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Xbox Series X: What these new features and specs mean for gaming

By Matthew Liebl

COLOGNE, GERMANY - AUGUST 20: Visitors visit the booth of XBOX during the press day at the 2019 Gamescom gaming trade fair on August 20, 2019 in Cologne, Germany. Gamescom 2019, the biggest video gaming trade fair in the world, will be open to the public from August 21-24. (Photo by Lukas Schulze/Getty Images)
COLOGNE, GERMANY - AUGUST 20: Visitors visit the booth of XBOX during the press day at the 2019 Gamescom gaming trade fair on August 20, 2019 in Cologne, Germany. Gamescom 2019, the biggest video gaming trade fair in the world, will be open to the public from August 21-24. (Photo by Lukas Schulze/Getty Images) /
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Variable Rate Shading (VRS)

"“Rather than spending GPU cycles uniformly to every single pixel on the screen, they can prioritize individual effects on specific game characters or important environmental objects.”"

Again, this is one of those fancy tech words that boils down to more stable frame rates and higher resolution without actually impacting the image quality on-screen.

Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing

This is a phrase we’ve heard numerous times as it pertains to both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. Raytracing is a rendering technique that ultimately results in better, more realistic lighting effects. This will lead to more immersive, realistic and dynamic environments with accurate reflections and realistic acoustics.

The improved processing power of the Xbox Series X obviously factors into the raytracing capabilities. This is one of the things I’m most excited about for the next-gen as it should be a noticeable visual jump from the current Xbox One.

SSD & Quick Resume

In addition to power, a big focus for next-gen is on speed. Whether it’s booting up a game or loading level, the goal of the Xbox Series X is to get you into the game faster. Here’s where SSD Storage shines. It will allow for not only larger and more dynamic worlds, but you won’t have to wait forever for them to load.

If you have already used an SSD on your Xbox One or PS4, you’re probably well-aware of the benefits. If you haven’t, expect to load into games much, much faster.

Quick Resume is another new feature designed to get you back into the game quickly. Apparently you’ll be able to suspend multiple games and jump back into them almost instantly without long loading screens.

Dynamic Latency Input (DLI) & HDMI 2.1

As gamers, we all know what latency and lag is, right? Well, the Xbox Series X will minimize lag. From control input to audio and visuals, the Xbox Series X will be precise, responsive, and minimize screen tearing.

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