The backward compatibility of the Xbox Series X and Series S allows you to play thousands of games from older generations. With the performance boost, they even look better.
What’s new? In a blog post, Microsoft explained further details about the backward compatibility of the new Xbox Series X and Series S. The program is set to provide access to thousands of games from four generations at the release of the new generation, the team explains. And these games benefit from improvements.
Backward compatible games run with more power
This is what Microsoft says: On the Xbox Series X and S, there is no need for a boost mode for more power. Every backward-compatible game should be able to show its full performance. And that should be higher than on the launch platform where the game originally appeared.
In plain terms, this means higher and more consistent frame rates, rendering at maximum resolution and visual quality. Additionally, there are the significantly reduced loading times, thanks to the NVME SSD in the console, among other things.
How is this achieved? An important aspect is “Auto-HDR.” HDR stands for High Dynamic Range, meaning a wider dynamic range. This ensures a larger range of brightness values and colors is rendered. As a result, images appear richer and deeper compared to Standard Dynamic Range.
“You can see this, for example, in the light of a flashlight, which seems much brighter, or in red flowers that look much more vibrant and lifelike,” explains the Xbox team.
With Auto-HDR on the Xbox Series X and S, HDR is added to games that previously could only do SDR. A comparison image is available with the games Subnautica and Fuzion Frenzy. On the HDR side, you will notice the colorful images with more depth and dynamics.
Twice the FPS in games
This is how much more power you get: The Xbox team worked to ensure that even older games feel significantly better for you. This is noticeable with the significantly increased frame rates.
In addition, the team developed new methods for backward compatibility to effectively double the frame rate for selected titles. These are not applicable for some titles due to original physics or animations of the game but can help the game engines render faster and provide you with a buttery smooth gaming experience that goes far beyond the capabilities of the original game’s hardware.
Source: Microsoft
To demonstrate this performance increase, the team compared Fallout 4 running at 30 FPS on the Series X with 60 FPS.
So, based on these comparison images, you can expect significantly more power and more colorful images on the Xbox Series X and Series S. However, graphics alone are not the only aspect that has impressed testers. The “better feel” is what Xbox testers rave about. But what do they mean by that?
