Anticipation is in the air. The date is May 9th and at 11 am EST there will be a live broadcast for the hyped up new generation console, the Xbox Series X. Three, two, one. The live stream begins. Fans are mainly waiting for the new game from Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. And so it begins.
Promise of gameplay for the new Xbox experience awaits to be shown. I for one was waiting with bated breath to see what new graphics and action will be part of my daily activity besides working of course. Not even two minutes in I felt like I was early for a movie when they show all the trailers before the main event. That’s basically what this forty minute showcase was. But is it the Microsoft team’s fault?
Now there were bits and pieces of gameplay they did show from new 3rd party games that were produced in Asia. 13 of them to be exact. Many of them looked like Indie films. Still in progression. Problem is, majority of those that watched this live stream were not waiting for any Indie games but were looking forward to games like COD ( Call Of Duty), The Last Of Us, and of course Assassin’s Creed.
As the stream went on, disgruntled fans of these games began to express their displeasure. The like to dislike ratio on YouTube began to dwindle minute by minute. Then about 15 minutes later the dislikes were doubled and overtook the like ratio. “ Just a bunch of trailers!”, one spectator on the platform said. By the end of the video Xbox had felt the wrath of the unhappy community and took down the video.
It is no longer on YouTube unless by an unlinked source. This leaves me to wonder. What should we have expected with this display and what should we expect from the Xbox Series X? Is it more of an improvement with gameplay and lighting? Or is it just a glorified new version of the previous generation of Xbox?
The new console is set up with mechanics that cater to the experience and gameplay over graphics. Though the graphics engine is going to be slightly better than the Xbox One, its focus is on feel of the game.
With a new system put in called ‘ray-tracing, the new gen looks to create a whole new spectacle of realism without sacrificing smoothness with graphics. Ray-tracing is meant to exhibit real light sources throughout the game as it would look in real life. This adds a punch to detail in a way that would enhance the consumer’s visuals.
So what this console is doing not only for Xbox Series but also PlayStation 5 is adding a much needed effect for the games. The quality of the graphics will be sharper, no loading screens, quick as a fox and smooth like butter. To me, this a good trade off with hopefully a little more physics and graphics being evolved through time.
At the end of the day. Its up to you which console you choose. Whether it be the PS5 or the Xbox Series X you will be making a good choice and hopefully the online gaming community will take a chance and see that this is a process. A slow but steady process that could very well be worthwhile in the end.
