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[Rolla]

In an interview with IGN, Xbox director of program management Jason Ronald confirmed that game install sizes will be approximately 30% smaller on the Series S than on the Series X. This is due to the reduced resolution texture packages needed for games on the Series S, which will be targeting 1440p resolution instead of 4K on the Series X.

Xbox Series S Game Sizes Will Be Smaller Than on Series X - IGN

Microsoft tells IGN that game install sizes will be approximately 30% smaller on the Xbox Series S than on the Series X.

www.ign.com

 

[Deleted member 775630]

30% smaller game sizes, but a 50% smaller SSD. Doesn't really work

 

[BlueXImpulse]

You can't expect half sizes just because of half resolution sound isn't something you can compress any further and it takes up a lot of space.

 

[Entroyp]

Makes sense.

 

[Ten_Fold]

Digital should’ve been at least 1TB imo. That space will fill up fast.

 

[Mister Wolf]

You can't expect half sizes just because of half resolution sound isn't something you can compress any further and it takes up a lot of space.

I never realized sound took that much space.

 

[Portugeezer]

So it's not just lower resolution, it's lower quality assets?

 

[Senua]

30% smaller game sizes, but a 50% smaller SSD. Doesn't really work

The price you pay for the price you don't pay.

 

[BlueXImpulse]

I never realized sound took that much space.

Think it's like 15%.

 

[Bojanglez]

What happens if I install a game to the official external SSD connected to my XSX and then swap that into my XSS?

 

[Rolla]

So it's not just lower resolution, it's lower quality assets?

The price you pay for the price you don't pay.

This rules out a Series S for me, personally. It'll have to be the Series X at a later date.

 

[-Arcadia-]

This is nice, and sensible. It doesn’t make sense to have assets so highly detailed, you can’t even see them in 1080p/1440p. It’s better for the storage, and better for the XSS’s RAM.

 

[Ascend]

I never realized sound took that much space.

If it's good quality it takes quite a bit. Using mp3 quality audio in games is a thing of the past. Generally, lossless is the way to go. Imagine how many effects and music the average game has. If you want say 192KHz/24-bit audio, and 6 channels, you'd have an uncompressed file size of about 200MB for every minute of audio. If you assume 50% lossless compression (which is quite high), you'd have 100MB for every minute of audio that you have.

 

[mckmas8808]

This is nice, and sensible. It doesn’t make sense to have assets so highly detailed, you can’t even see them in 1080p/1440p. It’s better for the storage, and better for the XSS’s RAM.

I guess, but you'd think if a game could hit 1440 on the Series S having good high quality assets could make the game look better.

 

[Sir Vilhelm]

What happens if I install a game to the official external SSD connected to my XSX and then swap that into my XSS?

Great question, I would assume the Xbox X will detect the S version of the game and download the missing assets via smart delivery. I doubt the XSS will delete the assets going the other way

 

[Ceadeus]

That's neat. Storage is small nonetheless. Let's see them upgrading to 1TB by default a year after release.

 

[AgentP]

In an interview with IGN, Xbox director of program management Jason Ronald confirmed that game install sizes will be approximately 30% smaller on the Series S than on the Series X. This is due to the reduced resolution texture packages needed for games on the Series S, which will be targeting 1440p resolution instead of 4K on the Series X.

Xbox Series S Game Sizes Will Be Smaller Than on Series X - IGN

Microsoft tells IGN that game install sizes will be approximately 30% smaller on the Xbox Series S than on the Series X.

www.ign.com

Something smells with this, like all dev must make two different texture packs or just MS 1st party are doing? Normally texture size is not tied to output res and it is a waste of resources to track more than one set of assets.

Also, since textures can be up close these textures will be blurrier. The only thing that makes since is this was a mandate to accommodate memory size and bandwidth to reduce costs. More work for devs.

 

[ThatOneGrunt]

Digital should’ve been at least 1TB imo. That space will fill up fast.

Why is that a problem? Xbox still supports just about any external drive you throw at it.

 

[NullZ3r0]

All MS needs is to add some sort of intelligent tiering for Xbox. When you first download a game it should be saved to the SSD while older games (that haven't been played in a while) get moved to USB storage.

 

[Three]

Something smells with this, like all dev must make two different texture packs or just MS 1st party are doing? Normally texture size is not tied to output res and it is a waste of resources to track more than one set of assets.

Also, since textures can be up close these textures will be blurrier. The only thing that makes since is this was a mandate to accommodate memory size and bandwidth to reduce costs. More work for devs.

Yes two different texture packs. This is what the doom eternal dev (id engine programmer) was complaining about.

 

[AgentP]

That's neat. Storage is small nonetheless. Let's see them upgrading to 1TB by default a year after release.

This has nothing to do with disk size and everything to do with the system specs. They can't push the data around with the lw bandwidth and they also have less memory total. So uses smaller assets and then point at disc savings as a positive spin. The games will not look the same now despite the frame buffer res. Blurry textures are blurry even on 8k.

 

[Plague Doctor]

This is fantastic news! It means it's more economical and quicker to download.

Phil is looking out for our data charges! Love that guy! King is here! The great news keeps on coming in! We should all buy 2 of them to show how pro consumer this is!

 

[ReBurn]

We don't need to download the extra pixels

 

[Ceadeus]

This has nothing to do with disk size and everything to do with the system specs. They can't push the data around with the lw bandwidth and they also have less memory total. So uses smaller assets and then point at disc savings as a positive spin. The games will not look the same now despite the frame buffer res. Blurry textures are blurry even on 8k.

Hum ok, I was only thinking about how many game will fits in its ssd.

 

[the_master]

The HDD size Digital VS non digital is pointless. You don´t need more space in an all digital console.

You also install the disc games on the SSD, so it takes the same size. And after installing the game, you also need to download the latest updates, so it is the same thing.

It is not that you play from the disc ever. Imagine the load times, they´d be waaaaaaay longer than current gen. the whole point of the original Xbox was gettign the game s in the HDD so they loaded faster and could stream faster into the fame.

 

[MaulerX]

Smart Delivery.

Series S games don't need those hefty 4K texture packs and what not.

 

[pyrocro]

I guess, but you'd think if a game could hit 1440 on the Series S having good high quality assets could make the game look better.

What are you saying?
you're not comparing it to anything you're just saying more is better, we all want more. but does it make sense?
do you want an assets 100x100 pixels on a 1440p output to have the same memory/processing usage as one 200x200 pixels on a 4k output.
No you don't! it a smaller area on your screen it should use less to convey the appropriate visual information, that's common sense.


How exactly will more assets make it look better?

 

[NullZ3r0]

Smart Delivery.

Series S games don't need those hefty 4K texture packs and what not.

Or audio for languages outside of your specified location settings.

 

[Bonfires Down]

All MS needs is to add some sort of intelligent tiering for Xbox. When you first download a game it should be saved to the SSD while older games (that haven't been played in a while) get moved to USB storage.

Ya, this is how it works on iOS except the old game data is simply deleted if it hasn’t been used in a long time. I think it’s great with the caveat that I would like the option to manually disable it for selected apps.

 

[MrFunSocks]

I never realized sound took that much space.

Audio and video took up the large majority of all game size up until 4K became a thing.

 

[mckmas8808]

What are you saying?
you're not comparing it to anything you're just saying more is better, we all want more. but does it make sense?
do you want an assets 100x100 pixels on a 1440p output to have the same memory/processing usage as one 200x200 pixels on a 4k output.
No you don't! it a smaller area on your screen it should use less to convey the appropriate visual information, that's common sense.


How exactly will more assets make it look better?

The assets don't have to equal the game's output resolution. Didn't Epic talk about their demo having 8k textures, but the final output was rendered at 1440p?

 

[Keihart]

And 7 to 14 % expensier games.

 

[Arkam]

have we seen any XSX/PS5 game file sizes yet? They have stated that they will be smaller.... but have we seen evidence? Helps make sense of if 30% smaller helps or not.

 

[GloveSlap]

Nice. Now mandate separate installs for Single and Multiplayer on both systems.

 

[pyrocro]

The assets don't have to equal the game's output resolution. Didn't Epic talk about their demo having 8k textures, but the final output was rendered at 1440p?

Sorry if you misunderstood what I said but your example of epic proves the point/case of having less on a 1440p output.

Let me ask you, which resolution should appropriately have higher detail assets 4k or 1440p?

 

[mckmas8808]

Sorry if you misunderstood what I said but your example of epic proves the point/case of having less on a 1440p output.

Let me ask you, which resolution should appropriately have higher detail assets 4k or 1440p?

I'd say the 4K one.

 

[MarkMe2525]

30% smaller game sizes, but a 50% smaller SSD. Doesn't really work

That would mean you could install roughly the same amount of games on a XSS and ps5 so it better work. XsX and ps5 should have similar file sizes. I'm averaging of course and assuming 100gb file size. At that file size 7.3 games on XSS and 8.25 games on ps5, assuming we get to use all of the space. I would hope both digital consoles (XSS and PS5) wouldn't be doa.

 

[OnThePathToWisdom]

Will they be 30% cheaper too?

 

[THE DUCK]

They are still high quality assets, just not 4k ones.

 

[01011001]

the thing is, you will be able to use any external USB drive to back up games (I think on PS5 too), so there's no real issue with it being digital only to me.
just get a 1TB HDD to back up games onto that you are currently not playing. in fact, transferring the data back and forth should be faster than a Disc install if your external drive doesn't absolutely suck ass.

and Back compat games will run on external drives as well so they don't take up space either (unless you wanna boost loading times for specific titles). external HDDs aren't expensive anymore either (like 40 bucks for 1TB)

 

[Jigga117]

So it's not just lower resolution, it's lower quality assets?

wow some of y’all really blow my mind. The series s is a 1440p system. common sense would be It is lower space because it doesn’t need the assets for 4k. So why is hard to believe the file size is smaller since it is 1440p assets??? No where does it mean your getting “lower quality”.

 

[Jigga117]

Will they be 30% cheaper too?

Is it %30 cheaper when you buy a GPU capable of 1440p and not 4k?

 

[pyrocro]

I'd say the 4K one.

Therefore 1440p should have less. Logic wins in the end.
As long as 4k does not start off with washed-out textures, 1440p texture/asset quality reduction should be fine.

Thank you for playing along.

 

[sojuwarrior]

it will be more interesting than ever to look at those youtube videos where they compare PS5 vs XSX vs XSS lol

 

[OnThePathToWisdom]

Is it %30 cheaper when you buy a GPU capable of 1440p and not 4k?

66% cheaper actually. But also 66% weaker. So it evens itself out I guess.

 

[freefornow]

Or audio for languages outside of your specified location settings.

Good point. Hadnt thought of that.

 

[MarkMe2525]

Will they be 30% cheaper too?

Well the console itself is 40% cheaper so.....
I see someone beat me to this point but the maths were a little off.

 

[MarkMe2525]

66% cheaper actually. But also 66% weaker. So it evens itself out I guess.

Not trying to call you out but ... wrong math. It's 40% cheaper or 60% of the XsX price. You could be working with non us currency which would change that slightly.

 

[Yoboman]

So they really are making devs make two whole separate versions of games, its not just flicking a bunch of resolution settings

 

[MarkMe2525]

So they really are making devs make two whole separate versions of games, its not just flicking a bunch of resolution settings

The idea is the dev would already have lower quality assets because of lod. They would just use those.