Looking towards a brighter, next-gen future, news regarding both theXbox Series Xand the PS5 continues to give gamers something to look forward to. The latest feature to be highlighted on theXbox Series Xtakes places in the world ofMinecraft,showing off some advanced graphical fidelity.
Microsoft haspresented the Series X as a powerful machinecapable of multi-tasking and running complex games at faster frame rates, while offering a subscription service to make the console the Netflix of video games. The idea being that this console does it all, and makes gamers' lives better.
RELATED:Minecraft Festival Delayed Due to Coronavirus
Showing the console in action is where the company can actually put its money where its mouth is. With developer of theMetroseries, Oles Shishkovstov of 4A Games,singing the praises of the PS5and its ray tracing potential, Microsoft is showing off the same lighting technology running on its console inMinecraft.The video below presents an analysis of the processes involved in creating the more realistic lighting effect, but the long and short of it is that the Xbox Series X is up to the task.
Minecraftseems to be the game of choice to perform a number of tasks, from showcasing lighting tech tohosting graduation events in its virtual world. While it might seem like a bit of a simplistic game to be used for something like next-gen graphical fidelity, what is on display is the dynamic lighting. Even in a game likeMinecraft,the path tracing (the more robust version of ray tracing) is still doing tons of work even when the object models are blocky.
This demo of the system’s next-gen capabilities will certainly appeal to folks who like to get into specific technical elements of console hardware. For the rest, it is one more piece of information to consider as both systems try to impress ahead of their release.Microsoft revealed (and then later retracted)a release window of Thanksgiving 2020 for the Series X to be on store shelves, before correcting to the more vague “Holiday 2020” window.
The new lighting showcased inMinecraftdoes have a very realistic look to it, and the next-gen consoles look to be pushing console gaming as far as possible.
