Microsoft has now revealed simply how far Xbox Series X will push backwards compatibility for games.
Backwards compatibility has all the time been considered one of Microsoft’s early commitments for Xbox Series X. The console will play existing Xbox One games, as well Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles introduced ahead to Xbox One.
Microsoft confirmed to Digital Foundry that Xbox Series X helps compatibility on the {hardware} stage, an enormous step up from software program emulation at present getting used on Xbox One.
This permits older games to utilise Xbox Series X’s full potential, making use of 100% of its highly effective CPU and GPU. By comparability, Xbox One X’s efficiency was throttled to simply 50% of its precise energy when operating Xbox 360 and unique Xbox games. This achieves the same impact to what you get on PC once you play an older game on fashionable {hardware}.
All of this energy can also be accessible to Xbox One games on the system stage, with out the necessity for any extra work on the a part of the unique developer. Digital Foundry witnessed Gears of War: Ultimate Edition going from 1080p to native 4K, a 2x improve, on Xbox Series X. Games with unlocked framerate modes stand to learn probably the most from this, since there’s sufficient headroom for them to succeed in a secure 60fps.
“Things that we are looking at include improving resolution for games, improving framerates – maybe doubling them!” mentioned Peggy Lo, compatibility program lead.
Backwards compatibility HDR
Perhaps probably the most shocking reveal in Digital Foundry’s report is how Microsoft makes use of machine studying to allow non-HDR, backwards suitable games to run in HDR on Xbox Series X. The algorithm is predicated on Gears 5’s personal HDR tech, and it’s able to mapping completely different components of the SDR picture to HDR.
Unlike current strategies of faking HDR, Microsoft’s tech truly boosts the height brightness of all parts of the picture, reaching as much as 1,000 nits on the most vibrant.
The firm confirmed Halo 5: Guardians, and the 20-year previous Fusion Frenzy each operating in HDR on Xbox Series X regardless of neither having native HDR modes. The characteristic is accessible to all backwards suitable games at a system stage.
“It can be applied to all games theoretically, technically, I guess we’re still working through user experiences and things like that but this is a technical demo,” mentioned Claude Marais
Catch up on everything we know about Xbox Series X in our huge story.
