{"id":110419,"date":"2020-03-16T12:08:29","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T12:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/?p=436603"},"modified":"2020-03-16T12:08:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-16T12:08:29","slug":"xbox-series-x-a-closer-look-at-the-technology-powering-the-next-generation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/03\/16\/xbox-series-x-a-closer-look-at-the-technology-powering-the-next-generation\/","title":{"rendered":"Xbox Series X: a closer look at the technology powering the next generation"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

A few months ago, we
\nrevealed Xbox Series X<\/a>, our fastest, most powerful console ever, designed
\nfor a console generation that has you, the player, at its center. When it is released
\nthis holiday season, Xbox Series X will set a new bar for performance, speed
\nand compatibility, all while allowing you to bring your gaming legacy forward
\nwith you and play thousands of games from four generations. <\/p>\n

Recently, along with the tech experts Austin Evans<\/a>
\nand Digital Foundry<\/a>, we
\nhad the chance to take a closer look at some of the technologies that are powering
\nXbox Series X and talk to the team about the choices they made when defining
\nthe next generation of gaming. We spent an entire day discussing everything
\nfrom the console\u2019s custom processor and latency solutions to backward
\ncompatibility and visual enhancements.<\/p>\n

(Editor\u2019s Note: We\u2019ll be using some acronyms and discussing
\ntechnologies in this post without always defining them. To that end, we\u2019ve
\ncreated an Xbox
\nSeries X glossary<\/a> that contains many of these terms and more. We\u2019ll link
\nout where applicable, and you can check out the full
\nglossary here<\/a>, as well as our features on the new
\nXbox Wireless Controller<\/a> and how the team
\nis reducing latency<\/a>.) <\/p>\n

The next generation of Xbox is defined by three primary
\ncharacteristics: Power, Speed and Compatibility. Let\u2019s take a look at the
\nfeatures and technologies of Xbox Series X delivering those three hallmarks. <\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n
\n

The Most Powerful Xbox Ever<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n

Early on in the design of Xbox Series X, the team was determined
\nto deliver the most powerful Xbox ever, which opened a series of discussions about
\nhow to define \u201cpower\u201d in the next generation of consoles. In past generations,
\npower has been defined primarily by graphics innovation: from the transition
\nfrom 8 bit to 16 bit graphics, 2D to 3D, SD to HD and finally to 4K.<\/p>\n

Today, gamers are demanding more and more games run at 60
\nframes per second (fps) with high visual fidelity and precise, responsive
\ninput. Developers have come up with creative solutions, such as dynamic
\nresolution scaling, to maintain high image quality while not compromising on
\nframe rate, but this is often done to work around the limitations and
\nconstraints of current generation hardware. That\u2019s all about to change with
\nXbox Series X. It\u2019s not just about making games look better, though. It\u2019s about
\nmaking games play better too.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

\u201cWhile
\nthe Xbox Series X will deliver a massive increase in GPU performance and
\ncontinue to redefine and advance the state of art in graphics with new
\ncapabilities such as hardware accelerated raytracing,\u201d said Jason Ronald, Director
\nof Product Management on Xbox Series X, \u201cwe don\u2019t believe this generation will
\nbe defined by graphics or resolution alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team knew they needed to build a next generation console
\nthat could run games in 4K at 60 fps with no compromises for developers. They
\nalso challenged themselves to deliver a level of performance once thought
\nimpossible on console, including support for up to 120 fps for the most
\ndemanding and competitive games. While they believe resolution and frame rate
\nare creative decisions best left in the hands of title developers, the team
\nwanted to ensure the system was able to support the needs of the largest
\nblockbusters, competitive esports, and innovative independent creators.<\/p>\n

In order to support those needs, the team strengthened their
\nlong-term partnership with chipmaker AMD, which began working with the Xbox
\nteam over 15 years ago on the Xbox 360. Sebastien Nussbaum, Corporate Vice
\nPresident & Senior Fellow, Semi-Custom Products and Technologies\u200b at AMD,
\nspoke a bit about what the team created to help power Xbox Series X. <\/p>\n

Thanks to a focus on transformational design and generational performance uplift, Nussbaum said that, for developers, \u201cthe console ends up being a playground for technical innovation.\u201d This is due in large part to the raw power of the custom designed processor, powered by an 8 core AMD Zen 2 CPU<\/a> and an RDNA 2-class GPU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These next generation architectures deliver a new level of
\nperformance that lets developers create realistic and immersive experiences
\nlike we\u2019ve never seen before, while also allowing the team at AMD to seed a
\nnext generation DirectX ecosystem that will continue to push the industry
\nforward.<\/p>\n