Digital Foundry | Can Microsoft deliver next-gen experiences while still supporting Xbox One?

[Parcas]

I suppose that in a way with how expensive making games is now it is almost impossible to think a company can truly have an all in next gen game anymore and that is the end of it.

 

[plagiarize]

It can if they have 2 teams making every game for them. It is not gonna happen. Shadow of Mordor had 2 versions made by diff teams.

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Microsoft can afford to do just that though. Nixxes and Feral specialize in stuff like that. Nixxes for example handled the 360 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider, and that turned out great.

I'm sure that third parties will release some true next gen exclusives.They'll be able to target Series X, PS5 and PC to hit a wider audience than MS could with a Series X / PC exclusive.

 

[Tiny Chihuahueño]

OG Xbox one already limited the kind of games the XO ecosystem would get this gen. Imagine limiting your next gen machine's potential forcing compatibility with a 2013 machine.

No crazy physics, advanced IA or new experiences, just more resolution and higher res textures.

 

[Pryme]

It can if they have 2 teams making every game for them. It is not gonna happen. Shadow of Mordor had 2 versions made by diff teams.

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the incremental sales and Gamepass subs from having an Xbox one version will far outweigh the incremental costs of having a sub team working on the older hardware.

it is ultimately a business decision.

 

[RingRang]

The nightmare scenario that plays out in my head around this (based on speculation and what we know right now): Microsoft has already announced the most powerful console hardware that will probably have the highest price tag. Sony announces a probably slightly less powerful PS5 with most of the same bells and whistles at a slightly lower cost. Microsoft shows off their games and they look great. Sony shows off their games developed with SSD and CPU enhancements in mind and they just look like something that could not be pulled off on the XBO/PS4. The community starts saying "it's the XBO all over again" and Microsoft once again has a messaging problem.

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The is not going to happen.

First off, we're only talking about exclusive games here. That's a small percentage of each console's overall library.

Second, not every game even has design elements that could be hugely improved by an SSD and better CPU. Load times will be fast on both consoles, and some games are not even using all of those Jaguar CPUs on the current consoles. A game has to have super big aspirations to even be taxing these things, and in the early days of a new console it's unlikely most games will be that ambitious.

As we heard from the DF guys, this is something worth talking about, but anyone trying to portray this as some sort of Xbox calamity is coming from a console wars perspective.

 

[bell_hooks]

I don't trust most developers to take adventage of new hardware in different aspects than higher fidelity and faster load times. Those benefit will probably come after studios learn how to utilize architecture. For example ray tracing can be used to enhance gameplay, but do we really think it will be in more than handfull of titles?
I would usually expect first party to be different, and shine example for how it's meant to be done. But with this attitude we got games like Rise: Son of Rome and it's usage of kinect and 1-2 switch. Zelda BOTW was however cross gen...

 

[hrœrekr]

They don't limit the PC versions of those games, but they prevent much more ambitious games from being developed.

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Like what? What ambitions are being held down?

 

[Trup1aya]

It's hard to believe how much importance was given to this completely non issue.

As if for the stated windows games weren't already current gen games re purposed to new hardware.

As if ports to switch from games that targeted a similar performance gap never happened.

As if it is a bad thing for developers to reach a single platform with many devices for the games that they do want to make and would fit in their vision anyway (I don't think anyone would seriously argue a game like Celeste couldn't be done on last gen consoles for example, and what Ms is making is that if the developer the attrition to support both generations is extremely reduced with a single SDK, apis, certification process, store, package etc.)

As if that doesn't already happen with phones and pcs for years. Where, grasp each piece of software can target the hardware it wants.

As if developers would not want to have the biggest installed base possible that makes sense for their games.

As if the only way to support the new features is to completely ignore last gen consoles (I would bet that even with ssd it will take years for games design to drastically change to use that in a way that standard drives can't keep up, specially for it to be common case)

As if they are forcing anyone to support xbone for the whole of the next generation.

As if Xcloud isn't a thing that they could use at a system level to ensure that the current consoles stay active even for games they can't run natively.

Honestly this is utter nonsense and it's clear why it's even being entertained to death.

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It's pretty humorous that people have taken a 2 sentence comment , mostly out of context with respect to the timeframe, and came to the conclusion that MS is arbitrarily holding their developers back from producing games that target the xsx exclusively.

How funny would it be if it turned out that late-gen games with enhancements and games that get back-ported by second studios simply beat the next gen exclusives to market (because they'll require more time to polish) and no games actually get "held back"?

 

[Lkr]

It's pretty humorous that people have taken a 2 sentence comment , mostly out of context with respect to the timeframe, and came to the conclusion that MS is arbitrarily holding their developers back from producing games that target the xsx exclusively.

How funny would it be if it turned out that late-gen games with enhancements and games that get back-ported by second studios simply beat the next gen exclusives to market (because they'll require more time to polish) and no games actually get "held back"?

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It makes you wonder why there are threads made about videos based on rumors, where people have some inane fantasies that xsx wIll be doa. Probably not the right thread, but I struggle to understand how some of these videos garner so much discussion, as if we expect trailers and prerelease rumors/quotes to be factual this far out
Remember when gta5's ambition was held back because they released it on 360/ps3? Me neither

 

[Nephtes]

1. Microsoft's goal isn't selling hardware, it's selling GamePass subscriptions. Cutting off potential subscriber base overnight is dumb for them.
2. Early generation launch games are usually pretty but unsatisfying and shallow (see Knack and Ryse). After a year or two, no one remembers the crappy launch games that looked prettier than what came before (Super Mario World and Mario 64 withstanding)


And here's the big one:
3. Ray Tracing: this baked in technology for next gen has the potential to make games look significantly next gen on the Series X compared to the same game running on the previous gen Xone and One X. See: Control/Wolfenstein New Blood running with ray tracing on PC for evidence

 

[zombiejames]

And here's the big one:
3. Ray Tracing: this baked in technology for next gen has the potential to make games look significantly next gen on the Series X compared to the same game running on the previous gen Xone and One X. See: Control/Wolfenstein New Blood running with ray tracing on PC for evidence

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That's superficial, though. In another thread someone gave a great example of a multiplayer game like Rainbow Six Siege with ray tracing, where you'd have to take your reflections into account when positioning and maneuvering. Something like this obviously wouldn't work when the same game would have to run on an Xbox One.