Come November 7 the Xbox One X (and a slew of Xbox One X deals) will be here, bringing with it one of the most powerful collection of inside bits currently available in any console. Six teraflops is probably the number you hear mentioned the most, but what does that actually mean and how will it all make your gaming life better? Sheer brute force alone? That helps, for sure, but let’s see what else Microsoft's new box will be able to do to improve your world.
How to make your Xbox One faster (and make Fallout 4 better). Share How to make your Xbox One faster (and make Fallout 4 better). Loading the game from the Xbox One home screen showed.
The Xbox One X will make games better because it knows how to use the power
That six teraflop number keeps getting thrown around but what does it actually mean without disappearing into technobable? Well, teraflops is a measurement of computing power which is easy enough to understand. Without explaining anymore, all you really need to know is that the Xbox One managed 1.31 teraflop and the Xbox One S sits at 1.4 teraflops. So, look at your current Xbox and imagine that but a little over four times more powerful.
To remove download constraints from games or apps being installed, you can either wait for the Xbox One to suspend the running game, or you can force games to close by doing the following: On the Home screen, navigate to your most recently run game. Downloading multiple games or apps at the same time will naturally slow the download speed on an Xbox One console. Fortunately, you can pause other downloads so that your preferred game or app downloads first all by itself. https://generousah.weebly.com/windows-81-update-1-32-bit-iso-download.html. Read moreHow To Install Digital Games Faster On Xbox One! (Easy Tutorial 2018). Just will need some digital games for you guys to download and also some memory. Jul 5, 2018 - The Xbox One system update for July 2018 introduces FastStart, which lets users start playing games more quickly while they're downloading,.
Read more
But all that power is nothing without a little finesse, which is where the clever stuff comes in. There’s 12GB of RAM for example. Think of this as what the Xbox can hold in its brain without needing to load anything else in. More = good, as is the ability to access it faster and the X can read this memory roughly 150% faster than the S.
In terms of power the Xbox One X is not far off a pretty good PC then, but it’s specifically tuned for gaming, unlike a more general purpose computer. Everything from the latency of its CPU cores, to the code its GPU runs, is honed to make games run as fast and smoothly as possible.
4K is going to be the norm and games will look *amazing*
You might not have a 4K TV but you might want to think about it. All that power inside the Xbox One X means it’s probably harder not to use the ultra HD resolution. Check out the list of Xbox One X Enhanced games and you’ll see plenty are on the way. And the one thing that’s almost unanimous? 4K. Frame rates vary, with a locked 30FPS the most common option but that pin sharp resolution dominates the games that’ll use the Xbox One X to its fullest. Similarly HDR, or high dynamic range is on X ways Xbox One X makes games better almost every Enhanced game. That means colours and contrast will look better - blacker blacks and so on.
But even old games will look great
While Microsoft are big on pushing 4K, even games played at 1080p will benefit. Firstly the Xbox One X will use a thing called supersampling to make things look amazing - even if you don’t have a 4K screen the Xbox One X will render out a 4K image and then downscale it to 1080p. That creates a much sharper image with fewer jagged lines and obvious pixels.
Here’s a couple of images to demonstrate what that look like:
1080p1080p (supersampled)Every game will run better too
As well as looking better, most Xbox One S games currently use a dynamic resolution scaling where the game scales its graphical output according to how much processing power is needed. Something might render at 900p when things are quiet, but pull it back down to 720p when lots of processor heavy things are going on - explosions, particle effects, enemy AI etc. The Xbox One X’s power means it won’t have to do that and will run dynamically scaled games at full throttle. So no drops in resolution or framerate. Even backwards compatible stuff will benefit.
There will be more graphical options
One of the things that’s been revealed as Xbox One X enhanced games have been revealed is that some have more than one graphical setting. There’s only a few so far but it suggests you’ll have more freedom in the future to choose how you play. For example, Rise of the Tomb Raider will let you choose between a true 4K mode at an unlocked 30fps, an ‘enriched’ mode that’s 4k output (scaled up from a lower resolution) with an improved framerate, or a locked 60fps at 1080p. Gears of War 4 also has a varied output, although you can’t choose. In that case it has a 4K/30fps output for Campaign and Horde modes, and 4K/60fps for Versus. Xbox One X will give you more opportunity to pick what you value more: really high, locked framerates or ridiculously pretty, high resolutions.
Games will load faster
It’s easy math here: the Xbox One X is almost obscenely overpowered, and can shift data around a lot faster. That means games won’t take as long to do whatever it is they do when the little wheel spins. Microsoft has promised faster loading times and Assassin’s Creed Origins’ director Ashraf Ismail has talked about the Xbox One X being “faster.” Middle Earth: Shadow of War design director Bob Roberts also talks about minute long loading times reduced to seconds when moving from normal Xbox dev kits to the X.
You’ll have better, and easier, game capture and screens
As well as playing games in 4K and 60fps, you’ll be able to capture at those resolutions as well directly on your Xbox One, using a new HEVC codec that also includes HDR. As well as recording at the same quality you’ll be playing at, there’s a new retroactive screen capture feature that will record your ‘screen’ as a short video so you can scan through it frame-by-frame for the perfect shot.
It’ll (hopefully) save your hard drive
4K games are big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big until you download 100GB of 4K Forza Motorsport 7. Microsoft has a plan though and are working on something called “Intelligent Delivery.” It’ll use the Cloud to store Ultra HD textures and assets and only put what you need on the Xbox’s hard drive when you need to use it. It’ll cut down on space - handy as games are only going to get bigger (and prettier) as time goes on.
Best answer: If you value convenience, Xbox Play Anywhere, or Game Pass above all, digital is your best bet. If you're motivated most by getting the best price, then you should buy physical games.
Some folks, including those who work here at Windows Central, have gone all digital to rid their lives of clutter, and that is a very valid reason. Some of us on staff have in excess of 250 titles in our collections, and that'd make for a mountain of physical discs and cases.
How To Download A Digital Game On Xbox One Faster
Digital doesn't also mean you have to stop buying games at your favorite retailers. You can go into a store or online to somewhere like Amazon or the Microsoft Store and hand over your cash in exchange for a download code, or for Microsoft Store credit to spend through your console.
Embrace your laziness and get rid of clutter with digital copies. Download game mafia 2 4mb.
Then there's the ever-growing population of ID@Xbox titles from smaller developers. More often than not these are only available in digital form from the store. Likewise, if you want to take advantage of Xbox Play Anywhere or Xbox Game Pass, you're 100% reliant on digital downloads.
Physical discs might seem like they would have an installation speed advantage — for most gamers, the Xbox can read off the disc faster than it can download the full game from the internet — but that advantage has been mostly scuttled by the massive first-day download patches that have become par for the course for practically every major game release these days.
And finally, for those of us who hate getting up, digital copies allow you to fully embrace your laziness. You don't need to extract yourself from your comfortable spot on the couch to pop a new disc in. That physical discs install fully to the Xbox's hard drive and still require you to insert the disc to play makes a case for digital even stronger.
For digitalXbox gift card
Keep your account topped up with credit.
Not only are gift cards great gifts for your loved ones, but they're a great way to keep your account topped up to buy games with, and a good alternative if you'd rather not leave a credit card attached to your account.
The case for physical is essentially a monetary one. As you're giving someone money for an object, you're not as limited to where you can get your games from as if you're buying digital. Sure, download codes are sold in a number of places, but discs are sold in more.
![]()
One of the big things you will nearly always see with physical copies of games is that prices drop a lot quicker than their digital counterparts. There are some ancient digital games on the Store that are still full price but can be had for peanuts somewhere like Amazon or your local game retailer. Full music album free download.
Buying physical opens you up to buying pre-owned or trading in your finished games.
How To Speed Up Xbox One Downloads
In-store deals are frequent among traditional retailers, and it's unlikely a week will ever pass by without there being something worth snapping up.
Buying physical also opens you up to buying pre-owned from places like GameStop and eBay, while also being able to trade in your finished games for money off something else. Once you've completed a digital title, it just sits there, paid for and with no further benefit to you. You can sell a disc online or trade in for credit on the next hot new game.
And of course, some of us enjoy having a collection, especially considering that special, collectors editions of games often come with a physical copy, not a download code. See the Rage 2 collectors edition as an example of that.
So which is best?
There's no right and wrong answer. Only you can decide what is best for you. Our recommendation is a little bit of both. It doesn't matter how you get your games just so long as you're getting what you want and you're happy with what you've paid.
Download youtube captions as text. There are distinct financial benefits to be had from buying physical copies which can't be ignored, but there are plenty of good and valid reasons for going digital. You can't go far wrong keeping your options open.
Top upXbox gift card
Buy digital games with credit from a physical store.
There are plenty of reasons you might want to have both digital games and the ability to buy from someone who isn't Microsoft, and topping up your account with a credit code is a great way to do it.
Pre-owned goodiesGameStop pre-owned games
Save a bundle buying pre-owned physical games.
Buying physical games gives you the opportunity to save a packet and buy pre-owned. And then the opportunity to trade-in yourself when you're done. Everyone's a winner!
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.
Richard Devine
Richard Devine is an Editor at Windows Central. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently you'll find him covering all manner of PC hardware and gaming, and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Should you buy digital or physical Xbox One games?For digitalXbox gift cardFrom $10 at AmazonTop upXbox gift card![]() Pre-owned goodiesGameStop pre-owned gamesSee at GameStopComments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |