Talking Point What Is The Most Important Feature Of Xbox Series X

We're still some way out from the release of Microsoft's Xbox Series X in Holiday 2020 (if indeed it survives that projected window due to coronavirus concerns), but we already know quite a lot about the upcoming system. The company seems willing to dish out information more freely than it did back in the pre-release days of the Xbox One, such as tech specs and game-specific features. But after everything we've heard so far, what do we really think could give Microsoft the biggest advantage heading into the next generation?

The obvious place to start is with the next-gen custom processor. We wouldn't blame you for not knowing what Teraflops are, but Xbox Series X's 12 TFLOPS of GPU performance are twice as good as Xbox One X, and eight times as impressive as the original Xbox One. The system is also set to deliver four times the processing power of the Xbox One, with all of this resulting in a "true generational leap in processing and graphics power" according to Microsoft's Xbox Wire website.

Some of the other techy bits might not sound as fun, but they're important. Variable Rate Shading and Hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing, for example, will help to boost everything from frame rates (with up to 120fps supported) to in-game lighting, while we also reported on the Xbox Series X's dedicated audio chip earlier this week, which should ultimately provide more power to sound designers moving forward.

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Let's talk games. Microsoft have kept pretty quiet so far in terms of launch titles and future releases, but we already know quite a lot about how games will be implemented on Xbox Series X. And in our opinion, this could be where Xbox Series X truly sets itself apart for the average consumer.

Xbox Game Pass is an obvious place to start. From day one, you're going to get an entire library of games to download on Xbox Series X -- many of which have already been enhanced for Xbox One X -- not to mention all the backwards compatible games that are included as part of the program. And the best part? First party games such as Halo Infinite will be available on the service from day one. That's a big, big plus for Xbox.

And then there's a new feature called Smart Delivery, which already looks a standout. Ultimately, the idea is that you can purchase a copy of a game for either Xbox One or Xbox Series X, and still get "the best available version" for whichever console you're playing on. There's no guarantee that third-party developers and publishers will opt into this, but we've already heard that Cyberpunk 2077 will be taking advantage in the future. On paper, this sounds like another really big selling point for Xbox Series X.

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There are some other features we haven't even mentioned yet. SSD storage is something we've been expecting for a while now, but the addition of a Quick Resume feature for multiple games is a welcome surprise. In fact, Microsoft's Major Nelson confirmed recently that this feature not only works for multiple titles at once, but also survives a reboot as well. That's definitely a nice addition.

We're not naïve enough to suggest there aren't any areas of contention right now -- Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty hit the headlines recently for indicating there won't be any Xbox Series X first-party exclusives for a while, with games like Halo Infinite set to release on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X. While that might sound like a misguided decision to some, the combination of Smart Delivery and a potential Series X delay (due to coronavirus issues) could see this decision work very much in Microsoft's favour.

We're biased, of course, but we think there are so many reasons to be excited about Xbox Series X. Whether it's the 12 teraflops of GPU performance, Smart Delivery, backwards compatibility, Quick Resume or anything else, we can't wait to get our hands on it (fingers crossed) later this year.

What Is Xbox Series X's Most Important Feature So Far?

What are your thoughts? Tell us your favourite Xbox Series X feature in the comments below.

[source news.xbox.com, via uk.ign.com, eurogamer.net]