Microsoft’s Xbox One X will usher in a new era of 4K gaming when it arrives this fall. But you won’t need to buy new games to take advantage of its power and performance: Existing games will be improved to support the Xbox One X.
“I’m proud of the library of games available today on Xbox One,” Microsoft’s Phil Spencer noted during his E3 press conference appearance Sunday evening. “All of them will benefit from the [additional] performance and power when you play them on Xbox One X.”
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But, as he noted, Microsoft won’t stop at 100 percent compatibility and some subtle performance improvements across the board. Many existing Xbox One game titles will be enhanced now and in the future to better take advantage of the new console’s unique features.
Spencer then listed some games first-party games that will be updated for Xbox One X: Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Killer Instinct, Halo Wars 2, and Minecraft will all be updated with 4K graphics, and for free.
I suppose this means that game makers will be able to charge for a 4K upgrade. And many, of course, will simply choose to leave their games as-is. But Spencer also said that over 30 game maker partners were already planning to update existing games to 4K for the Xbox One X—and for free—in the months ahead. So buyers of the new console should be set up nicely for the future.
Spencer specifically mentioned that Final Fantasy XV, Resident Evil 7, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, and Rocket League will be among those offering free 4K upgrades.
Games that provide 4K graphics will be noted by the “Xbox One Enhanced” branding, he said.
“You probably already have a large library of titles that you own today that will automatically get better on Xbox One X, he concluded.
There’s your value proposition right there, folks: A brilliant, fan-friendly strategy that makes the entire Xbox platform better for everyone.
Stooks
<blockquote><a href="#124855"><em>In reply to spacein_vader:</em></a></blockquote><p>I do hope someone will answer this question. It is the only question for me that needs to be answered.</p><p><br></p><p>4K gaming is hardly needed and like in the past with consoles they say things like "1080p 30 or 60 fps" and only a handful of game ever really do that and the graphics are turned down in some way or the game is a type that can get there easily, like racing.</p><p><br></p><p>There are so many 1080p TV's/monitors out there right now. I am hoping that this console will help 1080p gamers at least with a frame boost. </p><p><br></p><p>Say BF1 on the Xbox One X at 1080p gets double the frame rates out of the box??? Then EA drops a patch for the Xbox One X and the frame rate may drop slightly, but still higher than the Xbox One S, and the graphic get a bump at 1080p.</p>