Xbox Series X: New console to feature PlayStation-style memory card

The next-generation Xbox will play games going all the way back to the original console, but that’s not all it’s bringing back from the past.

While we’d all love to have a fun new console to play with right now while practising social isolation to slow the spread of coronavirus, next-gen consoles are still more than six months away at this stage.

That hasn’t stopped Microsoft releasing new details on some of the features of its next-generation Xbox Series X console in a bid to build hype.

The computing giant has been outpacing Sony when it comes to details on the next-generation consoles, releasing specs and design renderings to give fans an idea of what to expect, but it still hasn’t revealed the most important feature: how much it will cost.

An ‘exploded’ view of the Xbox Series X console’s innards.

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Based on some of the specs the company has just announced, however, it’s definitely not going to be cheap.

The Xbox Series X will feature cutting-edge technology that was previously hard to find outside of specialist and custom-built gaming PCs assembled by enthusiasts with deep pockets.

The most exciting of these technologies is the one that looks set to make long loading times a thing of the past.

The next-generation Xbox will have solid-state storage like the kind you have in your smartphone or most modern laptops, only faster.

That’s because the console will ship with a 1TB non-volatile memory express storage drive (NVMe, with an emphasis on the e), which combines with what Microsoft is calling “Xbox Velocity Architecture”.

It uses a combination of hardware and software to give game developers the ability to load more data more quickly.

“It will enable richer and more dynamic living worlds unlike anything ever seen before. It also effectively eliminates loading times and makes fast travel systems just that: fast,” Microsoft said when announcing the new console’s specs.

Although a 1TB solid-state drive is twice the size (and many multitudes faster) than the 500GB hard drive that shipped with the Xbox One in 2013, game sizes have also increased significantly in that time too.

With more and more people buying games online rather than on disc (which often require further downloads anyway), 1TB might not be enough to hold all your games at once.

That’s why the Xbox Series X will also have optional external storage cards to increase capacity.

The expandable cards available at launch will be made by Seagate, but other manufacturers may be able to make them as well.

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The 1TB expansion card plugs into the back of the console, adding storage like the old-school memory cards on the PlayStation 2.

The main differences are that the Xbox Series X will have roughly 125,000 times the capacity as the old 8MB memory cards, enough to hold entire games and not just save your progress in a game playing off a disc.

You’ll also retain the ability to use an external USB hard drive, though Microsoft has recommended doing this only for games from past Xbox consoles.

Games designed for the Xbox One X should run on the internal storage or the expansion card in order to use the Velocity Architecture.

The chips that power next-gen consoles will be from the same company as last generation’s.

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The use of solid-state storage also gives gamers the ability to hop in and out of different games quickly, picking up where they left off with a feature called Quick Resume.

Other specs on the Series X include an 8-core, 3.8 Ghz AMD processor and a 12 teraflop GPU (teraflops measure computer performance on variable tasks, such as the rendering of video games, but basically all you need to know is that 12 teraflops is very powerful, eight times more so than the Xbox One).

You can see the difference between the old Xbox and the new one.

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Much like on the previous-generation consoles, these AMD processors will be used by Xbox as well as PlayStation, but Sony has been quiet on other specs for the new PlayStation so far.

There is also the possibility the coronavirus wreaking havoc worldwide could also delay the next generation of consoles.

A report from game industry analysis firm DFC Intelligence warned both consoles would probably miss their previously projected launch dates.

“Coronavirus is likely to have a major short-term impact on the delivery of both systems,” the report noted.

“There is a strong likelihood one or both systems will not make a 2020 launch.”

Far more importantly, with people losing their jobs and the economy also suffering many excited for the pricey new consoles might find they aren’t able to find room in their budget when they eventually do make it to market.