Post: Microsoft: Xbox One is 10 percent more powerful without Kinect
Options
06-05-2014, 04:06 PM
#1
skaterboy16
< ^ > < ^ >
PlayStation 4 fans who have long pegged Microsoft's competing Xbox One as the weaker console may have to rethink their stance on the next-gen graphics crown.
After Xbox head Phil Spencer tweeted yesterday that June Xbox One developer kits would have access to more juice from the console's graphics processing unit (GPU), Microsoft has confirmed that the power boost is not due to a hardware addition, but rather the recent subtraction of the Kinect motion sensor and camera peripheral.
"Yes, the additional resources allow access to up to 10 per cent additional GPU performance. We're committed to giving developers new tools and flexibility to make their Xbox One games even better by giving them the option to use the GPU reserve in whatever way is best for them and their games," a Microsoft spokesperson told Eurogamer Wednesday.
Ahead of this year's E3, taking place in Los Angeles next week, Microsoft has made a number of Xbox announcements, including a few that have turned heads. Many have been aimed at taking the burden off the company as it heads into the expo so that it can focus not so much on the policy and entertainment aspects that embroiled it in a PR nightmare last year, but on the strength of its platform and games.
Beyond the recent addition of 45 new Xbox applications, including a much anticipated HBO Go app for Xbox One, Microsoft also made the blockbuster announcement last month that it would be unbundling the Kinect from its console and selling a $399 unit, putting it on par with Sony's PS4. The decision, made after months of deliberation, marked a stark departure for Microsoft, which has for months been designing its vision for the next generation of consoles around entertainment and the living room functionality of the Kinect.
As for the GPU boost for the Kinect-less Xbox One, it doesn't only apply to developer kits or the recent unbundled version of the Xbox One. Any Xbox One not plugged into a Kinect can tap into the performance bump. Microsoft plans to release a software development kit later this month that will allow developers to optimize games to utilize more of the system's horsepower freed up from powering the peripheral and applying its functionality to in-game and dashboard features.
That means games will run faster and smoother, and some titles may look better as well depending on how the extra 10 percent is wielded. But what about the oft-cited gap between Sony's system and Microsoft's when it comes to games running at full 1080p at 60 frames per second?
Microsoft won't say. "How developers choose to access the extra GPU performance for their games will be up to them. We have started working with a number of developers on how they can best take advantage of these changes. We will have more to share in the future," the spokesperson added.
You must login or register to view this content.
-------------------------------
That is so wrong. Im glad I have my kinect unplugged till I need it...
06-05-2014, 05:58 PM
#2
RAB
Splicer
Originally posted by skaterboy16
After Xbox head Phil Spencer briefly discussed a console power boost on Twitter, the company confirms that units without the Kinect can access more of its GPU.
PlayStation 4 fans who have long pegged Microsoft's competing Xbox One as the weaker console may have to rethink their stance on the next-gen graphics crown.
After Xbox head Phil Spencer tweeted yesterday that June Xbox One developer kits would have access to more juice from the console's graphics processing unit (GPU), Microsoft has confirmed that the power boost is not due to a hardware addition, but rather the recent subtraction of the Kinect motion sensor and camera peripheral.
"Yes, the additional resources allow access to up to 10 per cent additional GPU performance. We're committed to giving developers new tools and flexibility to make their Xbox One games even better by giving them the option to use the GPU reserve in whatever way is best for them and their games," a Microsoft spokesperson told Eurogamer Wednesday.
Ahead of this year's E3, taking place in Los Angeles next week, Microsoft has made a number of Xbox announcements, including a few that have turned heads. Many have been aimed at taking the burden off the company as it heads into the expo so that it can focus not so much on the policy and entertainment aspects that embroiled it in a PR nightmare last year, but on the strength of its platform and games.
Beyond the recent addition of 45 new Xbox applications, including a much anticipated HBO Go app for Xbox One, Microsoft also made the blockbuster announcement last month that it would be unbundling the Kinect from its console and selling a $399 unit, putting it on par with Sony's PS4. The decision, made after months of deliberation, marked a stark departure for Microsoft, which has for months been designing its vision for the next generation of consoles around entertainment and the living room functionality of the Kinect.
As for the GPU boost for the Kinect-less Xbox One, it doesn't only apply to developer kits or the recent unbundled version of the Xbox One. Any Xbox One not plugged into a Kinect can tap into the performance bump. Microsoft plans to release a software development kit later this month that will allow developers to optimize games to utilize more of the system's horsepower freed up from powering the peripheral and applying its functionality to in-game and dashboard features.
That means games will run faster and smoother, and some titles may look better as well depending on how the extra 10 percent is wielded. But what about the oft-cited gap between Sony's system and Microsoft's when it comes to games running at full 1080p at 60 frames per second?
Microsoft won't say. "How developers choose to access the extra GPU performance for their games will be up to them. We have started working with a number of developers on how they can best take advantage of these changes. We will have more to share in the future," the spokesperson added.
You must login or register to view this content.
-------------------------------
That is so wrong. Im glad I have my kinect unplugged till I need it...
PlayStation 4 fans who have long pegged Microsoft's competing Xbox One as the weaker console may have to rethink their stance on the next-gen graphics crown.
After Xbox head Phil Spencer tweeted yesterday that June Xbox One developer kits would have access to more juice from the console's graphics processing unit (GPU), Microsoft has confirmed that the power boost is not due to a hardware addition, but rather the recent subtraction of the Kinect motion sensor and camera peripheral.
"Yes, the additional resources allow access to up to 10 per cent additional GPU performance. We're committed to giving developers new tools and flexibility to make their Xbox One games even better by giving them the option to use the GPU reserve in whatever way is best for them and their games," a Microsoft spokesperson told Eurogamer Wednesday.
Ahead of this year's E3, taking place in Los Angeles next week, Microsoft has made a number of Xbox announcements, including a few that have turned heads. Many have been aimed at taking the burden off the company as it heads into the expo so that it can focus not so much on the policy and entertainment aspects that embroiled it in a PR nightmare last year, but on the strength of its platform and games.
Beyond the recent addition of 45 new Xbox applications, including a much anticipated HBO Go app for Xbox One, Microsoft also made the blockbuster announcement last month that it would be unbundling the Kinect from its console and selling a $399 unit, putting it on par with Sony's PS4. The decision, made after months of deliberation, marked a stark departure for Microsoft, which has for months been designing its vision for the next generation of consoles around entertainment and the living room functionality of the Kinect.
As for the GPU boost for the Kinect-less Xbox One, it doesn't only apply to developer kits or the recent unbundled version of the Xbox One. Any Xbox One not plugged into a Kinect can tap into the performance bump. Microsoft plans to release a software development kit later this month that will allow developers to optimize games to utilize more of the system's horsepower freed up from powering the peripheral and applying its functionality to in-game and dashboard features.
That means games will run faster and smoother, and some titles may look better as well depending on how the extra 10 percent is wielded. But what about the oft-cited gap between Sony's system and Microsoft's when it comes to games running at full 1080p at 60 frames per second?
Microsoft won't say. "How developers choose to access the extra GPU performance for their games will be up to them. We have started working with a number of developers on how they can best take advantage of these changes. We will have more to share in the future," the spokesperson added.
You must login or register to view this content.
-------------------------------
That is so wrong. Im glad I have my kinect unplugged till I need it...
I've always had kinect unplugged as i have no use for it for the time being
Copyright © 2026, NextGenUpdate.
All Rights Reserved.
