Phil Spencer: Xbox One X Advances More Than Visuals, Also Improves Physics

What's in a new console release? Better graphics, crisper images, faster frame rates are among the most common. But there's more to next gen than just visuals. There's also the background work, and in Xbox One X's case, it's game physics.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke with The Guardian on this subject.

“I was on the EA stage talking to Patrick Söderlund about Madden, and one of the things he commented on was how the grass looks, and how it moves. He said if you had somebody circle 10 things on the screen that are different about running on Xbox One X, nobody would ever pick up on that, but subconsciously, as visuals get more lifelike your brain notices when stuff like that isn’t quite right. 4K can be just about the physics, maybe even just the way the trees move.” 

Okay, so technically, that's not entirely correct in a strict sense. 4K is a monitor resolution, but the point he's making is still true if "4K" in this context just means next gen. Animations can be more detailed with Xbox One X with the extra horsepower it provides.

Again, technically this is achievable with the Xbox One X. But the Xbox One X is just a half-step above the Xbox One. Games for the system will still be made on both consoles, so most of the upgrades will likely be visual and performance only, not gameplay.

However, certain minor differences could make it in, like how the original Tomb Raider remake (2013) had TressFX hair physics in certain versions of the game (notably, the PC version) that added a bit more than just a crisper image, but was not integral to the overall experience.

What would you like to see the Xbox One X do differently within these parameters?