Last updated on March 9, 2021
Xbox boss Phil Spencer commented on 8K and ray tracing in an interview.
The Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 appear with their powerful hardware in November. Both consoles should offer a resolution of 4K with 60fps for many games, ray tracing is one of the features. It even supports 8K resolution, but this will not become the future standard for video games. At least that’s what Xbox boss Phil Spencer says in an interview with Wired .
8K will not become a gaming standard
If real 4K is not enough for the Xbox Series X, you can also use 8K resolution if the requirements are right (e.g. a TV / monitor capable of doing so). However, this should rarely be the case, as even 4K is not yet sufficiently established. It will therefore take some time until 8K has established itself as the standard, if that happens at all. Spencer doubts that and sees 8K as more of a target technology:
“The display capabilities of devices aren’t really there yet. I think we’re years away from 8K – if at all – being the standard in video games.”
Otherwise, it is not assumed that 8K will become mainstream, which is why a hardware update of the next gen consoles is not really necessary:
Ray tracing has yet to prove itself
Spencer is also rather critical when it comes to ray tracing. The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S support the technology that “lifelike lighting, shadows and reflections” offers, but there is still room for improvement. When Wired approached him about PC Gamer’s statement that “Raytracing didn’t keep its promise,” he commented that it was “probably right”. He had “somehow spotty” experiences with ray tracing in games.
How do you feel about 8K and ray tracing? How do you think the technologies will develop and what is their value?
