It looks like Microsoft’s update to the Xbox One might be more powerful than anyone previously thought. Brad Wardell, CEO of the software development company Stardock–responsible for such sci-fi strategy games as Ashes of the Singularity and the Galactic Civilizations series–has recently said that, due to the Scorpio’s 12GB GDDR5 RAM, there will be no real technical limits for games on that system for the next few years, and that’s even taking into account the allocation space of 8GB available to developers. While 8gigs might not seem like much, keep in mind that the PS4 Pro only gives developers 5.5GB to work with.
Wardell did add, though, that it will first take a couple of years for developers to fully utilize that, as well as the DirectX 12/Vulkan APIs, since developers will first need a “core neutral engine” to get the most out of that technology. Fortunately for Stardock, Wardell says that only their game studio’s (Oxide Games) Nitrous engine has the technical requirements to make full use of the Scorpio’s capabilities, while everyone else will need a couple years to catch up. He then took the moment to tease a much bigger game than their previous efforts that will eventually be released on the Scorpio:
With [Ashes of the Singularity] it was our first real test of Nitrous (our multicore engine). We love it but it’s not AAA.
Wardell also suggested that the DirectX 12 and Vulkan could speed up loading time, given that the two APIs are able to load graphics at a much faster rate.
Suffice it to say, it looks like Microsoft will deliver a truly advanced gaming marvel this holiday season, and one which will surely fly off shelves.