What you need to know
- Microsoft has unveiled Xbox Series X, its upcoming next-generation Xbox console slated for holiday 2020.
- Xbox Series X will expand the console's instant-on capabilities, including the option to pause and resume multiple games in system memory simultaneously.
Microsoft has dropped its first look at its next-generation Xbox plans, unveiling the flagship Xbox Series X. The Xbox One successor sets out to compile cutting-edge hardware into a streamlined home console, promising four times the processing capabilities of Xbox One X. That helps power a 4K 60 FPS baseline across titles, with support up to 8K resolutions and 120 Hz. It marks the latest milestone in the Xbox console family, currently slated for a holiday 2020 debut.
While Microsoft took to The Game Awards' stage to debut Xbox Series X, an accompanying interview with GameSpot provides additional insight into the design process. Partner Director of Program Management for Team Xbox, Jason Ronald, discussed Redmond's new approach to the next-generation platform, highlighting an effort to remove barriers across the ecosystem.
One crucial component is a switch to an NVMe solid-state drive (SSD) for Xbox Series X, paired with GDDR6 memory, helping cut loading times, and streamlining the end-user experience. Ronald also details improvements headed to the console's standby feature, allowing players to pause and resume multiple games on the fly.
"Today, we have the capability of instantly resuming the last game that you were playing," Ronald told GameSpot. "Why can't you do that for multiple games? Many players choose to play multiple games at the same time, being able to instantly jump right back where I was, those are things that we can do with the platform level to make the gaming experience better. It's really about ensuring there's less waiting and more time playing because that's ultimately what we all want to do with a with the consoles and with the services that we have."
The Xbox One launched with "Instant On" capabilities, including an ability to stow games into memory, and immediately boot into past sessions upon turning on the console. That further streamlined the "pick up and play" nature, but was limited to just one title per console. Ronald suggests the Xbox Series X will support multiple titles, streamlining the ability to jump between your favorite titles.
The Xbox Series X is scheduled to launch holiday 2020, with pricing a firm release date yet to be confirmed.
