With the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X later this year, a new generation of gaming consoles begins. Both systems are stacked with a multitude of improved features and capabilities, but there is one in particular that Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon believes that people are underestimating. This feature could radically change how we experience games, but it’s something that doesn’t immediately jump off the page when you think “next gen.”
During a recent livestream, Boon said the first thing people tend to ask about with new consoles is how much better the graphics will look. But he believes it’s the dramatically improved loading times that might end up being the bigger differentiator between the current generation and next-gen.
“It’s funny when these new consoles come out and everybody goes, ‘OK, what do the graphics look like?’ I think people are underestimating the impact that the almost zero loading time is going to have,” he said, as reported by Twinfinite. “That’s suddenly going to open doors that weren’t considered possible before and I think we haven’t even scratched the surface of what will eventually be done with those systems.”
Boon went on to say that, with any new console generation, improved graphics are “a given.” He’s personally more excited about the under-the-hood features like loading and memory handling. “Stuff like that is going to be huge,” he said.
Sony has already demonstrated the PS5’s dramatically improved loading times–and it’s very impressive. (It’s also rumored to be showcasing the console during a PS5 event on June 3.) Microsoft, meanwhile, has an overall goal of basically eliminating load times altogether.
A demo, which you can see above, shows off how State of Decay 2 loads the first level in just 10 seconds on Xbox Series X, compared to 50 seconds on Xbox One. Both the Xbox Series X and the PS5 have new internal SSDs that are helping to improve speed and reduce loading times.
Despite ongoing concerns around COVID-19, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are slated to launch later this year. For more, check out GameSpot’s list of titles for each console in the links below.
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