Microsoft’s ray tracing demos have already been a lightdefining treat

this a challenge, so expect lower frame rates where ray tracing is involved.

Storage wise, the Xbox Series X sneaks in an extra 175GB over Sony’s SSD offering with a full 1TB of space, which will be much appreciated when it comes to chunky new generation game downloads. A slower read speed of 2.4GB per second compared to

Sony’s searing 5.5GB isn’t holding the console back though. A side-by-side demo showing off State of Decay 2 loading on both the Xbox One X and Series X shows an incredible difference between the two. The Series X drops into the game 10 seconds after hitting play, while the previous generation loads for almost a full minute. No more making cups of tea after hitting go then.

When it comes to storage expansion, Microsoft has opted for a proprietary system and has teamed up with Seagate to offer extra offerings of 1TB at a time. These can then be slotted into the back of the console. If you’re playing Xbox One or 360 games though, you’ll still be able to play these from a standard HDD.

Last but not least is the Smart Delivery system. While Xbox isn’t adding any fancy bells and whistles to its controller or even making a massive UI overhaul, Smart Delivery will effectively change the way we upgrade to new generation games. Microsoft is promising that if you buy a game on the Xbox One, you will automatically have it on Xbox Series X when it launches there. What Microsoft is calling your ‘entire game legacy’ – and not your pile of shame – will move with you to the next generation. Pick up Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for Xbox One X and it’s yours on Series X for free and all your save games will port too. Combine this with Microsoft’s Game Pass service, where hundreds of games are available for a monthly fee, and the Series X will have an impressive selection of games at launch.