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The Xbox One S has more powerful hardware, but will developers take full advantage?
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Published onJune 14, 2016
published onJune 14, 2016
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Microsoft delivered avery interesting E3 2016 keynote yesterday, even ifmany announcements had already leaked in the pressa few days before the annual gaming show. However, while we already knew that the company would announce a slimmer Xbox One as well as a way more powerful hardware revision for late 2017, we’re still impressed by what Microsoft has achieved with thenew Xbox One S: at a $299 price tag, the gaming console features a 40% smaller body, a 500GB internal HDD, an internal power supply, an IR Blaster and a redesigned controller with bluetooth support.
Following the press event, we also reported yesterday thatthe new Xbox One S will still run on semi-custom AMD SoCswhich is obviously more powerful as it will enable 4K video streaming and HDR support. The Xbox team shared more technical details in ablog post yesterday:
You’ll now be able to watch Blu-ray movies and stream video in stunning 4K Ultra HD video, with content from partners like Netflix and Amazon Video. Xbox One S also offers High Dynamic Range (HDR) support for video and gaming, so you can experience richer, more luminous colors in games like Gears of War 4 and Scalebound. With a higher contrast ratio between lights and darks, HDR brings out the true visual depth of your games and media.
On theofficial product pagefor the Xbox One S, Microsoft clarified that HDR functionality will be “available with supported games and TVs” which means that it’s up to developers to implement it into their games. Furthermore, according to what The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson explained yesterday toPolygonit’s up to developers optimize their games for the Xbox One S :
According to Fergusson, the Xbox One S has additional raw GPU and CPU power compared to the Xbox One, and The Coalition’s engineers have been able to take advantage of that to reduce the frequency of frame rate or resolution penalties in more demanding sections of the game.
While Microsoft has clarified yesterday that all existing games and accessories will work with every Xbox One console going forward, some questions still remain. How many upcoming games will leverage the improved performance of the Xbox One S? Could developers patch their existing games to improve performance on the new console? Lastly, could existing Xbox One games still run marginally better on the new hardware without any optimization work from the developers? We can’t wait for Microsoft to answer those questions as it seems the landscape of Xbox One games could soon become fragmented.
Radu Tyrsina
Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).
For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.
Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.
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Radu Tyrsina
