Xbox Series X Features Unveiled, Allows Play on XB1 & Series X Without Buying a Game Twice

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer unveiled several technical details and features of the upcoming Xbox Series X console in a post at Xbox Wire. According to Microsoft, the system will focus on featuring “a superior balance of power and speed in console design,” and a smart delivery system will allow gamers to enjoy their games on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X without having to buy them twice as long as publishers support it. All Xbox Game Studios releases will support smart delivery by default.

At the forefront of this new console is a custom processor four times more powerful than that of an Xbox One, and it uses AMD’s Zen 2 and RDNA architectures. It will feature 12 teraflops of GPU performance, which is twice the amount present in an Xbox One X and over eight times that of the original Xbox One.

Other hardware features include Variable Rate Shading, which will allow developers to prioritize “individual effects on specific game characters or important environmental objects” rather than spending the CPU cycles evenly across the screen. This will help games have more stable frame rates and run at a higher resolution. In addition, the Xbox Series X will also feature hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing. A first for console gaming, it will help create better lighting effects and deliver accurate reflections.

Microsoft further flaunts impressive speed in the Xbox Series X as their next-generation SSD memory will make load times much quicker. The console will also feature a “quick resume” that will allow players to load multiple games from a suspended state “almost instantly.” Other additions include 120 FPS support, Dynamic Latency Input, and several HDMI 2.1 features such as Auto Low Latency Mode and Variable Refresh Rate.

Gamers should never be forced to purchase the same game twice or pay for upgrades. Owners of #Cyberpunk2077 for Xbox One will receive the Xbox Series X upgrade for free when available. https://t.co/nfkfFLj85w

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) February 24, 2020

Xbox has reinforced its commitment to backward compatibility with smart delivery, and CD Projekt RED has also announced that Cyberpunk 2077 will support the feature once it is released.