Xbox Series X - Details on 'Optimized for Xbox Series X' - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 July 2020 / 3,089 Views
Games that will be coming to the Xbox Series X will have a new "Optimized for Xbox Series X" badge on the box art. The logo will be placed on titles that will "take advantage of the full power of Xbox Series X," according to Microsoft in a new Xbox Wire post.
Titles with the "Optimized for Xbox Series X" badge will be placed on "brand new games built natively for the Xbox Series X such as Halo Infinite" and "previously released titles in which a developer has enhanced their title using the Xbox Series X development environment to dramatically leverage the power and features Xbox Series X has to offer, like Gears 5."
"As a game developer one of the most exciting improvements that far exceeds expectations is the massive I/O improvements on Xbox Series X," said Technical Director at The Coalition Mike Rayner on Gears 5 running on the Xbox Series X.
"With the Xbox Series X, out of gate we reduced our load-times by more than 4x without any code changes. With the new DirectStorage APIs and new hardware decompression we can further improve I/O performance and reduce CPU overhead both of which are essential to achieve fast loading. As we look to the future, the Xbox Series X’s Sampler Feedback for Streaming (SFS) is a game changer for how we think about world streaming and visual level of detail."
Co-founder and Programmer from Out of the Blue Manuel Fernández discussed what he is most excited about for DirectX Raytracing in Call of the Sea.
"In Call of the Sea, the island has a great importance as we tell the story as a dialogue between the player and their environment," said Fernández. "Thanks to the power of Xbox Series X and DirectX Raytracing, we will have the chance to make the island even more present, almost come to life. Players will have the opportunity to enjoy the island’s stunning environments in beautiful 4K, allowing for a greater immersion and an overall better experience."
Technical Director at Codemasters David Springate talked about optimizing DiRT 5 for Xbox Series X.
"DiRT 5 is a fast, action-packed amplified off-road racing game and being able to play it with 120fps options on Xbox Series X is incredible," said Springate. "The power of Series X means that the game looks stunning at 60fps, and we’re also able to offer amazingly smooth, responsive gameplay at 120fps while still looking gorgeous. Racing fans know frame rate is king and DIRT 5 will deliver on this. Players will experience the strongest sense of speed and responsiveness at the highest frame rate. It’s such a great, smooth experience – I hadn’t experienced another racer like it."
Here is the current list of confirmed games that will feature the "Optimized for Xbox Series X" badge:
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Bright Memory Infinite
- Call of the Sea
- Chivalry 2
- Chorus
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Destiny 2
- DiRT 5
- FIFA 21
- Gears 5
- Halo Infinite
- Hitman 3
- Madden NFL 21
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Outriders
- Scarlet Nexus
- Scorn
- Second Extinction
- The Ascent
- The Medium
- Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Read more information on "Optimized for Xbox Series X" below:
Optimized for Xbox Series X is the indicator for games that take advantage of the full power of Xbox Series X. Since Xbox Series X offers developers unparalleled power and speed, this empowers them to create the experiences they want and embrace a range of features and capabilities based on what is best for their individual titles. When you hear a game has been Optimized for Xbox Series X, you’ll know that the developer has either natively designed or fully rebuilt their game to take full advantage of the unique capabilities of our most powerful console ever.
Games featuring the Optimized for Xbox Series X badge can showcase anything from virtually eliminating load times via the Xbox Velocity Architecture, heightened visuals and hardware-accelerated DirectX raytracing powered by our custom, next generation GPU, to steadier and often higher framerates up to 120fps. Titles displaying the Optimized for Xbox Series X badge can include:
- Brand new games built natively for the Xbox Series X such as Halo Infinite.
- Previously released titles in which a developer has enhanced their title using the Xbox Series X development environment to dramatically leverage the power and features Xbox Series X has to offer, like Gears 5.
Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll be getting when you’re playing a game that’s been Optimized for Xbox Series X:
Groundbreaking Visual Fidelity Immerses You in Your Games
Powered by DirectX 12 Ultimate and with support for hardware-accelerated DirectX Raytracing—a first for consoles—select games will produce more dynamic, realistic environments. DirectX Raytracing means that you’ll see true-to-life lighting, accurate reflections and hear 3D spatially accurate acoustics in real time as you explore the game world. Ultimately, DirectX Raytracing enables developers to create more physically accurate worlds.
Next Generation Framerates Offer the Pinnacle of Precision
Games that have been Optimized for Xbox Series X use the power of the new console to deliver higher, steadier framerates, with a performance target of 60 frames per second at 4K resolution. Some games will even be able to support framerates up to 120 fps or variable refresh rates, allowing developers to offer players heightened realism and more precise controls for fast-paced action.
Faster Load Times Will Get You Gaming More Quickly than Ever
Optimized for Xbox Series X isn’t just about gorgeous visuals and better framerates. It’s also about virtually eliminating in-game load times thanks to our Xbox Velocity Architecture technology. XVA combines a custom solid-state drive, custom hardware and integrated software to greatly decrease load times both in and out of games, meaning gamers will be able to spend more time playing and less time waiting. As an example, for titles that have large, open-world environments, these experiences will feel even more dynamic, as developers will be able to leverage the massive increase in processing power and the ability to stream assets in extremely quickly to not break immersion. Developers will also be able to effectively eliminate loading times between levels and create fast travel systems that are just that: fast.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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More confusing branding and marketing mesages
How is it confusing? Games that will take the advantage of series x power will have the seal.
Guess you never gamed on PC before where they literally write minimal and recommanded specs on the back of the box..
I need to know if a game is optimized for my console.
Even if it a certain game doesn't look/sound/play very good, I will know that the video games player I purchased is being fully utilized. I will take a lot of comfort in knowing that at least from a technical behind-the-scenes point of view, Microsoft has my back.
No longer will I have to worry about whether a specific gigabyte of RAM goes unused, or whether fewer pixels are being sent through the screen buffer than could be the case.
Thank you.
It's a bit of a shame that games for a new console need a special logo, because I would expect that the game runs better on Series X than on XBO. I think that's the result of that many games releasing parallel for Series X, XBO and PC.
Wow Microsoft promotes Yakuza more than Sony and Sega did the whole time its a PS only title lol. Anyhow regarding Yakuza they never mentions on a PS5 upgrade, why is that?
MS has to promote it. The fans on Xbox have been asking for the series to come to Xbox for YEARS. It would be crazy if they didn't promote it and let some of the casuals know that most of the series is on Xbox now.
As far as the PS5 upgrade....I think the PS5 will definitely have it. They've already announced it with games like CyberPunk, FIFA, etc. Maybe there's some sort of info delay concerning Sony or something. I'm obviously just speculating. However, I'm avoiding saying it's marketing from Xbox. I seriously doubt that.
Yakuza got a lot of promotion. Yakuza isn't being mentioned to PS5 probably due to some marketing deal with MS, it was basically the game MS used to say they are investing strong in Japan, the result of the several travels by Phill.
So Xbox also thinks the I/O is the biggest groundbreaking advancement on their console... and it is a little problematic that the seal means it takes advantage of the full power of Series X because the games that look subpar and have the seal can have a negative impact on the console.
I think the biggest difference we will notice is Direct X Raytracing on these games.
When well implemented that can already be impressive. There is also more pixels and framerate. I imagine almost all games will look a lot better, the problem is saying it is benefiting from the full power. That can make people get wrong conclusions on the odd games that doesn't look good.
Like on their May reveal, since the games weren't that impressive looking we had a lot of people being dissapointed.
Series s will be the end of series x.
