New Xbox, Scant Details
RAY TRACING!!!!
Has any graphics effect had more coverage than ray tracing? The talk of every high-graphics setting, ‘pro’ consoles and next generation ones too, the effect seems to have somehow infected the grey matter of the many in the videogames industry. And the new Xbox console, codenamed Project Helix, is going to be the best tracer of rays yet. Speaking at GDC, Jason Ronald shook the ground with the revelation that the next-box will deliver ‘an order of magnitude leap in ray tracing performance and capability’.
Probably feeling that he had done his good deed for the insomniacs in the audience, Mr. Ronald shared some interesting news too: Helix will play PC games, we knew that already, but it seems Microsoft is really falling headlong into redrawing the boundaries between the Xbox and PCs with the news that Xbox mode is coming to Windows 11 this year. The idea is that Xbox mode will allow gamers to move between home consoles and PC with minimal effort.
And with that, it looks like the idea that Xbox was going to return to a focus on consoles is less and less likely.
Playing videogames, writing about videogames, considering videogames—that about sums it up. Videogames are the one hobby that I’ve kept since I was only little, zapping ducks on the NES or knocking out MR. X. And when I’m not enjoying classics from the bit generation of games or checking out those earliest of polygons, I’m probably playing something from today’s age of modern gaming: if I’m not complaining about it. Something I’m doing at the moment? Finally tackling Octopath Traveller 2.
