not older games like Halo 5: Guardians could get ray tracing or 120FPS support. But the possibility is there and if it's used properly, the Xbox Series X could breathe new life across the full generation of Xbox gaming.

Xbox Series X is due out by Holiday 2020. No pricing has been announced.

Check below for confirmed specs and details, and a huge content listing of everything we've heard about Xbox Series X so far:

Xbox Series X confirmed details (Formerly Project Scarlett):

  • 8-core, 16-thread Zen 2 CPU
  • Navi GPU on RDNA architecture
  • Highly customized 7nm SoC from AMD
  • GDDR6 memory
  • 2x Xbox One X's 6TFLOPs of GPU perf
  • 4x CPU power of Xbox One generation
  • Can deliver up to 40x more performance than Xbox One in specific use cases
  • Adaptive sync supported
  • Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
  • Supports 8K resolution (likely media playback)
  • 120FPS gaming
  • Variable refresh rate (adaptive sync/FreeSync)
  • Variable Rate Shading
  • Raytracing confirmed with dedicated raytracing cores
  • Backward compatible with thousands of Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games
  • New controller with a dedicated share button
  • Compatible with Xbox One accessories

Lockhart (Unconfirmed lower-end Xbox Series hardware)

  • 1440p 60FPS
  • No disc drive
  • Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
  • 7nm AMD SoC w/ scaled-down 8-core, 16 thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.5GHZ and Navi GPU
  • Lower GDDR6 memory pool (Possibly 12GB)
  • ~6-8 TFLOPs of power?
  • Aims to rival PS4 Pro/Replace Xbox One S
  • Full backward compatibility with all Xbox One games
  • Cheaper MSRP

Anaconda/Xbox Series X/Project Scarlett

  • 4K 60FPS
  • Disc drive with 4K UHD playback
  • Super-fast SSD that can be used as VRAM
  • 7nm AMD SoC with 8-core, 16 thread Zen 2 CPU at 3.5GHz and Navi GPU
  • 16GB GDDR6 RAM
  • 12 TFLOPs of power
  • 2x GPU power as Xbox One X/aims to replace Xbox One X
  • Full backward compatibility with all Xbox One games
  • More expensive MSRP

Xbox Series X coverage:

NEWS SOURCE:soundcloud.com

Derek joined the TweakTown team in 2015 and has since reviewed and played 1000s of hours of new games. Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

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