Yesterday's Microsoft E3 2016 conference confirmed, among other things, the release of a new Xbox One model called Xbox S. The new console, which was actually leaked before the official announcement, will be the smallest Xbox console ever released, and it will come with 4K Ultra HD support, HDR capabilities and improved specs. These improved specs will also allow some games to run better on the new console.
According to The Coalition's Rod Fergusson, the Xbox S will allow games to run at better frame rates and higher resolution, taking advantage of the additional GPU and CPU power. Gears Of War 4 will be among the games that will run better on the Xbox S, with less penalties for frame rate and resolution.
Gears of War 4 employs a dynamic resolution system that tweaks the game's rendering resolution in both single-player and multiplayer to maintain its target frame rate in each mode (30 frames per second and 60 fps, respectively). According to Fergusson, the Xbox One S has additional raw GPU and CPU power compared to the Xbox One, and The Coalition's engineers have been able to take advantage of that to reduce the frequency of frame rate or resolution penalties in more demanding sections of the game.
While the better performance has been confirmed for the Xbox S, the same cannot be said for the Xbox Scorpio. Rod Fergusson stated that the team will have to look at what the engine can do with the power of the new console.
"We have to look at what the engine can do with the power that Scorpio has. Because we're mastering at 4K, it's not about assets or art. It's about getting the milliseconds down in terms of getting the game to 4K at 60 or 30 fps depending on single-player or multiplayer."
The Xbox S console will be released this August in all regions. Gears of War 4 will be released later this year, and will be playable on both Xbox One and Xbox S. The game will also launch on PC.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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