Xbox Series X [XBSX] [Release November 10 2020]

[BRiT]

So it's holding a 8GB-12GB Windows Hibernation File for each previous-gen game being played through BC, and not necessarily for new games. Ok I can get that.
Still, holding what seems to be over 150GB of storage just for that seems excessive.

Are people really going to ever have 11 different hybernations to resume from? Wouldn't it be better to have that option to the users?
I'd rather have an additional 100GB for game installs and 3 or 4 hybernation files (which is already on the safe side.. I probably wouldn't use more than 2).

It's holding it for new titles too from what they've kind of indicated. I think they allocated a certain amount of space on the drive for this functionality on a FIFO (first in, first out) rotation if the size required is exceeded. IIRC, they indicate at least 4 Series X games, so using 13.5 GB * 4 ~= 54 GB. That's likely why so many titles can fit in if they're X360 games, since they barely use any memory at all. Or if you're using Xbox One games at 5 GB, thats ~= 55 GB for 11 titles.

 

[London Geezer]

We're starting to get into first-world problems here. It's an early reservation here. Easy to reserve the max now & cut back later then to add it back later down the road when internal hard drive size start increasing.

Plus, there's always external USB3 storage you can add on the cheap. Most Xbox One owners probably already have a drive they can just connect.

Tommy McClain

It would also be quite nice to give owners the choice. For example, I never have 5 games running at one time. I play one game at a time, finish it and next. Maybe I can have two running at the same time. I’d rather have the extra space than having it sit there empty hoping that I somehow open 5 games one after the other, which would never happen.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

We're starting to get into first-world problems here.

Unlike all the other console, PC and 3D gaming-related discussions happening here in B3D?

It's holding it for new titles too from what they've kind of indicated. I think they allocated a certain amount of space on the drive for this functionality on a FIFO (first in, first out) rotation if the size required is exceeded. IIRC, they indicate at least 4 Series X games, so using 13.5 GB * 3 ~= 54 GB. That's likely why so many titles can fit in if they're X360 games, since they barely use any memory at all. Or if you're using Xbox One games at 5 GB, thats ~= 55 GB for 11 titles.

Still, I think it would be nicer if the allocation size could be a user setting somehow. I don't like the idea of dangling an external USB drive out of the console. Perhaps because I have young kids at home and I'm pretty damn sure the first thing they'd do if they saw an external USB drive connected to a console would be to rip it off. And then laugh at my horror face.

 

[AzBat]

It would also be quite nice to give owners the choice. For example, I never have 5 games running at one time. I play one game at a time, finish it and next. Maybe I can have two running at the same time. I’d rather have the extra space than having it sit there empty hoping that I somehow open 5 games one after the other, which would never happen.

I'm always up for choice too. We'll see how they iterate on the OS. I'm sure all us Xbox Insiders will give them all kinds of feedback on that. They have always open to new options & features.

Anybody know how Quick Resume works on the PC side? Is this something unique to Xbox consoles? Just curious.

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

Unlike all the other console, PC and 3D gaming-related discussions happening here in B3D?

You don't have those systems either?

Tommy McClain

 

[mrcorbo]

It would also be quite nice to give owners the choice. For example, I never have 5 games running at one time. I play one game at a time, finish it and next. Maybe I can have two running at the same time. I’d rather have the extra space than having it sit there empty hoping that I somehow open 5 games one after the other, which would never happen.

I'm not sure what the difference is then. If you only play one game at a time what are you using that storage for anyway?

 

[BRiT]

Still, I think it would be nicer if the allocation size could be a user setting somehow. I don't like the idea of dangling an external USB drive out of the console. Perhaps because I have young kids at home and I'm pretty damn sure the first thing they'd do if they saw an external USB drive connected to a console would be to rip it off. And then laugh at my horror face.

Oh yeah, entirely. I'm all for that. The user choice. Not for the kids being kids.

I'm curious if there's any add-on stands or drive trays that will try make it seem as one with the console, like maybe a clip-on that can set the USB portables on the side or in back (either orientation) so you don't have dangling wires. Maybe something like this (in concept but not impl):

 

[London Geezer]

I'm not sure what the difference is then. If you only play one game at a time what are you using that storage for anyway?

Uhm be...cause.... uhmmmmm WOAH I have no rebuttal. That never happens.

Ok ok wait. I may leave a game there sitting on the hard drive while I start another, more fun one, but I’d have very little use to “fast switch” between 5 different games. If that make sense?

 

[London Geezer]

Uhm be...cause.... uhmmmmm WOAH I have no rebuttal. That never happens.

Ok ok wait. I may leave a game there sitting on the hard drive while I start another, more fun one, but I’d have very little use to “fast switch” between 5 different games. If that make sense?

And I have a long list of unfinished games just sitting there. I still don’t need to switch between 5 of them all at the same time?

 

[Kugai Calo]

And I have a long list of unfinished games just sitting there. I still don’t need to switch between 5 of them all at the same time?

Just turn it off, or don't buy the console?

 

[BRiT]

Uhm be...cause.... uhmmmmm WOAH I have no rebuttal. That never happens.

Ok ok wait. I may leave a game there sitting on the hard drive while I start another, more fun one, but I’d have very little use to “fast switch” between 5 different games. If that make sense?

So you're a monogamous gamer? Never wanting to experiment with other games? Or joining other friends in their online games? Is your gaming entirely planned out ahead of time?

 

[Deleted member 11852]

So you're a monogamous gamer? Never wanting to experiment with other games? Or joining other friends in their online games? Is your gaming entirely planned out ahead of time?

I'm also mostly a monogamous gamer. I generally do play games start to finish with rare swapping between games. I do wonder if part of that if because it's less convenient to swap and change and whether fast resume will champ this. I'm more likely to swap between PS4/PC/Switch than games on any single system.

 

[HBRU]

I don't belive so much disk space is reserved for swapping games that is a usefull feature for not so many. I belive the space is reserved for different OS functions and components.... and particularly for BC. We know XSX manages to improve real time (through ML) old Xbox, 360, One and maybe OneX titles.... I suspect at least some part of disk space is dedicated to those functions....

 

[anexanhume]

I don't belive so much disk space is reserved for swapping games that is a usefull feature for not so many. I belive the space is reserved for different OS functions and components.... and particularly for BC. We know XSX manages to improve real time (through ML) old Xbox, 360, One and maybe OneX titles.... I suspect at least some part of disk space is dedicated to those functions....

I’m very curious how these consoles’ drives will wear over time and how they deal with sectors going bad.

 

[Kugai Calo]

So only 802gb available for games? Expected? Or more or less? I don't even pay attention to game sizes. Except when I went to download Destiny 2 off Game Pass & it was over 100gb.

Tommy McClain

If the X only has 800gb after system resources the PS5 could be looking at 6-700gb when all is said and done.

Looks tight!

It's also worth noting that Xbox One/Series' OS, just like Windows, displays GiB (gibibyte) as GB. So 802 GB shown = 802 GiB ~= 861 GB. More than PS5's before system reservation. But ~140 GB is still a lot of space reserved for mysterious reasons.

 

[Silenti]

I'm also mostly a monogamous gamer. I generally do play games start to finish with rare swapping between games. I do wonder if part of that if because it's less convenient to swap and change and whether fast resume will champ this. I'm more likely to swap between PS4/PC/Switch than games on any single system.

I have come around to the idea that GamePass will almost certainly change this for me. Otherwise, I am much like you historically. 1 game till done. Rinse and repeat. Now though.....? I wonder if the "swap feature" will prove to be of greater value than I originally would have thought.

 

[mrcorbo]

I agree that allowing for user choice is the ideal, but it doesn't take much thought to arrive at not-so-corner cases where allowing this to be adjustable while in-use could cause problems. What if your allocation is full and you set to a lower value? Prompt the user to evict some of their stored sessions? What if a second user on the system changes the allocation? Should they be allowed to evict another user's stored sessions? That would suck if I suspended my game in a non-savable situation and launched the game to find that my stored session got removed.

At least this way you can rely on consistent behavior.

 

[London Geezer]

Just turn it off, or don't buy the console?

Turn what off?

 

[HBRU]

I agree that allowing for user choice is the ideal, but it doesn't take much thought to arrive at not-so-corner cases where allowing this to be adjustable while in-use could cause problems. What if your allocation is full and you set to a lower value? Prompt the user to evict some of their stored sessions? What if a second user on the system changes the allocation? Should they be allowed to evict another user's stored sessions? That would suck if I suspended my game in a non-savable situation and launched the game to find that my stored session got removed.

At least this way you can rely on consistent behavior.

This is reasonable. But why don't create a file on the fly and save it as needed on thr mass storage ? Why reserve so much -empty- space ? It's a feature that will remain little used... No. I think other OS features use the space and need to have a RAM-like place where to store elaborated stuffs.... Maybe textures. Would not trough ML the OS create textures ? How ? I don't know but this for sure doesn't come for free....

 

[BRiT]

This is reasonable. But why don't create a file on the fly and save it as needed on the mass storage ? Why reserve so much -empty- space ?

From what I can tell, It's only around 56 GB. And what would you have them do if it's created as needed but there is no space? You can't fail at that point -- it's a bad user experience. You now have to interrupt the simplified process and prompt the user how to proceed?