Microsoft: Xbox Series X will have 12 TFLOPs, ray tracing, and cross-buy

Microsoft decided that this random Monday would be a good time to divulge some new details about its upcoming console, the Xbox Series X.

The machine is coming this fall, and we now know a bit more about its features and hardware. This includes a GPU of 12 teraflops, which is twice as many as what the Xbox One X has. The console will also support hardware-accelerated DirectX ray tracing and variable rate shading, which “results in more stable frame rates and higher resolution, with no impact on the final image quality.”

Xbox Series X will also feature backward compatibility with Xbox One games, along with all the Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles that are currently backward compatible with the Xbox One. Every Xbox One accessory will also work with the new Series X. Games from past generations will “benefit from steadier frame rates, faster load times, and improved resolution and visual fidelity” on Series X.

A faster console for multiple generations

Microsoft is also introducing Smart Delivery, which means that buying a Microsoft Studios game on one Xbox platform will make it available on others. For example, if you buy Halo Infinite for Xbox One, you will not need to purchase that game again to play it on Xbox Series X. While only Microsoft itself has committed to this feature so far, it is available to all third-party publishers.

The console will also include an SSD hard drive for faster loading times and a Quick Resume feature that will let players suspend and resume multiple games “almost instantly.” Microsoft is also promising less input latency from controllers to the machine.

Microsoft notes that we will learn even more about Xbox Series X at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, which starts in Los Angeles on June 9 (although Microsoft usually holds a presentation before the show opens). Microsoft’s chief competitor, Sony, will not be at E3 this year. Its PlayStation 5 also comes out this fall.