Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been making a few comments on Twitter about the Xbox Series X recently, noting a few days ago that he's "never been more excited about Xbox plans." His latest response to a fan revealed that he believes "the feel of games this upcoming generation will change as dramatically as any since 2D to 3D".
The original question concerned which technologies Spencer thought would prove game changing in the next generation, and the Xbox head responded with a few key examples:
Again, this is another refreshingly bold and confident statement from Phil Spencer. We're not expecting the visuals of games to transform as dramatically as they did from the 2D to 3D era on Xbox Series X, but it certainly sounds as though we'll be feeling a big difference when the system launches later this year.
What do you make of Spencer's latest comments? Let us know down below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 11
The fact they have gone all out with the tech speaks volumes. This gen was very weak power wise, with even PS4 Pro and Xbox One X hamstrung by their inadequate CPUs.
I think the combination of seriously powerful hardware, and SSD with load times pretty much eliminated, means we are going to be playing some amazing looking games. And that's what it all comes down to in the end, I can't wait to see what is coming.
@Incarna That is a bit of marketing talk I feel. It just doesn't have the right ring to it, if he says our new console is a noticeable but evolutionary improvement only.
But my #1 concern is development time. If every AAA game takes 3-5 years to release that is definitely a bit barren in the next gen. For example on X360 there was Halo 3- ODST- Reach -4 . Meanwhile on X1 we had Halo 5 and Infinite is releasing in the beginning of next-gen. Technically it is 1 Halo game per generation vs 4 .
@Incarna The long development cycles are IMO caused by two things. First, these days many games need to/have to ship with a very strong, diverse and stable MP element (Gears and Halo being obvious examples). Then there is also huge demand for SP experiences that have a rich and deep story and writing. The team that is trying to do both in a AAA exclusive doesn't have an easy job. The level of expectation is incredibly high on both SP and MP. Naughty Dog certainly faces a challenge when they need to ship a game like LoU2 which is a failure if it is only slightly worse than LoU1. Same for people at 343 Industries. They have to make a Halo game with strong single and multiplayer and keep core,older fans happy while also bringing in new people. Overall it can be a lot of headache
@BrilliantBill Games as a Service (GaaS) is a factor, games are being designed with the GaaS model in mind which wasn't present last gen.
@Incarna I agree, no way this is going to be a step comparable to the one from 2D to 3D. It's probably going to be a bigger one than the one of this generation though, although that's not much to brag about I suppose.
I'm still excited though
@Grumblevolcano Yes, in the previous gen idea of a game like R6 Siege with several years and seasons of updates was unbelievable. But for people more oriented towards SP gaming the GaaS concept doesn't really stick.
He said since 2D to 3D so he means that the next generaration will be a bigger leap than the PlayStation 2/GameCube/Xbox, the Xbox 360/PS3/Wii or the Wii U+Switch/Xbox One/PS4 generation. He's excited because the CPU is finally able to offer more than is asked for and the traditional HDDs are not mainstream anymore. Hardware will be more balanced and capable. The Series X is the most ambitious console they have ever conceived and Microsoft believes in the Xbox brand again.
Regarding games, they need more time and resources than ever before. Microsoft knows that so they rely on more studios now. They can make just a Halo game per generation if more AAA games come with it. Yes, the studios need more time but that also affects Sony and Nintendo. When Nintendo merged the two software divisions I expected much more on Switch and not a bunch of ports. When PS4 launched there were no new games, The Last of Us port was the highlight with its sequel launching at the end of the generation. Xbox One received some interesting games but needed more first-party studios.
Next generation will be interesting. We don't know if Xbox Game Studios have their first games ready for the release of Series X, we don't know what's to come besides Halo Infinite and Hellblade II but we know that Microsoft has learned from their mistakes, that a great guy is in charge and that they have realised how important games and variety are and that single-player games are also needed.
I'm so excited😃😃
"...the feel of games this upcoming generation will change as dramatically as any since 2D to 3D given CPU upgrade, DLI, memory bandwidth and SSD."
The four technologies he refers to (when fully implemented) are not marketing talk; they are real, quantifiable and very relevant to the gaming experience. 😎
@BlueOcean
It should be noted that these studios have several teams. Game releases will be more frequent.
In Phil I trust. 😁
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