(The Guardian) Matt Booty: Xbox Series X games no longer defined (only) by technology.

Uzupedro · Jul 28, 2020

Didn't find any thread about this, it's an interesting interview with Matt Booty about the Xbox Showcase that happened last Thursday, the interview take place 2 hours after the Showcase ended.

The era of video game design being defined by technology is over, according to Microsoft. Two hours after the Xbox showcase event livestreamed on 23 July, I'm speaking to the company's head of studios, Matt Booty, via video call. The showcase revealed 22 games, "built to launch exclusively on Xbox consoles", nine coming from first-party teams – a clear response to Sony's live event in June, which concentrated on exclusive PlayStation 5 titles. But there was no mention of hardware during the one-hour stream, and now Booty is keen to make the point that projects developed for Xbox Series X, due this Christmas, will not be as delineated or constrained by hardware specifications as they have been in the past.

"We're at a point where the technology is out of the way," he says. "In previous generations, the hardware and its limitations would leave a pretty clear fingerprint on a game. I remember the first early games that used sprite scaling and then suddenly every game had all these objects flying around the screen. You'd build a game around technical advances like that. But now we're at the point with the tech where we can just let the stories and the characters that the teams have in mind reach the screen."

Full interview: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2020/jul/27/xbox-series-x-games-technology-matt-booty-microsoft

Deeke · Jul 28, 2020

Tbh this is a lot of PR speak that doesn't really say anything new.

Misterhbk · Jul 28, 2020

Not entirely sure what this even means.

Caiusto · Jul 28, 2020

Deeke said:
Tbh this is a lot of PR speak that doesn't really say anything new.

How so? Throughout the history of games the devs would usually work around the limitations rather what they really wanted to do. He have a point, this current gen is techinically monsters of its own and a lot of people have said that, now the devs can simply do what they want (which don't means always results in something good).

BlastProcessing · Jul 28, 2020

Caiusto said:
How so? Throughout the history of games the devs would usually work around the limitations rather what they really wanted to do. He have a point, this current gen is techinically monsters of its own and a lot of people have said that, now the devs can simply do what they want (which don't means always results in something good).

As long as the people making games have ambition, there will always be technological limitations.

Deeke · Jul 28, 2020

Caiusto said:
How so? Throughout the history of games the devs would usually work around the limitations rather what they really wanted to do. He have a point, this current gen is techinically monsters of its own and a lot of people have said that, now the devs can simply do what they want (which don't means always results in something good).

Yeah I get that. But there's no real specifics or talk from devs, so it kinda falls flat to me. Having that visibility with the XSX's specs helps though. But ultimately I've been hesitant to get too excited about what Xbox execs say about games. I def want to hear more from actual devs.

Jiraiya · Jul 28, 2020

I think that's why so many people keep claiming everything's cgi on next gen only games.

gundamkyoukai · Jul 28, 2020

Caiusto said:
How so? Throughout the history of games the devs would usually work around the limitations rather what they really wanted to do. He have a point, this current gen is techinically monsters of its own and a lot of people have said that, now the devs can simply do what they want (which don't means always results in something good).

Devs can do want they want to a certain degree but there is still technological limitations .
Like RT still has a good way to go and other aspects , of course some of this also depends on budget .

Cess007 · Jul 28, 2020

Caiusto said:
How so? Throughout the history of games the devs would usually work around the limitations rather what they really wanted to do. He have a point, this current gen is techinically monsters of its own and a lot of people have said that, now the devs can simply do what they want (which don't means always results in something good).

And this gen will be no different. There's always technical limitations, the ceiling just gets higher each gen.

Deleted member 70824 · Jul 28, 2020

BlastProcessing said:
As long as the people making games have ambition, there will always be technological limitations.

gundamkyoukai said:
Devs can do want they want to a certain degree but there is still technological limitations .
Like RT still has a good way to go and other aspects , of course some of this also depends on budget .

Yes, he said that in the interview

Eeyore · Jul 28, 2020

Jiraiya said:
I think that's why so many people keep claiming everything's cgi on next gen only games.

Most of the games shown for PS5 and XSX are either CGI or in-engine trailers. There has been hardly any gameplay. It's not about claiming, it's that both of these companies are just simply not showing a lot of gameplay.

Iwao · Jul 28, 2020

I read this earlier and I'm still not sure what he's supposed to be saying here.

Uzupedro · Jul 28, 2020

Misterhbk said:
Not entirely sure what this even means.

I think he meant that in the past games were more restrained by technological barriers and in a way games were definied by that, nowadays there way less barriers to devs to overcome, so devs can do whatever they want.
I agree in parts, those barriers will still exist depending on their ambitions, as it has always been, but it's easier today than 20 years ago indeed, even more for indies and smaller devs.

Lant_War · Jul 28, 2020

"We're at a point where the technology is out of the way," he says. "In previous generations, the hardware and its limitations would leave a pretty clear fingerprint on a game. I remember the first early games that used sprite scaling and then suddenly every game had all these objects flying around the screen. You'd build a game around technical advances like that. But now we're at the point with the tech where we can just let the stories and the characters that the teams have in mind reach the screen."

Can't really agree with that quote (especially if we include VR games into the equation), there's always going to be technological limitations and developers taking advantage of the unique strengths of each platform. Unless he's saying this is as good as it gets for gaming, which would be an odd thing to say before the release of your next gen console.

Sho_Nuff82 · Jul 28, 2020

Caiusto said:
How so? Throughout the history of games the devs would usually work around the limitations rather what they really wanted to do. He have a point, this current gen is techinically monsters of its own and a lot of people have said that, now the devs can simply do what they want (which don't means always results in something good).

You're not honestly expecting games to be made without geometry, asset, framerate, and resolution limitations, are you? Even a 2080Ti has limits.

You can't take a generic statement like that at face value.

Jiraiya · Jul 28, 2020

Eeyore said:
Most of the games shown for PS5 and XSX are either CGI or in-engine trailers. There has been hardly any gameplay. It's not about claiming, it's that both of these companies are just simply not showing a lot of gameplay.

My sports titles are reaching the same fidelity.

Deleted member 56752 · Jul 28, 2020

Every game and console is defined by technology. Games are the marriage of tech and art.

NippleViking · Jul 28, 2020

Weird comment, but what I'm gleaning is that he's really trying to say "Series X is both extremely powerful and more seamless to develop for than ever, helping skirt traditional development problems' albeit in a ridiculously exaggerated manner

Polyh3dron · Jul 28, 2020

Vilam · Jul 28, 2020

blah blah game blah blah pass blah blah cross-gen

Iwao · Jul 28, 2020

A game can run 60/90/120fps but it would still mean a compromise in other areas. Like VR requires a high refresh rate and we've seen that you can't push the same kinds of visuals as you can with traditional gaming experiences due to limitations. Developers will still have the think about whether they want to push for native 4K or offer dynamic resolution. Technology will still be at the forefront of the minds of creators, even if a lot of things can now be taken care of more efficiently by the hardware and the software tools.

Darmik · Jul 28, 2020

I think there's a difference this time where there's no specific bottleneck like the CPU or HDD. But yeah there's still a ceiling.

I think the Machine Learning stuff from tech like DLSS will really payoff for consoles next gen though. At that point resolution isn't even really a bottleneck anymore.

Uzupedro · Jul 28, 2020

Darmik said:
I think there's a difference this time where there's no specific bottleneck like the CPU or HDD. But yeah there's still a ceiling.

I think the Machine Learning stuff from tech like DLSS will really payoff for consoles next gen though. At that point resolution isn't even really a bottleneck anymore.

Good point with the resolution bottleneck, altough I don't think it will be a huge point on these consoles, isn't this dependent on hardware? Tensor cores or something like that? I don't know if these consoles are much advanced in this regard, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not sure.

zombiejames · Jul 28, 2020

"In previous generations, the hardware and its limitations would leave a pretty clear fingerprint on a game."

Oh yeah, this never happens anymore. Uh huh.

Sota4077 · Jul 28, 2020

Cess007 said:
And this gen will be no different. There's always technical limitations, the ceiling just gets higher each gen.

Read the whole interview brother. You cannot take one sentence and act like what he said was only that. Context matters.

Diarrhea Day-Lewis · Jul 28, 2020

Console makers say there are little to no constraints every new console launch. In 6 years Xbox Series X2 or whatever they call it will eliminate the restraints of this upcoming gen

I get what he's saying, and the services Xbox offers will change how people are delivered games. I think one day we will wonder how we played games without SSDs

Sanka · Jul 28, 2020

Some games will always go to the limit of what's possible with hardware. Dude talks as if we reached a point where everything is possible lol.

Didn't we just have a post about how it's actually the Devs themself who want to go as crazy as possible because they just love their craft and are inspired by each other.

Hopefully xbox producers aren't limiting their vision so that they can push out games faster and cheaper.

disco_potato · Jul 28, 2020

Uzupedro said:
Good point with the resolution bottleneck, altough I don't think it will be a huge point on these consoles, isn't this dependent on hardware? Tensor cores or something like that? I don't know if these consoles are much advanced in this regard, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not sure.

You're right, they're not.

Uzupedro · Jul 28, 2020

disco_potato said:
You're right, they're not.

That's a bummer, maybe on the PS5 PRO and the XBOX Series Z(please, choose this name MS) they will invest on this.

RestEerie · Jul 28, 2020

there will always be technical limitation............also game pass™

Did i forgot to mention game pass™?

Iron Eddie · Jul 28, 2020

He might have a point once they drop Xbox One support but this is just more mixed messaging. I guess what he's saying is Microsoft has the hardware that allows devs to do whatever they want (it's true that they don't have to support Xbox One any longer).

They still haven't really shown why we need to run out and get Series X yet. I was hoping Halo Infinite would be very clear the differences between Series X and Xbox One but it really didn't look all that impressive so far.

Eeyore · Jul 28, 2020

Jiraiya said:
My sports titles are reaching the same fidelity.

Show me a sports game that looks similar in fidelity to that State of Decay 3 or Fable trailer because I'm not seeing it. Not to mention the animation quality is subpar, I play FIFA every year and it still has major issues with collision detection and random teleportation of players because of some animation priority issues. I haven't seen coverage of FIFA 21 so perhaps it's a quantum leap but I doubt it.

Even some of the best animated video games like RDR2 or TLOU2 do not measure up to those CGI trailers.

Uzupedro · Jul 28, 2020

Walken said:
He might have a point once they drop Xbox One support but this is just more mixed messaging. I guess what he's saying is Microsoft has the hardware that allows devs to do whatever they want (it's true that they don't have to support Xbox One any longer).

I don't think his point is just about the XONE-XSX stuff, is about XSX games overall. It will be easier? For sure, but it will be easy on the level where the devs will do whatever they want? I doubt it.
Maybe I'm overthinking what a salesman is saying tho.

Fisty · Jul 28, 2020

projects developed for Xbox Series X, due this Christmas, will not be as delineated or constrained by hardware specifications as they have been in the past

Ya sure about that?

Are we sure this interview was after the conference?

Uzupedro · Jul 28, 2020

Fisty said:
Ya sure about that?

Are we sure this interview was after the conference?

Yeah, looking back this is funny, but they will follow this line of thought until they drop the XONE, regardless of whether they are right or wrong

Praedyth · Jul 28, 2020

At this point I just can't take anything from Microsoft execs seriously anymore. He talks like we haven't seen Halo Infinite.

jsnepo · Jul 28, 2020

That's a weird statement to say before launching a most powerful console.

III-V · Jul 28, 2020

I don't agree that the technology can't define the gameplay. We still and will always have tech and hardware limitations.

rokkerkory · Jul 28, 2020

I feel like each gen we hear some stuff

Deleted member 364 · Jul 28, 2020

MS seems to be in constant spin and damage control mode these days.

Uzupedro · Jul 28, 2020

III-V said:
I don't agree that the technology can't define the gameplay. We still and will always have tech and hardware limitations.

I agree.
His statement is way much overselling of the facilitations that the hardware brings.

christocolus · Jul 28, 2020

"According to Booty, it was the studio's experience with large open-world environments that singled it out for the project. "I just look at what Playground has done with the Horizon series – that attention to detail, the ability to represent these naturalistic landscapes. They also have a real passion for the IP and a unique point of view on what's core to Fable. Everything I've seen as the game progresses tells me this is going to be a very high-quality release.".

couldn't agree more. PG Games is one of the best in the Industry.... next gen Fable gonna blow minds. hyped.

OutofMana · Jul 28, 2020

Huh, doesn't this just go against the whole "worlds most powerful console" mantra they have been touting since they revealed their new console? It was a mix of that and game pass, but I feel like it's only centered around the latter now.

fade · Jul 28, 2020

It's a PC

Darmik · Jul 28, 2020

Uzupedro said:
Good point with the resolution bottleneck, altough I don't think it will be a huge point on these consoles, isn't this dependent on hardware? Tensor cores or something like that? I don't know if these consoles are much advanced in this regard, correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not sure.

Oh yes you're right. I was thinking of next-next gen heh. Switch 2 might benefit but who knows with Nintendo.

Cipherr · Jul 28, 2020

Hes not wrong, hes just late. This happened a while ago. In decades past any new tech advancement dominated new games.

I remember FMV when it first came about was stuffed into absolutely every title there was. It did feel like something new in terms of tech came along and that was just going to be THE thing for a long while. But the last time I can remember this is like.... Open world design and analog controls perhaps? Its been a while.

These days its a genre that sets the flavor of the day and not necessarily a hardware capability.

Jiraiya · Jul 29, 2020

Eeyore said:
Show me a sports game that looks similar in fidelity to that State of Decay 3 or Fable trailer because I'm not seeing it. Not to mention the animation quality is subpar, I play FIFA every year and it still has major issues with collision detection and random teleportation of players because of some animation priority issues. I haven't seen coverage of FIFA 21 so perhaps it's a quantum leap but I doubt it.

Even some of the best animated video games like RDR2 or TLOU2 do not measure up to those CGI trailers.

Nba2k1 trailer looks on par with what we've seen. Save for the camera angle...the 2k trailers always end up looking just like the game. The jump...to me...has been pretty consistent when it comes to next gen only.

Bennibop · Jul 29, 2020

I think Microsoft need to be careful, this sounds very similar language to the power of the cloud stuff and that just ended in embarrassment. I would rather they shut and showed rather than talked, something that imo they have failed to do so far.

Bede-x · Jul 29, 2020

Why doesn't he directly address the multiplayer speculation with Fable? Seems like he's avoiding a clear answer leaving me with the impression that it's not all talk..

Pryme · Jul 29, 2020

Bennibop said:
I think Microsoft need to be careful, this sounds very similar language to the power of the cloud stuff and that just ended in embarrassment. I would rather they shut and showed rather than talked, something that imo they have failed to do so far.

Sounds absolutely nothing like 'power of the cloud' talk.

(The Guardian) Matt Booty: Xbox Series X games no longer defined (only) by technology.

User requested account closure

User requested ban

Classic Anus Game

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account

Prophet of Regret

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account.

User requested ban