The Digital Foundry analysis on Xbox Series X backwards compatibility. We press the feature hard to expose just how much power youre getting for this crucial feature.And Im not even sure the increased CPU power available to old video games can actually be measured because Series X blitzed each and every single CPU-limited gaming scenario I could come up with. Rise of the Tomb Raiders 60fps efficiency mode is relatively lamentable on Xbox One X – developer Nixxes hangs back resolution to 1080p, leaving the AMD Jaguar cores brutally exposed with wobbly performance from the mid 30s upwards. Even in the benchmarking crucible that is the Geothermal Valley, Series X locks doggedly to 60 frames per second. Theres precisely the exact same level of CPU-limited woe in Final Fantasy 15s lite mode when run on Xbox One X, which follows ROTTRs formula of performing at 1080p, unlocking frame-rate and leaving the CPU looking decidedly sheepish. Video cutscenes apart, once again we are locked at 60 frames per second.
Weve discovered our very first indications of a limitation and its one we can explore a little more in the sleep suburbs of Whittleton Creek in Hitman 2. In 4K quality mode with the optional 30fps cap removed, it acts as close to a console criteria as you can get – and even on Xbox One X, this stage can dip below 30 frames per second. Scaling on Series X changes dynamically depending on content but were looking at anything between 75 per cent to over 100 per cent more efficiency.
Its 4K graphics mode performs awfully on Xbox One X – operating mostly in the mid-30s. I used matched replays to compare One X and Series X.
We should not expect Series X to act as a 60fps saviour for all video games. Particular results do see Series X frame-rates drop though: its worth keeping in mind that from Xbox One to One X to Series X, weve seen incredible increases in GPU compute power, but memory bandwidth has not increased in step.
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Titles that strike their efficiency targets on Xbox One and One X will continue to do on Series X, so looking at the timeless Rise of the Tomb Raider, its 4K quality mode still caps to 30fps, you just get a lot to that performance target. I utilized matched replays to compare One X and Series X. Particular impacts do see Series X frame-rates drop though: its worth keeping in mind that from Xbox One to One X to Series X, weve seen tremendous boosts in GPU compute power, however memory bandwidth has not risen in step.
Our initial Series X specifications expose shows aspects of in reverse compatibility weve still not seen – such as 4x resolution enhancements to a non-X enhanced title, Gears of War Ultimate Edition.As for the SSD? This can help greatly too. Load times in the location of one minute when accessing conserved video games on Final Fantasy 15 were chopped down to 12 to 14 seconds. I also think that Xbox Quick Resume actually is a stunning piece of innovation – successfully working in the method that emulator save states dump system memory to storage, then load them back to bring you back to exactly where you were in the game. I enjoy the concept of the instantaneous loading being promised for next-gen games however are we actually visiting publishers and designers bin off extended logo design screens and introduction series? Quick Resume puts you directly back into the game – the system itself merely acts as though youve pushed the time out button. Surprisingly however, I did keep in mind that the 6.5 second loading times I saw at Microsoft HQ back in March are now around 12 to 20 seconds. Its true that I was utilizing different video games, mind you, but as terrific as it is, its not rather as immediate as it felt during my time at the Redmond mothership.
Thats where I am with Xbox Series X in reverse compatibility – and Im hugely impressed by the outcomes. The boost to system efficiency compared to Xbox One X is clearly tremendous and Im liking Microsofts commitment to the Xbox library and putting so much resource into producing outcomes like the ones Ive detailed today.
Im likewise curious to see how Xbox Series S in reverse compatibility will land. The chances are I wont be able to find it with Series S either if I cant yet discover CPU limitations in existing video games. And from a GPU point of view, while the Series S GPU performs at 4 teraflops vs the 6TF in One X, it must in fact be able to release more power at older games. Xbox One X split vertex and pixel shading throughout its 40 compute units, essentially delivering 3TF of efficiency – a limitation that does not use to Series X or Series S. Overall though, what weve found out today is that Xbox Series X backwards compatibility delivers some eye-opening results – however its how Microsoft aims to release that power beyond what weve seen today that amazes me most.
Transformative is a word that typically came up when I evaluated in reverse compatibility on Series X – and this can level to OG Xbox and Xbox 360 titles too. Xbox One X split vertex and pixel shading across its 40 calculate units, essentially delivering 3TF of performance – a limitation that does not apply to Series X or Series S. Overall however, what weve discovered today is that Xbox Series X backwards compatibility provides some mind-blowing results – however its how Microsoft aims to release that power beyond what weve seen today that interests me most.
Today, we can lift the cover on simply how powerful Xbox Series X is when it concerns in reverse compatibility – and to cut a long story short, its extremely impressive. As we compose, Microsoft is still confirming specific Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One titles for use on the system, but weve still got a huge variety of video games to get our teeth into: titles that gives us some concept of simply how potent the new consoles back-compat capabilities are. Its essential to stress one thing: while Series X runs old video games with complete clocks, every compute unit and the complete 12 teraflop of compute, it does so in compatibility mode – you arent getting the considerable architectural performance increases offered by the RDNA 2 architecture.
Our test system got here recently, and Microsoft describes it as being non-final hardware – certainly, its identified as a model on the back. I believe that this is as close to a real retail item as were going to see pre-launch and before we talk about backwards compatibility, I feel its worth reminding everyone about the innovative style, the ultra-quiet efficiency and its remarkable building and construction. The engineering team truly has actually done a significant job.
In terms of this initial focus on in reverse compatibility, Im sure somebody will turn up recommending that this doesnt actually matter for a brand-new console. However, I really think that this is a poor argument. First of all, the idea of a library of games that sticks with you throughout all the generations is certainly an advantage both for the user and for the concept of preservation in basic. Second Of All, Xbox Game Pass is so crucial now and the existing Xbox library plays a key part in that. While it might be somewhat off-brand to recommend so, Im not 100 per cent convinced that this generation is anywhere near run-down and as exhausted as Xbox 360 and PS3 were at the same point back in 2013 – the enhanced consoles have given a new lease of life to the generation and with titles like Doom Eternal and Modern Warfare 2019, video games still look fantastic. Xbox Series X then takes those sensational video games and doubles the horse power readily available to them, while adequately resolving the poor CPU efficiency of the present gen period. Put just: Microsoft is right, your video games can look better and run more efficiently – whichs before we element in the power of the SSD.
Iterative enhancements will be the order of business for many video games though – at least in the short-term. Titles that hit their efficiency targets on Xbox One and One X will continue to do on Series X, so taking a look at the traditional Rise of the Tomb Raider, its 4K quality mode still caps to 30fps, you simply get a lot to that efficiency target. Doom Eternal runs perfectly currently, however the Series X GPU will max out its vibrant resolution scaler. Modern Warfare 2019? The efficiency problems seen on Xbox One X are gone and with the surfeit of GPU compute on deal, anticipate vibrant resolution to maxed. All of which possibly makes my task more difficult – as I was wanting to get a measurable step of simply how much more power Series X offers library titles.
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There may be the some consternation that Series X back-compat isnt a cure-all to all performance issues on all video games, but once again, this is the GPU running in compatibility mode, where it replicates the behaviour of the last generation Xbox – you arent seeing the architectural enhancements to efficiency from RDNA 2, which Microsoft states is 25 percent to the much better, teraflop to teraflop. And certainly, these video games are not coded for RDNA 2 or Series X, implying that access to the real next-gen features like variable rate shading or mesh shaders just does not exist.
We ought to take the results seen here for what they are – a gigantic level of extra horsepower being delivered to our existing library of video games, with typically transformative effects. The legendary 60 frames per second lock on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice still isnt rather achievable, however its still the finest method to play the video game on console bar none – and the 50-60fps playback states to me that this could be a game that actually stands to benefit from assistance on variable refresh rate display screens, something Im truly looking forward to screening.
Transformative is a word that frequently turned up when I evaluated backwards compatibility on Series X – and this can extent to OG Xbox and Xbox 360 titles too. Regrettably, few of them are readily available on the chosen series of titles readily available for checking today, but one game did capture my eye: Grand Theft Auto 4s performance concerns on original hardware are the things of legend. In truth, in fact understanding its frame-rate is the factor I developed frame-rate analysis tools in the very first place. On the other hand, its back-compat assistance on Xbox One and Xbox One X isnt especially great. As the game runs unlocked, One X can power its method to 60fps in graphics heavy scenes, then see efficiency collapse when the CPU is evaluated. It produces an extremely variable experience and in some aspects, even Xbox 360 runs it better. This all changes with Series X which not only locks to 60 frames per second in every circumstance I could test it on, it does so with HDR.
More particularly, its using Auto HDR – an AI algorithm that maps existing SDR content into HDR area. It works on the majority of non-HDR video games and Im intrigued to see how it plays out on more video games. From what I could see, the wanted effect was achieved on Grand Theft Auto 4, however there were some odd effects – a character in intense white coat saw that blown out to ultra-white result while the white roadway markings appeared to have a little bit of an unnatural glow to them. Microsoft is actually disabling Auto HDR on titles where it feels the effect doesnt quite work, however Im eager to check this on more material.
