In a new blog post, Microsoft has revealed the full specifications for its upcoming next-generation console, the Xbox Series X. While the new platform is certainly more powerful than current consoles like the Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch, its power isn’t laser-focused on dramatically improved graphics.
Instead, the team behind the Xbox Series X is focused on using the system’s improved power for a multitude of things alongside better graphics, such as increased performance, more realistic lighting effects via hardware-accelerated raytracing, and faster load times.
We also now know what those expansion ports on the leaked Series X are used for. According to reports, those will be used for external storage cards.
Here are the full specs per Microsoft:
| CPU | 8x Cores @ 3.8 GHz (3.6 GHz w/ SMT) Custom Zen 2 CPU |
| GPU | 12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz Custom RDNA 2 GPU |
| Die Size | 360.45 mm2 |
| Process | 7nm Enhanced |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 w/ 320b bus |
| Mem. Bandwidth | 10GB @ 560 GB/s, 6GB @ 336 GB/s |
| Internal Storage | 1 TB Custom NVME SSD |
| I/O Throughput | 2.4 GB/s (Raw), 4.8 GB/s (Compressed, with custom hardware decompression block) |
| Expandable Storage | 1 TB Expansion Card (matches internal storage exactly) |
| External Storage | USB 3.2 External HDD Support |
| Optical Drive | 4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive |
| Performance Target | 4K @ 60 FPS, Up to 120 FPS |
Sebastien Nussbaum, Corporate Vice President and Senior Fellow, Semi-Custom Products and Technologies at AMD said in the blog post:
Xbox Series X is the biggest generational leap of SOC [System on a Chip] and API design that we’ve done with Microsoft, and it’s really an honor for AMD to be a trusted Microsoft partner for this endeavor.
The Xbox Series X is going to be a beacon of technical innovation leadership for this console generation and will propagate the innovation throughout the DirectX ecosystem this year and into next year.
One thing Microsoft wanted to prioritize with the Series X was running games at high frames without compromising fidelity. That means the Series X will reportedly be able to run games at 4K 60fps from launch, and it will support up to 120fps, though the post does not clarify at what resolutions.
The Quick Resume feature we reported on earlier this year was mentioned again, but details remain sparse. We do know that players will be able to switch between “multiple games with the press of a button,” but we don’t know how many games will be supported at once.
The blog post references “three to four” games, but not whether Quick Resume will support that many. However, game states will be stored on the system’s SSD.
Backwards compatibility was also highlighted again. It doesn’t just mean that you’ll be able to play Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Xbox games on the Series X. You’ll also be able to bring over your saves and progress, as well as use old Xbox accessories with the Series X. The blog post didn’t dive into what the latter meant or which accessories might be compatible, but it’s sounding like all of them can be used moving forward at this current point in time.
Specifically, though, the Microsoft blog post says that games from previous generations will see some upgrades with the Series X, “including improved boot and load times, more stable frame rates, higher resolutions and improved image quality.”
Smart delivery was also mentioned again but remained relatively light on details. We do know that Gears 5 will join Cyberpunk 2077 as one of the first games to adopt the capability, meaning if you buy Gears 5 on Xbox One, you’ll be able to upgrade to the Series X version for free.
You can read the entire blog post here. Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more on the Xbox Series X and next-gen consoles as it breaks.
