With Microsoft recently unveiling the Xbox Series S alongside the price and release date of the Xbox Series X, it seems the company is finally building some momentum towards its big next-generation shift this November. There have definitely been some hiccups along the way, with Halo Infinite seeing a significant delay and the Series S being leaked online, but it seems fans are still excited to see what Microsoft can bring to this new era.
It seems one of the best exclusives from this generation will be joining the console's upgrade to enhanced hardware, with Microsoft announcing that an optimized version of Forza Horizon 4 will be hitting Xbox Series X and S at launch. Better yet, the game will be coming at no additional cost, so those who already own a copy of the acclaimed Xbox One racing game will be able to enjoy its enhanced upgrade with no price tag.
Seeing as Forza Horizon 4 was easily one of the most stunning games of this generation, it seems an optimized and upgraded version of Playground Games' racing title will be a wonderful tech-demo for the next-generation Xbox's. Both will be able to offer new visual options as well, with a game like Horizon 4 destined to shine when paired with ray-tracing or the Series X's major 4K upgrade. It'll also no doubt be a great game to highlight the advanced SSD available in the console, with Horizon 4's seamless open-world taking a considerable amount of time to load in the original release.
Forza Horizon 4 joins a significant line-up of great titles that will be optimized for the Xbox Series X, including Gears 5, Marvel's Avengers, Destiny 2, and Cyberpunk 2077, among a number of others. Evidently, Microsoft is looking to dodge the issues usually associated with launching a new console, making sure early-adopters have worthwhile games to play while developers work to bring more releases to the table. Seeing as this generation will see Microsoft embrace backwards compatibility more than ever, it seems the upgrade to next-gen hardware won't be as devoid of strong releases as usual.
Speaking of Microsoft's next-generation tech, the Series S has been the source of a lot of discussions over the last week, with the decision to market a much cheaper, less technically proficient console catching the eye of many. It'll be interesting to see if the affordable piece of hardware puts the company in better standing than it did during this generation, with Microsoft offering a console very different from its Sony-led competition.
Forza Horizon 4Â is out now on PC and Xbox One, with an optimized Xbox Series X version in development.