Microsoft have made it abundantly clear by now that the upcoming Xbox Series X is packed to the brim with really impressive tech. One aspect of the hardware they seem to be emphasizing more than most is what they’re calling the Xbox Velocity Architecture, which is something that quite few developers are also excited about.
In a recent new update posted on the official Xbox website and through a new trailer (which you can view below), Microsoft have shed some more details on what exactly the Velocity Architecture entails, and what impact it’s going to have on the development of games for the Xbox Series X.
Jason Ronald, director of program management at Xbox, describes it as”the ultimate solution for game asset streaming in the next generation.” He writes, “If our custom designed processor is at the heart of the Xbox Series X, the Xbox Velocity Architecture is the soul. Through a deep integration of hardware and software innovation, the Xbox Velocity Architecture will power next-gen gaming experiences unlike anything you have seen before.”
What exactly does the Velocity Architecture consist of? There are four components to it, as Ronald explains. There’s the system’s much-touted SSD, hardware accelerated decompression (which compresses assets for streaming to minimize loading), the new DirectStorage API (which will allow developers to “take full advantage of the raw I/O performance afforded by the hardware”), and Sampler Feedback Streaming (which acts as “an effective multiplier on available system memory and I/O bandwidth”).
Put together, Ronald explains the impact of the Velocity Architecture is impressive, allowing instant access to large amounts of data, making for quicker, larger, and more seamless experiences.
“The Xbox Velocity Architecture enables the Xbox Series X to deliver effective performance well beyond the raw hardware specs, providing direct, instant, low level access to more than 100GB of game data stored on the SSD just in time for when the game requires it,” Ronald writes. “These innovations will unlock new gameplay experiences and a level of depth and immersion unlike anything you have previously experienced in gaming.”
Of course, the true test of just how much impact all of this actually have will be in the games- getting a look at and being able to play games designed around this hardware ourselves is what will show us what exactly this new tech is enabling. It sounds promising right now though, that’s for sure.
We might get to see a little bit of how developers are leveraging the Xbox Series X’s hardware quite soon, with the Xbox Games Showcase scheduled for July 23.