Demonstrating the true ascent of the upcoming Xbox Series X was quite tricky, said Phil Spencer, the Xbox boss. How is the Xbox Series X console better than the Xbox One? During Reggie’s new podcast, the Xbox boss made a few affirmations. Spencer said one of the most defining features of next-generation games is how they “feel” with faster and more stable frame rates.
Xbox Series X showcase
However, there is a problem when it comes to demonstrating the power of the next-gen console. According to Spencer, it is impossible to show that with videos. That wouldn’t be an issue if the physical events were still taking place. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the events got canceled. Some were delayed. How will Microsoft communicate the appeal of faster frame rates this time? In the past, showing off the power of new systems was easy: better graphics.
“One of the things I’ve talked about publicly … but it’s hard to come across, is the way it feels to play games on a box where frame rates are higher, frame rates are more stable,” Spencer said. “The fluidity of it, showing that in video form, is just impossible. How do you show how something feels?”
He added: “We’re getting to the point where the immersion feel that you get through fluidity and other things is now up to par with the visual capabilities that we have. How do you share that with people in this kind of world?”
The Xbox boss is positive in front of this problem. The Xbox Series X will show up in front of consumers sometime in the future. However, when that happens is quite unsure at the moment. He also says that it will be put out there before launch to help them understand the appeal of the new system. But, we’ll have to wait and see how the restrictions around social-distancing will change.
“The feel relative to previous console generations will be something people remark positively about,” Spencer said.
Xbox Series X status
The frame rate capacity of the upcoming console is quite impressive, being able to reach up to 120 FPS. However, developers need to find the best balance between visuals and frame rate. As for the release of the Xbox Series X, he sees no changes. That means the next-gen console will come out this holiday.
“We had another hardware review. We did that this week. Our supply chain, we feel good about the hardware side. It feels like we’ll be able to get enough units. We’re pretty committed to a worldwide launch which regretfully we didn’t do with Xbox One,” Spencer said.
The software of the upcoming console is “making good progress,” according to Spencer. As for the game development, things are going well too. However, it faced some interruption.
“Games are making good progress. The collaborative nature of game development and the scale of game development today,” Spencer said.
“Any of the functions that require physical collaboration–things like motion capture, things like symphonic capture–those kinds of things, some of that is put on hold. On the games side, things that are pre content-complete might be impacted more than things that are post content-complete.”
Microsoft’s policies
Microsoft’s policies had to be updated due to the COVID-19 situation. One
of the amendments is about the third-party developer. They are now allowed to take their Xbox Series X development kits home. This is something that was definitely forbidden in the past.
Plus, Spencer also spoke about an important issue that affected the launch of Xbox One back in 2013. The rebuilding process within the Xbox team. As you might know, there was a huge controversy regarding the policies of the Xbox One launch. PS 4 console from Sony came out with a better price and better features. However, things will look different this year for Microsoft.
“The team had lost trust in the leadership … the leadership capability and the commitment of the company to this category and our decision-making,” Spencer recalled. “Rebuilding that inside the company was important and it takes time.”
