Earlier this week, Microsoft broke its silence about its push for next-generation gaming. After being the first to reveal the final retail design of the Xbox Series X, it follows with another announcement to sheds more light about the upcoming gaming system. Meanwhile, its biggest rival, Sony, is still showing no signs of preparing for the PlayStation 5 and even had several stumbles along the way. Aside from the Smart Delivery feature, which bridges the cross-generation gap, the company flaunted the new suspend function that can save the gameplay state of up to five games.

This new feature goes way beyond what the Xbox One series and PlayStation 4 could offer. Much like the Nintendo Switch which can be put to sleep and come back to any point of the game when turned back on, the Xbox Series X takes it up another level. A report from GameSpot reports that Xbox Live executive Larry Hyrb just revealed that the new console can do even more.

A new podcast 🎙️🎮 - I chat with @jronald about Xbox Series X. Hear more details about what you can expect from the next generation of gaming https://t.co/nOGLsPgay6

— Larry Hryb (@majornelson) February 26, 2020

Being able to suspend up to five different titles is already a dramatic upgrade over what the current-generation platforms can do. However, it seems like the Xbox Series X can hold on to those save states even after a reboot. In a podcast, Hyrb pointed out that he had been testing the game system in his home for several months.

Prior to a system update, he claimed to have a game suspended and expected to start over after a reboot. Nevertheless, he was surprised that it allowed him to continue exactly where he left, without going through a leading sequence. "So it survives a reboot," he stated. Another exciting feature that will ship with the machine is supposedly brand new.

Xbox Series X makes its debut
Microsoft surprised those watching The Video Game Awards 2019 with the reveal of the Xbox Series X. Photo: Microsoft

Jason Ronald, a director for the Xbox team and 15-year-old veteran of Microsoft's gaming division talked about how the Xbox Series X will process audio signals. He refers to the new technology as audio ray-tracing which will be handled by dedicated hardware. It appears to be related to spatial sound output that will likely make games feel more immersive. This new functionality will be reportedly discussed in detail at the Game Developers Conference next month.

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