Windows 10: Storage Options for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch

Brink · Sep 24, 2020

For Xbox players, backwards compatibility and Xbox Game Pass have made it possible for us all to have libraries of games at our fingertips at the beginning of the new console generation. One of the promises of Xbox Series X|S is the ability to play four generations of games: favorites, those weâve yet to discover, the next generation games we canât wait to play and those we canât yet imagine are possible.

Therefore, decisions relative to storage, both internal and expansion, were a critical element of the design of Series X|S. Our teams focused on three storage priorities: performance, choice and accessibility.

The Xbox Velocity Architecture is at the core of our next generation consoles. In addition to providing a massive leap in performance and reduction in load times, the Xbox Velocity Architecture provides the foundation for new levels of innovation and transformative game design and experiences. At the heart of the Xbox Velocity Architecture is our custom NVME SSD to store and play all your games at their best.

We also wanted to make it seamless to bring the large libraries of Xbox games youâve already downloaded forward. The USB 3.1 storage you use today will be plug and play compatible with Xbox Series X|S. Support for high speed USB 3.1 storage was important to make the storage and transition of large game libraries easy and accessible to everyone.

You can also use USB 3.1 storage to store next generation games, optimized to take full advantage of the Xbox Velocity Architecture, for quick transfer and play on Series X|S.

And, for those who want to expand the total capacity of the custom NVME SSD of Xbox Series X|S weâve collaborated with Seagate on a custom 1TB Storage Expansion Card, designed using the Xbox Velocity Architecture API, to deliver the exact same consistent, sustained, gameplay performance of our internal SSD. And, backwards compatible games played directly from the Storage Expansion Card will see significant improvements in load times due to the next generation performance of Xbox Series X|S.

Many of you have had questions about storage for Xbox Series X|S so we sat down with Jason Ronald, Director of Program Management, to dive deeper into the technology and options:

Xbox Wire: Letâs start with the size of games and how that relates to Xbox Series X|S?
Jason Ronald: A significant portion of the overall size of a game is comprised of texture data. As Xbox Series S was designed with a performance target of 1440p at 60 FPS with support for up to 120 FPS, many games will not require their highest level of 4K textures resulting in smaller game sizes overall, often up to 30% smaller on average.

Xbox Wire: Is my existing USB-based HDD/SSD with my library of games compatible with Series X|S?
Jason Ronald: Yes! It is easy as unplugging your existing external USB 3.1 HDD or SSD from your Xbox One and connecting it to your Xbox Series X | S and all your games are instantly available. You can continue to play your favorite Xbox One games, including backward-compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, directly from the external hard drive.

Xbox Wire: How will the Storage Expansion Card work with Xbox Series X|S?
Jason Ronald: Itâs pretty simple: just plug the Storage Expansion Card into the Storage Expansion port on the back of your Xbox Series X|S and you can use it just as you would with any external storage solution. You can choose to install games to the expansion card by default, play games directly from it, move or copy games between local and external storage, or do anything you already do today with an external hard drive. The only difference is that the expansion card is designed to match the exact performance of the internal storage of the Xbox Series X|S .

Xbox Wire: How does the Storage Expansion Card enable the use of Xbox Velocity Architecture?
Jason Ronald: The foundation of the Xbox Velocity Architecture is our custom, internal SSD delivering 2.4 GB/s of raw I/O throughput, more than 40x the throughput of Xbox One. The Seagate Expandable Storage Card was designed using the Xbox Velocity Architecture API to deliver the exact same consistent, sustained performance of our internal SSD ensuring you have the exact same gameplay experience regardless of where the game resides.

Xbox Wire: Will you be able to play games right from the Storage Expansion Card or do they need to be copied to the internal storage?
Jason Ronald: You can play directly from the Storage Expansion Card and you will have the exact same experience and performance as if the game was running from the internal SSD. Not only does this apply to games optimized for Xbox Series X|S, but also your favorite backwards compatible Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games. When backwards compatible games are played directly from either the internal SSD or the Storage Expansion Card you will see significant improvements in load times due to the next generation performance of Xbox Series X|S.

USB 3.1 HDD Seagate Expansion Card Stores any Xbox game Yes Yes Plays Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Original Xbox games Yes Yes Plays games optimized for Xbox Series X|S No Yes Replicates speed and performance of internal SSD No Yes
Xbox Wire: Why did you decide to create a custom solution rather than enabling users to install off-the-shelf SSDs?
Jason Ronald: The Xbox Velocity Architecture delivers over 40x the performance of a standard hard drive, unlocking a new level of speed and performance that will virtually eliminate load times and enable new levels of innovation. To make this simple for both gamers and developers, we partnered closely with our friends at Seagate to deliver the very first 1 TB expandable storage solution that matches the exact performance of our internal SSD. This means that you can be confident you will receive the exact same next generation experience regardless of whether or not you are playing your games from the internal SSD or the Seagate Storage Expansion Card. Working with Seagate also enabled us to have a custom storage solution that is super compact, plug & play, and available at the launch of Xbox Series X|S .

Xbox Wire: Will all Storage Expansion Cards come from Seagate or could we see them from other companies as well?
Jason Ronald: Seagate, with a storied history as a critical innovator in the storage industry, was our first choice to collaborate with to provide expandable storage solutions for the Xbox Velocity Architecture. Xbox is continuing to invest in the Expandable Storage category on Xbox Series X|S with goal of offering choice for Xbox fans, including additional capacities and implementations in the future.

Xbox Wire: Can I connect the Storage Expansion Card to any Series X|S?
Jason Ronald: Yes! Both Xbox Series X and S provide the same Storage Expansion Ports for the expansion card and the exact same card will work in both consoles. Simply plug it in and youâre ready to play! No setup required. The Storage Expansion Card is also a great way to bring your game library with you, to a friendâs house or wherever you choose to play on your next generation Xbox console.

Xbox Wire: How will the Storage Expansion Card work if I have games on discs versus digital format?
Jason Ronald: It works the same as it does on Xbox One today. When you insert a game disc, the game data is installed to the internal SSD or expandable storage. When you play the game, the game runs directly from local storage, but you must still have the disc inserted as the disc provides the license for the game.

Xbox Wire: Does Quick Resume work with the Storage Expansion Card?
Jason Ronald: Quick Resume is powered by the Xbox Velocity Architecture and game state data is persisted on the internal SSD so Quick Resume will work regardless of whether you are playing a game from the internal SSD, the Seagate Storage Expansion Card or an external USB 3.1 HDD or SSD drive.

Xbox Wire: Where can I get/pre-order the Storage Expansion Card?
Jason Ronald: The Seagate Storage Expansion Card will launch for $219.99 USD alongside Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10 and will be available in all Xbox markets, worldwide. You can also pre-order now at Microsoft Store or select retailers in select markets worldwide. Check your local retailer for product and pre-order availability.

Xbox Wire: Why does the 1TB Storage Expansion Card cost $219.99?
Jason Ronald: The Xbox Velocity Architecture is a key innovation of our next generation consoles, delivering unprecedented speed and performance enabling transformative gaming experiences never before possible on console. This level of consistent, sustained performance requires advanced components which comes at a higher cost than traditional hard drives or SSDs often found in PCs. By partnering with an industry leader in Seagate, we worked together to deliver an expandable storage solution which delivers identical performance at the lowest cost possible and available this holiday.

Stay tuned to Xbox Wire for more details on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S as we get closer to the launch of both consoles on November 10.
Click to expand...

Source: A Primer on the Simple and Custom Storage Options Available for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch - Xbox Wire

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) View on Twitter
Click to expand...

:)

Brink · Sep 24, 2020

App Compatibility for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Consoles

UWP applications (both apps and games) are a pivotal part of the Xbox experience. As we near the launch of the new console generation, we want to address some common questions regarding app and game development on the new Xbox family of consoles. If you have been developing for the Xbox One X using UWP and leveraging the Dev Mode Activation App, the same features will be supported on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Please refer to the following FAQs for further guidance.

Thank you for your partnership with Xbox!

FAQs:

Will my current UWP app or game continue running on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S?

Yes, apps and games running on the Xbox One should continue to run at parity on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The underlying platform APIs and codecs that UWP apps are built on have been tested and validated with key scenarios by Microsoft and through thousands of hours of usage in our internal Xbox flighting program. These APIs and codes are supported on the new Xbox family of consoles. When the new Xbox family of consoles is released, we recommend doing additional validation of your UWP app or game on the chosen device if desired.

How can I verify that my UWP app or game is working on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S?

Devkits are not publicly available. UWP application developers should continue to rely on the Dev Mode Activation App used on the Xbox One X to convert their retails consoles into a development kit to test for compatibility As the same APIs and codecs are used between the Xbox One X and the new Xbox family of consoles, an app that works on the Xbox One X should continue to work on the new Xbox family of consoles

When the new Xbox family of consoles are available in retail, app partners can rely on Dev Mode Activation App to convert those consoles into a development kit.

Do I need to change or rewrite my application from the current UWP application?

No app development changes are required for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. You use the same SDK, build environments, and UWP APIs to develop your applications. The same publishing process for UWPs on the Xbox One will continue to apply for the new Xbox family of consoles.

As a reference, here are the links to the UWP documentation: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...etting-started

Are there any features my app can take advantage of for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S?

We focused our efforts on backwards compatibility for apps on our new Xbox family of consoles to make it easier for our partners and enable a seamless transition for your app from the Xbox One generation to the next generation of Xbox consoles. This means that all of your favorite apps will carry over to the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on day 1.

We currently do not have additional features for apps on the new Xbox family of consoles that are not already a part of the Xbox One X.

Will I need to sign a new agreement to bring my Xbox One UWP application to the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S?

No, the existing Store App Developer Agreement terms will continue to cover distribution for apps on the new Xbox family of consoles. No additional agreements are required to run your app on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

Will my app show that it supports the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on the Store?

Yes, Microsoft will list the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S as a platform on the Store PDP. No additional work is required from the app partner to add in Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S listing to the Store

Click to expand...

Source: App Compatibility for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Consoles - Windows Developer Blog

See also: Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Launch November 10

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) View on Twitter
Click to expand...

Brink · Sep 24, 2020

Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Launch November 10

Now more than ever, gaming plays an important role in our lives. As one of the greatest forms of creative expression, gaming sparks in our imagination and connects us to new worlds, stories, and our friends.

On November 10, a new generation of console gaming begins. That’s when our vision becomes reality with the most performant, immersive and compatible next-generation console gaming experiences, and the freedom to play your games with your friends, anytime, anywhere.

To empower you more than ever to jump into the next generation of gaming, today we confirmed:

Xbox Series X, our most powerful console ever made, and Xbox Series S, next-generation performance in our smallest console ever built at a more affordable price, launch globally November 10, pre-orders start September 22.

The expansion of Xbox All Access to 12 countries, offering you a next generation Xbox and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate starting at $24.99 a month, with no upfront costs.

EA Play Comes to Xbox Game Pass at no additional cost.

Bringing the Next Generation of Gaming to Everyone on Day One

We believe that access to the next generation should be available to everyone. And we know that price is an important factor for many of our fans. To complement Xbox Series X and invite more players into the next generation sooner, we built Xbox Series S—an all-digital, next-gen console designed to deliver everything that is core to next-generation gaming – faster load times, higher frame rates, and richer, more dynamic worlds – in our smallest, sleekest Xbox ever. Developing two consoles in parallel from the beginning enables us to deliver the most powerful console ever in Xbox Series X and make next-gen gaming available and affordable to more players on day one with Xbox Series S.

Empowering you with freedom and choice is core to everything we do at Xbox. In addition to the traditional option of purchasing the new generation of Xbox Series X and S at $499 (Estimated Retail Price) and $299 (Estimated Retail Price) respectively, we’re expanding our Xbox All Access program to 12 countries this holiday, with more to come in 2021.

Whether you’re upgrading to the newest consoles or joining the Xbox family for the first time, Xbox All Access is the easiest way to get the best of Xbox. Xbox All Access provides an Xbox Series X, or Series S, along with 24 months of the full Xbox Game Pass Ultimate experience. In total, that means you get access to:

The next-generation Xbox console of your choice

Over 100 high-quality games to play on console, including next-gen Optimized games

Over 100 high-quality games to play on PC

An EA Play membership to play more than 60 of EA’s biggest and best console and PC games

And over 100 games to play from the cloud

That’s all with no upfront costs and a low monthly price. Xbox Series S will be available starting from $24.99 a month for 24 months and Xbox Series X will be available starting from $34.99 a month for 24 months.

The Ultimate Gaming Membership Goes Beyond the Console and Keeps Getting Better

With the Xbox Game Pass community now over 10 million players, we know how critical it is that your friends can easily access and play the same games you can. And you’ve pushed us to make Xbox Game Pass the only membership with access to more than 100 games on your console, PC, and mobile.

To provide even more value, we are teaming up with Electronic Arts to provide Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC members with an EA Play membership at no additional cost starting this holiday. This means Ultimate members can enjoy EA Play on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Windows 10 PCs, and Xbox Game Pass for PC members get EA Play on Windows 10. In addition to the 100+ games in the Xbox Game Pass library today, Ultimate and PC members will be able to play more than 60 of EA’s biggest and best console and PC games like FIFA 20, Titanfall 2 and Need for Speed Heat, as well as titles from some of EA’s most popular franchises like Battlefield, Mass Effect, Skate, and The Sims. Some of the best EA Play games will also be available for Ultimate members to play on Android devices from the cloud at no additional cost.

And we’re continuing to add great games and experiences to Xbox Game Pass for PC. Game Pass for PC and the Xbox App will become generally available on September 17.

The Best Place to Play the Biggest Games

When Xbox Series X and Series S launches this November, it will herald a new generation of game experiences. Optimized games for Xbox Series X and Series S coming this year are built to take full advantage of our fastest consoles ever. On day one you will be the first to enjoy next-gen versions of the most anticipated games of the year such as Gears Tactics, Tetris Effect: Connected and Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion. Ubisoft is known for leveraging new technologies and the power of new hardware to deliver groundbreaking games, and we think you’ll be blown away by the experience you’ll have playing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion on Xbox.

Xbox Series S is designed around the same technology that will make these games and so many others look and feel incredible. In speaking to game developers, we identified the areas that are most difficult to scale effectively, including the CPU and I/O, and made it easy to include Xbox Series S for developers who are targeting their experiences for Xbox Series X.

Powered by the Xbox Velocity Architecture, you can expect the same benefits from Xbox Series S such as faster load times and Quick Resume. Xbox Series S also supports all the same next gen features including HDMI 2.1, frame rates up to 120fps, DirectX Raytracing and Variable Rate Shading. It will also support Spatial Sound, including Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Vision via streaming media apps like Disney+, Vudu and Netflix at launch. Plus: Dolby Vision support for gaming will come first to our next-gen Xbox consoles in 2021.

And the new Xbox consoles are also the only next-generation, backward-compatible consoles that allow you to play thousands of games from four generations better than ever before, and empower you to play with friends wherever you want across your console, PC, and mobile device.

The Best Generation of Gaming Yet

Gaming has evolved in the last decade to make it easier, simpler and more affordable for any player to make that first connection with a new world, a new story, or a new friend. With a family of next-gen Xbox consoles, even greater variety and value with Xbox Game Pass, and an expansion to Xbox All Access, we invite everyone to join us for this next generation of gaming.
Click to expand...

Source: You Are the Future of Gaming - Xbox Wire

See also:

Introducing the Xbox Series S

Xbox Series X Launches this November 2020

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) View on Twitter
Click to expand...

Brink · Sep 24, 2020

Xbox Series X Launches this November 2020

Today, we announced updates to Halo Infinite’s launch timing. Our vision at Xbox and 343 Industries has always been to deliver the most ambitious Halo game ever for our fans, while also balancing the team’s well-being. To do that, we will need some more time to finish the critical work necessary to launch Halo Infinite, which will come in 2021.

We have plenty to keep you busy until Chief arrives: There will be thousands of games to play, spanning four generations, when Xbox Series X launches globally this November and over 100 optimized for Xbox Series X titles, built to take full advantage of our most powerful console, are planned for this year. And with brand new console features like hardware-accelerated Direct X raytracing, framerates up to 120 frames per second, faster loading times, and Quick Resume for multiple games, playing will look and feel better, no matter which games you choose to play on day one.

More than 50 new games planned for this year across generations and optimized for Xbox Series X, including Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Dirt 5, Gears Tactics, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Watch Dogs: Legion. With Smart Delivery you only have to buy these games once to play the best versions for your console, across generations.

New games developed for Xbox Series X and launching with Xbox Game Pass, including exclusives like The Medium, Scorn, Tetris Effect: Connected, and more.

More than 40 popular games newly optimized to take full advantage of Xbox Series X such as Destiny 2, Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Madden NFL 21, and more.

A shared library of great games through Xbox Game Pass

Hundreds of developers are at work on new games for Xbox Series X that will raise the bar for fidelity, speed and immersion; and the best way to discover new games will be with Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass delivers a curated library of content across console and PC, including all games from Xbox Game Studios the day they launch, for one low monthly price. Beginning September 15th, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will also be able to play more than 100 games from the cloud on their Android phone or tablet, enabling them to take their console gaming on the go. Experiences you expect on Xbox consoles such as your friends list, achievements, controller settings and saved game progress all come with you when you play on mobile.

Play thousands of games across four generations of content

Playing your favorite games and franchises across four generations of Xbox was a key tenet for us in the next generation of console gaming. This commitment means that you will have access to thousands of titles across four generations of content – from Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Our back compat team continues to develop new innovations that can be applied to a curated list of titles that will enhance them even further than was possible when they were originally created. These optimizations include the ability to render titles with increased resolutions up to 4K, delivering new HDR reconstruction techniques to games that were developed years before HDR came into existence, applying anisotropic filtering to improve image quality, and creating ways to increase or double the frame rate of certain titles.

Whether you’ve played for years or have just recently picked up a controller, we can’t wait for you to see and feel the first big step into gaming’s next generation with Xbox Series X this November.
Click to expand...

Source: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/08/...ands-of-games/

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) View on Twitter
Click to expand...

Windows 10: Storage Options for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch

Storage Options for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch

Storage Options for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch

Storage Options for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch

Storage Options for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch - Similar Threads - Storage Options Xbox

Powering the Dreams of Gamers with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Now Available Worldwide

Known Issues on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

Ten Ways to Get Ready for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

30 Games Optimized on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Launch Day

Backward Compatibility on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S: Designing Next Generation of Consoles

App Compatibility for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Consoles

Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X Launch November 10