With the release of the Xbox Series X about one week away from its commercial launch, many of the finer details regarding the console have started to make their way into circulation. With a plethora of features already shown off, Microsoft has started to unveil some additional functions meant to improve the quality of life for Xbox Series X users, including a way to distinguish games that were specifically optimized for next-gen tech.
In the past, Microsoft has made a multitude of improvements to Xbox's UI in order to better optimize the user's experience. This is especially the case with the Series X, with Microsoft developing a way to better manage game storage on the Xbox Series X, for example. This new feature will help users distinguish between different games.
In June 2020, Xbox released a UI update to help players organize their game libraries. This involved an overlay appearing on various game icons specifying whether the game was from Xbox Game Pass or if it was a free game from Xbox Live Gold. With the Series X, the same principle applies, except it shows the player which games are better optimized for the Series X or S.
For some games, it's a given that they're optimized for next-gen tech, such as Assassin's Creed: Valhalla or Gears 5. However, with other games it's not as obvious, like with Tetris Effect: Connected. This feature is all about showing players which games will perform the best on next-gen hardware.
This should really help users tell the difference between games that actively utilize next-gen hardware. For how many backwards compatible games are available to play on both the Series X and S, the ports might not always perform as well as on the platform the game was originally optimized for unless the game was remastered specifically for a next-gen system.
In any case, it will be interesting to see what other surprises Microsoft has in store for its next-gen consoles. With the Xbox Series S releasing in tandem with the Series X, this will give many consumers a chance to experience all the games the next-generation of consoles has to offer. Only time will tell if these consoles live up to everything Microsoft has shown off already, but with features like this one, it should help make for a streamlined user experience.
The Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S are set to launch on November 12, 2020.
Source: PureXbox