Microsoft’s dual-console approach to next-gen one is an exciting one for consumers, seeing as it allows people to jump into next-gen with a console that costs just $299. That, of course, has come with some sacrifices, with the Xbox Series S being significantly weaker than the Xbox Series X, especially in terms of its RAM and GPU. And while there are many in the industry who have pointed out those issues and the problems they could lead to in the future, there are others who are more optimistic about the console.

Speaking in a recent interview with GamingBolt, Bohemia Interactive’s Petr Kolář and David Kolečkář – project leads on the online loot shooter Vigor – said that owing to the fact that the Xbox Series S’ CPU is roughly on par with the Series X’s processor, by and large the console won’t hold back next-gen and should be able to run all games, albeit on lower resolutions.

“The important thing is that the CPU hasn´t been downgraded, so the Series S will not limit the potential scope or features of games,” the developers said. “The Series S shouldn’t have any issues with the same games on lower resolutions. Maybe some adjusted graphic effects.”

As far as Microsoft are concerned, they seem very confident about the Xbox Series S’ prospects, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer even saying that Microsoft expects it to outsell the Xbox Series X in the long-term. Both next-gen Xbox consoles are launching globally on November 10, so we’ll be seeing at least what kind of a start they got off to very soon.

"We’re always on the lookout for new ideas and trends in the community to improve the game as much as possible."

Given Vigor’s free-to-play nature, what has your approach been to in-game monetization?

Free-to-play is a broad topic, and often a heated one, so we tried to approach it from a direction we felt was fair for players. There are two main things players can pay for in Vigor – self-expression in the form of outfits and skins, as well as various time savers. The special parts are the so-called “social boosters”, where Outlanders can choose to enhance the Encounter for everyone in it, like adding more loot to the level or increasing the quality of the airdrop crate. This tends to create more tension, bragging rights, and interesting decision-making moments for all players.

The recent Renegades update was a meaty one, adding the ability to play trios, booby traps, new weapons, and more. What has your approach been to new updates in terms of what to add, what to remove, and what to change?

Bohemia is well known for closely cooperating with its community, and Vigor is no exception. We gather feedback from community members, as well as from our Vigor Partners, and implement it into new features. It’s always difficult to do it right, because we usually need to strike the right balance between what they want and what’s actually beneficial for players and the game in general. Having said that, we’re always on the lookout for new ideas and trends in the community to improve the game as much as possible.

Can you talk about what you have planned for Vigor in the coming months as far as new content is concerned? For instance, can fans expect more maps to be added to the game?

We plan to keep the regular bi-monthly major updates going with new seasons of Battle Pass. Added to that, we already mentioned that there’s going to be the Islands map released for Encounters in the near future, and we have a handful of maps that we are finishing as well. As for other new content, we are currently working on an original way to access customizations from previous Battle Pass seasons, as well as improving the Encounter dynamic so it’s more variable.

"We plan to keep the regular bi-monthly major updates going with new seasons of Battle Pass. Added to that, we already mentioned that there’s going to be the Islands map released for Encounters in the near future, and we have a handful of maps that we are finishing as well."

Reception to some of the changes, such as map rotation, has been quite positive. Is this something you’re going to stick with in future updates?

Thanks a lot! When we cooperate with the community, we’re always trying to design things they would enjoy. We have a long list of ideas, and it’s mainly a matter of prototyping them and testing if they actually work in Vigor. That means we can’t promise each update is going to be as packed as the Renegades season release was, but we definitely want to maintain a steady flow of interesting updates.

Vigor’s performance on the Switch is something that some players have had issues with, though there have certainly been some notable improvements recently. Has improving the Switch version’s performance been a priority for the team? Did the hardware and its capability present any initial hurdles in development?

Performance on the Switch was always a thing we had to take into consideration. It’s the weakest of the current-gen consoles, but it provides a ton of interesting options for players, like the possibility to play on the go. We focused on optimizing the game while keeping the overall experience as good as possible. As a result, we even had optimizations that help the Xbox version of the game as well. Given the art style of Vigor, there is hardly any space left for improvements now, thanks to the dedication of the whole Vigor team.

How has the general reception to Season 5 been? Can you tell us about any specific thing you’re working on as a direct result of that feedback?

As you already mentioned, the addition of map rotation in Season 5 was well received. There are features in Season 5 that are highly praised by our players, be it the addition of trios in Encounters, five-men teams in Elimination, the Lone Wolf option, bullet penetration, and improved hit detection. Feedback is always a mixed bag, like the addition of a second crate to the airdrop, even for solos. Based on the community’s feedback, we are adding one more crate to the airdrop in case there’s a trio in the Encounter. At the moment, we’re keeping a close eye on feedback regarding the Sawmill map and adjusting some spots where Outlanders may get stuck.

Do you have any plans to enable cross-progression in Vigor?

No.

"When we cooperate with the community, we’re always trying to design things they would enjoy. We have a long list of ideas, and it’s mainly a matter of prototyping them and testing if they actually work in Vigor."

The PS5 features an incredibly fast SSD with 5.5GB/s raw bandwidth. This is faster than anything that is available out there. How can developers take advantage of this, what will it result in, and how does this compare to Series X’s 2.4GB/s raw bandwidth?

These SSDs have the potential to allow games to travel at high speed across huge dense worlds containing tons of entities without any slowdowns and/or loadings. But that can’t be achieved on the Xbox Series SSD yet and it’s still a bit early to determine what’s possible on the PS5 SSD.

There is a difference in the Zen 2 CPUs of the two next-gen consoles. The Xbox Series X features 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.8GHz, whereas the PS5 features 8x Zen 2 Cores at 3.5GHz. Your thoughts on this difference?

The processor performance of both devices is in the same league. The Xbox will probably be able to achieve more stable FPS in CPU-intensive games, but I don’t think that the lower CPU performance of the PS5 will limit developers.

The Xbox Series S features less powerful hardware compared to the Xbox Series X, and Microsoft is pushing it as a 1440p/60 FPS console. Do you think it will be able to handle graphically intensive next-gen games?

The important thing is that the CPU hasn´t been downgraded, so the Series S will not limit the potential scope or features of games. The Series S shouldn’t have any issues with the same games on lower resolutions. Maybe some adjusted graphic effects.

The PS5 and the Xbox Series X are both going to be impressive pieces of machinery, and with the former’s SSD and the latter’s GPU, it seems both have a leg up over the other in different areas. When it comes to the CPU, the two are far more evenly matched- though there’s still a bit of a gap there. The PS5’s custom Zen 2 CPU runs at a frequency of 3.5 GHz, while the Xbox Series X’s runs at a frequency of 3.8 GHz (or 3.6 with SMT).

That difference, however, won’t end up making too much of a difference, according to Bohemia Interactive’s Petr Kolář and David Kolečkář, both of whom are project leads on the free to play online looter shooter Vigor. We recently spoke with the duo, and when asked about the minor gap between the CPUs of the two next-gen consoles, they said that while more CPU-intensive games would enjoy better frame rates on the Xbox Series X, the PS5’s CPU will by no means hold back developers.

“The processor performance of both devices is in the same league,” the developers said. “The Xbox will probably be able to achieve more stable FPS in CPU-intensive games, but I don’t think that the lower CPU performance of the PS5 will limit developers.”

Vigor is currently available on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and free to play on both. It launches on the PS4 on November 25, while a PS5 release has also been confirmed for later in the year.

Our full interview with the developers will be live soon, so stay tuned for that.

To learn more about the game its development, Gamingbolt reached out to the Studio with some questions and Project Lead Petr Kolář provided the following answers.

"The core of Vigor is rebuilding your shelter, creating something new in the post-war world. To do so, you need to go to encounters to gather various resources necessary for shelter improvements"

Having worked on the survival genre for a while, what have been your biggest takeaways that have helped when making Vigor?

While it may seem that DayZ and Vigor are similar in many ways, the opposite is actually true. DayZ provides a persistent experience, while Vigor is more match-based with persistent progression. Most of the takeaways were actually on the project management level – we decided for a finished engine rather than working on both the engine and game at once.

Since the game will feature combat between 8-16 players, it looks like the action will take place in instances. Can you shed some light on how exactly this will work?

The core of Vigor is rebuilding your shelter, creating something new in the post-war world. To do so, you need to go to encounters to gather various resources necessary for shelter improvements. And this is where other players come in – said encounters are in instances for 8-16 players and everyone sets their own goal. Some may be just going in for the loot, some to explore the area, others may want weapons. And there may be players who try to take the mysterious airdrop. It contains a precious reward but attracts other players too. Once you’re back to your safe haven, you may improve and upgrade the shelter with the newly scavenged loot.

The setting of the game is certainly intriguing. How exactly will the setting affect gameplay and what made you go with this particular alternative history?

There are many factors. One of them is the topic of rebuilding in the post-war world. The other is the technology level – relatively short-range engagements are intensive and fun to play, while modern-era weaponry is too advanced for that. Last, but not least, as Czechoslovakia was part of the Warsaw Pact, it’s interesting for us to see some alternative history in the Cold War.

What can you tell us about the base building feature in the game?

Rebuilding the shelter is a centerpiece of player progression in Vigor. I won’t spoil much, but you start with a ruin and it’s up to you how far it’s going to get upgraded. You need to build some improvements to get crafting materials, resources for improvements and various utility items. Based on these improvements, you may upgrade your shelter with reconstructions like a makeshift roof, fireplace and many other things further down the line.

With DayZ still in the works, what made you decide to start working on a new project?

The Arma 3 team finished working on the Apex Expansion and parts of the team gathered to start work on Vigor. While it may sound good to move people to DayZ development, these people were of a different expertise and won’t help DayZ much, if at all. So we decided to start something new with Project Argo, and later with Vigor. It actually helps us in the long run to develop our own engine as people working on Unreal Engine for Vigor can transfer their knowledge of a different modern game engine to Enfusion.

"Quick reflexes are not helpful while you are caught traversing the plains in the open. You need to choose your goals well, decide when to return to the shelter and when is the right time to risk everything"

How will the crafting work in the game?

The general idea is simple – once you know how to craft your weapons and items, you need just a handful of materials and time to do so. Still, to learn that, you need to deconstruct weapons into parts to get enough experience. Each weapon consists of several parts according to the complexity of the weapon, and you need to get all the parts to master the blueprint.

What are some of the different kinds of weapons players will be able to make use of in the game?

Weapon range varies a lot – starting with bare hands and knives, to sidearms and SMGs, up to assault rifles, marksmen weapons, shotguns and light machineguns. To spice things up a bit, there are even grenades, indeed.

From what we’ve seen in the trailer, it looks like tactical play will be rewarded. What are the main skills this game will require to master?

Making decisions and taking the consequences. Quick reflexes are not helpful while you are caught traversing the plains in the open. You need to choose your goals well, decide when to return to the shelter and when is the right time to risk everything. A bit of patience always helps to see what’s happening around the objectives.

You have stated that the game will transition to a free-to-play model sometime after its release. What inspired you to use such a model for this game?

The game is free-to-play by nature, instead we opted for limitation by means of a Founder’s Pack for access to the Game Preview. Once the game is ready for release, it’s going to be free-to-play. As Vigor is focused around the multiplayer experience in encounters and Bohemia is well known for supporting and updating our games long after release, the free-to-play model seems to fit that the most.

Are there any particular challenges you’ve faced during the game’s development?

Initially, we aimed for a first-person experience that provides deeper immersion into the post-war world. We decided later that third-person actually suits the console experience better and as Vigor is less about competitive nature, it doesn’t hinder the fairness of the game. This switch actually proved to be more difficult than expected even with all the experience we have from previous titles.

"We want to tailor the experience with our players to deliver a game both we and they would like to play"

Vigor is exclusive to Xbox One. What is the reason behind the same and how did this deal come about with Microsoft?

As Vigor is the first game developed for consoles after a long time, we decided to stick to one platform at a time. And Bohemia is well known for our close cooperation with the community during development of our games, which led us to Game Preview on Xbox.

So, is this a timed exclusive?

I’m sorry, but I cannot provide any more details on that.

Bohemia is largely known to make PC exclusive games like Arma 3 and I am sure they must be looking towards Vigor as well. Do you have anything to say to them?

Arma 3 has plenty to show in the future. We’ve just announced a new roadmap for Arma 3, DayZ is shaping up well for release this year and Ylands is growing strong on PC. We’re exploring unknown waters with Vigor this time, expanding into the unknown.

Was there any point where you considered bringing the game to the PS4?

I’m sorry, but I cannot provide any more details on that.

Working as an exclusive title on Xbox One will also allow you to further enhance the Xbox One X version. How do you plan to fully utilize the power of the Xbox One X?

I must say that despite knowing the power of the Xbox One X, we were positively surprised by what it can bring to our game. We’re investigating the obvious options like 4k, HDR, spatial audio and such, while thinking about other possibilities as well.

Is 4k/60fps on the cards for the Xbox One X version?

Currently, it’s not. We may possibly get to the point during the optimization process, but our main focus is on the original Xbox One. We’re not able to get to 60fps yet, having the advantage of a better framerate seems a bit unfair to us in a multiplayer environment. On the other hand, 4k resolution runs butter smooth on Xbox One X and we’re retaining that.

Is there anything else you want to tell us before we let you go?

Thanks a lot for the great interview! We’re just about to release the game to Closed Preview, with proper Game Preview following just after that. The game is far from finished now, we’re expecting to get a lot of valuable feedback on our basic game loop. We want to tailor the experience with our players to deliver a game both we and they would like to play. Feel free to give it a go with the extended two-hours Trial in Game Preview, or just wait for the free-to-play release in February 2019. See you in your shelter.

Vigor, the upcoming multiplayer shooter from Bohemia Interactive, is launching exclusively on the Xbox One, and as such, you couldn’t be blamed for believing that the game would perhaps be doing more to leverage the Xbox One X’s powerful hardware than most other games, especially multiplats, do. According to Petr Kolář, who is the project lead on Vigor, that is definitely going to be the case.

We recently held an interview with Kolář, and among the many questions we asked him, one was specifically about the game’s performance on the Xbox One X, and how it plans to utilize the impressive console hardware. Kolář said that even the developers at Bohemia, who are quite familiar with the Xbox One X’s capabilities, were “positively surprised” to see what all they were able to do with their game’s visuals thanks to the system’s added juice.

“I must say that despite knowing the power of the Xbox One X, we were positively surprised by what it can bring to our game,” Kolář told GamingBolt. “We’re investigating the obvious options like 4K, HDR, spatial audio and such, while thinking about other possibilities as well.”

On the matter of whether or not the game would target 4K/ 60 frames per second on the system as well, Kolář was not quite as confident about that. “We may possibly get to the point during the optimization process, but our main focus is on the original Xbox One,” he said. “We’re not able to get to 60 FPS yet, having the advantage of a better frame-rate seems a bit unfair to us in a multiplayer environment. On the other hand, 4k resolution runs butter smooth on Xbox One X and we’re retaining that.”

In this same interview, Kolář also talked about why the game is exclusive to the Xbox One, and whether or not it will ever make its way to the PS4. Read more on that here. Vigor launches for the Xbox One this Summer.

Vigor is a brand new multiplayer game from Bohemia Interactive, the same folks who brought us Arma and who, any minute now, will launch the actual, official version of DayZ. Vigor, much like DayZ before it, will be coming to consoles- in fact, it will only come to consoles. However, unlike DayZ, which is also planned to hit the PS4, it will be coming only to Xbox One.

How did this end up coming about? Why did Bohemia Interactive decide to go with Xbox One, over the PS4, which has a larger install base? Speaking to GamingBolt, the folks at Bohemia pointed out that the game will be releasing in Early Access, which is something the Xbox One allows for, but the PS4 does not.

“As Vigor is the first game developed for consoles after a long time, we decided to stick to one platform at a time,” Petr Kolář, Project Lead of the game said. “And Bohemia is well known for our close cooperation with the community during development of our games, which led us to Game Preview on Xbox.”

You may expect that this would, in turn, mean that the game would eventually come to the PS4 as well- maybe once it is out of early access, and has received a full, “official” release. However, when GamingBolt pressed the developers on whether or not a PS4 version was ever planned, they refused to commit or comment on it in any capacity. “I’m sorry, but I cannot provide any more details on that,” was their exact response to the question.

This seems to suggest that there is no PS4 version planned for now, and they don’t want to raise any hopes by even remotely implying that it is- that, or if there is a PS4 version planned, they might be contractually obligated to not bring that up for now. Or maybe I am overthinking all this, and they simply don’t have a PS4 version in the pipeline, and just want to focus on Xbox.

Whatever it is, for now, if you want to play Vigor, you can check it out on Xbox One in Summer of this year.

Control

Remedy Entertainment’s newest project immediately caught our attention with its surreal premise, reality-bending levels and supernatural powers. Playing as Jesse, director of the Bureau of Control, the goal is to stop an enemy called Hiss from tearing apart HQ aka the Oldest House. Along with incorporating a more sandbox style world, Control will also incorporate Metroidvania aspects of exploration. Finding abilities will open up new paths along with more ways to maul enemies.