With the Xbox One X set to come out later this year, gamers are clamoring for more information about how the new Microsoft console will handle games compared to the other Xbox One consoles. Today, Microsoft revealed that only will the Xbox One X download 4K assets for games (the Xbox One S and Xbox One will continue to download the 1080p assets), but also that it will do so automatically and efficiently.

The news came by way of Stevivor, where a Microsoft representative explained how each of the Xbox One consoles will handle game downloads going forward. While both the Xbox One S and Xbox One X claim 4K capabilities, only the Xbox One X will actually house 4K assets for games. Microsoft shared:

“This means, regardless of the TV you are playing on, 4K assets will be downloaded to Xbox One X (if available) and the standard 1080p assets will be downloaded to an Xbox One S.”

Microsoft made clear that while the Xbox One S can output games in 4K, it is only upscaling games from 1080p, it’s not housing the native 4K files for the games to output during gameplay. Essentially, the only way for Xbox fans to get the full 4K experience, they’ll need to own the $500 Xbox One X.

Naturally, that means the Xbox One X files will be even bigger than the already large files needed for the Xbox One and Xbox One S. Late last year, Activision made headlines when it was revealed Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare would require 130 GB of space.

Granted, that was the version of the game that included Modern Warfare Remastered, but it’s still a massive file, especially when one considers the game was only in 1080p. 4K files will be even larger than that, with games like Forza Motorsport 7 requiring 100GB of hard drive space.

Fortunately, it sounds like Microsoft is hard at work providing developers with the tools needed to make downloads more efficient (read: smaller) and quicker on Xbox One X. There’s no word on just how much more efficient game downloads will become, but Microsoft did have this to say on the matter:

“As part our developer readiness for Xbox One X, we have made available a feature which will give them significant flexibility when it comes to what gets installed on a user’s console. In addition to 4K specific assets, developers have options when it comes to language specific assets as well, which depending on the title, can drastically reduce the install footprint. This ability to intelligently install the best assets for each console and language are available on all Xbox One devices, and it will be up to the developer of the game to determine the specific implementation.”

These features will presumably make it easier for developers to leverage the Xbox One X's capabilities, and could even lead to some games reaching resolutions as high as 6K. Now, Microsoft just needs to make sure all the developers receive their Xbox One X dev kits so they can get their games ready for the new console launching this fall.

The Xbox One X releases on November 7, 2017.

Source: Stevivor