Microsoft’s Xbox Series S Gets a Memory Boost

Microsoft has improved memory allocation on its Xbox Series S console to make more memory available for games. The additional memory is available for developers using the June Game Development Kit (GDK), as Microsoft explained in an unlisted video spotted by The Verge.

“Hundreds of additional megabytes of memory are now available to Xbox Series S developers. This gives developers more control over memory, which can improve graphics performance in memory-constrained conditions,” Microsoft explained in the video.

If both the Xbox Series X and Sony’s PlayStation 5 come with 16GB of GDDR5 memory, Microsoft’s cheaper Series S only comes with 10GB of memory. Compared to the Series X which has a memory bandwidth of 560GB/s, the Series S also comes with 8GB of RAM with 224GB/s speeds and 2GB with just 56GB/s speeds.

The memory situation on the Series S is probably something that many game developers are still seeing as a bottleneck at the beginning of this new console generation. This update to the GDK should help to make things better on the Series S, though the budget console can already run demanding games like Microsoft Flight Simulator just fine.

Microsoft made a pretty bold move two years ago to launch a more affordable next-gen console next to its flagship Series X, but the bet seems to have really paid off. Not only are the Series X and the Series S the fastest-selling console in the history of Xbox, but Xbox head Phil Spencer previously said that he expects the Series S to outsell the Series X at the end of this console generation.