The folks over at Digital Foundry have once again taken a look at Xbox Series S, this time to see how our little digital-only box tackles ray tracing. This element of 'next-gen' has proved a bit of a stumbling block at times for Microsoft's budget-friendly console, which is perhaps expected given its incredible value.
In this clip, the team at DF takes a look at every single major title to support ray tracing on Series S, from Metro Exodus' current-gen upgrade to the Matrix Awakens demo and more. The results are mixed, with some titles impressing while others fall short of what the Xbox Series X can do.
"So we've proven that RT can work on Xbox Series S - and it can be transformative. To see a 4TF GPU produce quality along the lines of Metro Exodus, The Matrix Awakens or Fortnite is quite the feat. However, ray tracing is a very demanding process and that is obviously a factor on more limited hardware platforms like the Series S, but the greater issue is the lack of RAM on the system.
With 10GB of RAM - of which around 8GB is available for developers - there's little room to store the complicated acceleration structures that make real-time ray tracing possible in the first place. BVHs can take up a lot of area in memory, which the Series S doesn't have room to spare in a lot of cases. RT can be delivered effectively on the console, but clearly a lot of work is required to make it happen."
The analysis concludes that in most cases, opting to drop any sort of Series S RT mode in favour of a performance option is often the best way to go. If ray tracing is important to you, Xbox Series X is obviously the current-gen Xbox console to save up for.
"And the games that do use RT are often best enjoyed without it. The 30fps vs 60fps split for RT and fully rasterised modes is very typical on the console and given the choice, it's rare that I'd choose an RT-based quality mode over a 60fps performance alternative [...] it's often a better choice to enjoy lower input lag and more fluid animation over an implementation of ray tracing that usually doesn't bring a transformative improvement to the presentation."
However, we'd argue that it's actually incredible that the Xbox Series S can do any sort of ray tracing at all, isn't it? Off the back of the base Xbox One last generation, it's very impressive that Microsoft managed to create a $300 / £250 console that can render one of PC gaming's most high-end features.
Are you impressed by what Xbox Series S can do here? Leave your thoughts on the analysis down below.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 10
Considering heavy implementations of RT bring $1,000 GPUs to their knees I am astounded at what the Series S can do for £250 total.
Path tracing is cool and will eventually be the future of physics based lighting, sound etc, but right now it's just far too computationally expensive, especially on console.
I don't expect to see too many games on console use RT in more complex ways this gen, other than occasional shadows, reflections etc.
The games with RT are 'often' best played without it - same with the Series X too because RT modes are not the 'most' performant mode and higher frame rates means 'lower' input lag and more responsive feeling game-play.
What I found most telling from this is those games that 'rely' on RT with 'no' back-up solutions - games like Metro, Fortnite, Matrix etc - all 'impress' on a Series S. All the other games are running with 'traditional' lighting methods as well as adding RT on top. The hardware still has to process all the SSR, AO, Cube Maps, Light probes, shadows etc etc as well as then add 'Ray Traced' effects and all that extra processing on top.
In most games, its used more like a 'higher' setting. RT Reflections are a higher setting than Screen Space Reflections and overlays on top of the SSR implementation to provide more detail and accuracy. The Series S obviously doesn't have the resources to do 'both' and deliver a 'decent' frame rate and visual presentation and the 'RT' reflections are often 'subtle' when engrossed in playing so not 'worth' the hit to implement - either too low resolution or too low a performance.
Its not as if the Series S is 'lacking' shadows, lacking Reflections with 'poor' lighting etc just because it doesn't offer RT modes and often on Series X, it feels more like a 'tick' box exercise - must have some RT feature to 'justify' it as a next gen game but its '30fps' and 'subtle' on a Series X and absent on a Series S.
Series S is the 'XB1S' of the 'current' Generation. Its offering the 'same' games - albeit with 'reduced' resolution, modes and/or visual settings. The XB1S doesn't offer 'Performance' 60fps modes like the XB1X, the Series S doesn't always have the same Performance modes (120fps or 60fps). The XB1S also has a lower resolution and often 'lower' quality visual settings than a XB1X - lower quality Shadows, Reflections, draw distance, foliage density, textures etc etc so does the Series S.
One thing to consider is that the 'Series S' is much closer to the Spec of a Series X than the One S was to the One X. If you are 'content' with missing out on Performance modes and/or the 'best' console visuals when the XB1X offered better, then why wouldn't people be 'content' with the same experience this gen too?
Last 'gen' we had the 'entry' level machines costing less and offering 'slightly' less than their 'upgraded' hardware, same as Xbox today. The only difference is that Sony opted not to release a 'lower' spec option and decided to go the 'Digital' only route to offer a 'cheaper' way in.
Not everyone games on 4k HDR TV's and when a 1440p no RT Series S game is supersampled down to their 1080p TV, it doesn't look any worse than a 4k Series X with RT image - especially if you are actually 'playing' and not zooming in to specific areas on a 'still' image...
It's slightly concerning as XSS is obviously not capable of proper RT support, and it means alternative techniques have to be used. These solutions are going to be less and less prioritized as time goes by, and the quality will probably decrease.
On a separate note, I find RT 40fps a very good middle ground between response time and image quality. Probably not widely feasible on XSS, but it has been great on XSX when used.
'However, we'd argue that it's actually incredible that the Xbox Series S can do any sort of ray tracing at all, isn't it?' ... Not really Microsoft says it's a 'next gen' console just like the series X & ps5 so I'd expect it to have the same capabilities
I couldn't care less about ray tracing.
Digital Foundry nitpicks things that most people will never notice.
When you're zooming in to see a graphical difference, it doesn't really matter.
@Bobarino while I do believe lack of RT is not a deal breaker currently, difference is not something that one needs to zoom in to see. If anything, it is obvious on any resolution as lightning and/or reflections are simply more natural, not necessarily sharper.
@Cikajovazmaj That's true about ray tracing, but that line was more about a general gripe I have w/ them that made me lose interest in their videos.
40fps + RT on single player games any day for me. It is often the recommended option of DF if a 40fps mode exists. But also the reason I stay away from the Series S. I don’t see Series S as true next/current gen if it can’t deliver what Series X can at lower resolution.
@Bobarino those videos are not for you body
Series s should get an addon disc drive.
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