At this year’s Game Developers Conference, Microsoft laid out the plans for its upcoming DirectX 12 release for Windows and Xbox One. Developers will be able to use these new APIs to boost performance when DX12 is release in the fall of 2015, but will it make a meaningful difference? Is this the magic bullet the Xbox One needs for 1080p releases? Unfortunately, the men and women in the trenches don’t seem to think so.In an interview with GamingBolt, CD Projekt RED’s Balázs Török expresses his skepticism in regard to DirectX 12’s impact on resolution. He claims that many games on the Xbox One fail to run smoothly at 1080p because of the “additional load on the shading units.” For games bottlenecked by the Xbox One’s limited number of GPU cores, Török maintains that the move to DirectX 12 “is not going to change anything.” Developers might be able to squeeze out better performance elsewhere, but there is only so much that can be done with the hardware they’re working with.
Török’s claims aren’t exactly controversial, mind you. Just last month, Xbox head Phil Spencer downplayed the potential performance boost we can expect to see out of DirectX 12 on the Xbox One. Better APIs will make developing for the Xbox One an easier task, but without a hardware upgrade, Microsoft’s console simply won’t stand up to the PS4 graphically.The truth is, the PS4 is handily outperforming the Xbox One in terms of horsepower and unit sales. If Microsoft wants to turn the tables, it needs to forget about trying to keep up graphically with the PS4, and focus on making big-name exclusives for the Xbox One. As we’ve mentioned before, one of the most reliable ways to spike console sales is with the launch of AAA titles.Redmond can’t rely on the Kinect to set itself apart from Sony anymore, so it all comes down to exclusive content. Multi-platform games like Call of Duty or Destiny are almost certainly going to perform better on the PS4, so Microsoft needs to double down on first-party content.
Sure, Halo and Gears of War will definitely move consoles, but MS is going to need a lot more than a handful of old franchises for the Xbox One to be a long-term success. If we don’t see a glut of big announcements and a swift uptick in sales in the next year or so, Microsoft might just go down in history as the second company that Sony knocked out of the console market.New gameplay trailer for LEGO Jurassic world confirms June 12 release date In case you missed it, LEGO Jurassic World is jam packed full of dinosaurs, as demonstrated by the new gameplay trailer. The dinosaurs are big, small, scary, friendly, angry, and goofy. There are baby dinos and flying dinos, but best of all, you can play as one. There will be four adventures based on Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III and the upcoming Jurassic World. LEGO Jurassic World will drop on June 12 for every Xbox and PlayStation format, Wii U, 3DS, and PC. Torment: Tides of Numenera: after four years of waiting, it’s out today – get all the scores here
Pokemon Go: how to evolve Slowpoke into SlowKing, Poliwhirl into Politoed using King’s Rock Pokemon Go: how to evolve Scyther into Scizor, Onix into Steelix using Metal Coat Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.The Xbox One has hit the shelves and those lucky enough to have a console on launch day must decide what games are worth getting. Whether it's showing off the best graphics, or picking the best shooter, MailOnline runs the rule over the top launch titles.Ryse: Son of Rome (Best visuals)Its development has been plagued with issues - notably moving from a Kinect-centered game to a third-person hack and slash. Combat is extremely repetitive, enemies all look the same and game menus are bewildering. Stunning: there is no doubting just how good Ryse looks in parts - especially this early battle scene Those issues aside, there's still a lot of fun to be had here.
Using a more primitive version of a combat system found in the likes of Assassin's Creed - melee revolves around countering enemy blows before unleashing various sword attacks.When their health is low, you can execute them in a variety of ways - ranging from severing limbs clean off, to a quick slit of the throat. All these are rendered in eye-popping detail thanks to the CryEngine 3. Graphically it's mostly stunning. The early levels, in particular, will leave most in awe of the sheer scale of the battles. It does, however, taper off towards the end - a town-based level in particular, looks unfinished and shrouded in fog. Level design is to be desired, too. You're never really given the chance to explore the wonderfully-realized environments - rather, you're shunted along from one battle to the next. It's a shame, given that some of the most memorable parts of Ryse's storyline are away from the monotonous combat. Hack and slash: combat does get repetitive, but the execution mechanic is still quite enjoyable
Controls are responsive enough (although the lack of a jump button may annoy) while the optional function of shouting orders through Kinect isn't as smooth as it should be.Still, if you want a game that looks very pretty...No launch title on Xbox One perhaps best shows off the console's power more than Forza. With more than 200 photo-realistic cars, 14 circuits and stunning full HD graphics, there is plenty under Forza's hood to hit the right (engine) notes with race fans. Running at 60 frames per second (last-gen games usually ran at 30FPS), racing is incredibly smooth and environments, stunning.You'll often be asking that yourself when looking at Forza's glorious visuals On close inspection, some of the minor details - such as vegetation and trees - still look extremely dated, but you'll be whizzing past them so quickly, it's unlikely to bother you. The nifty Drivatar feature lets you upload your driving to the Xbox One cloud - recording intricate details about how you drive so that other people around the world can challenge a virtual 'you' to a race, any time they like.
Killer Instinct (Best beat-em-up - it's the only one so far!)It may lack a single-player mode and a vast array of characters to choose from, but this resurrection of a Nintendo 64 classic is still great fun. Plus, it's FREE if you're happy to play as one character. If you want more, you have buy them. At launch, the full-game comes with six characters, with eight more soon after as downloadable content. Fight club: there is no single player campaign, with gameplay centering around taking on human foes Combat is frenetic, focusing on a breaker system and 'locking' into combination chains.It takes some time to master, but it's incredibly satisfying when you string together moves. Graphically, apart from solid 60fps frame rate and the odd finely-detailed particle, there's nothing really 'next-gen' about the visuals. It's still pleasing on the eye, though, and great fun with a friend.Battlefield 4 (Best first-person shooter)This may have been out for a while on last-gen, but if you haven't played it on PC, it'll be worth a look on Xbox One.
If you're into your multiplayer gaming, the Xbox One version can house 64 players per server - doubling that found in last generation's version. Fall of Duty: the next-gen version of Battlefield looks stunning - thanks to a full-fat Frostbite 3 Engine The campaign looks much better, too, thanks to a full-fat Frostbite 3 Engine - not the scaled down version used on Xbox 360 and PS3. There are still problems in the single-player campaign with the AI, though. Enemies will run right past your teammates and make a beeline for you, take cover right next to your squad mates and launch grenades at every given minute. But these gripes don't massively detract from the experience. Battlefield 4 is a compelling package - and more than worthy of checking out on Xbox One. FIFA 14 (Best sports game)If you have this for last-gen consoles, then there's very little point picking this up at launch. Graphics are sharper, thanks to EA's Ignite Engine, and the game runs more smoothly. That being said, multiplayer matches may be harder to pin down, given that most people will be playing on Xbox 360 still.
Back of the net: but apart from the odd visuals tweak, stick with your last-gen copy of the game if you have it Other sports games such as NBA2K14, though, look noticeably better on the Xbox One - and should be considered if you're after something different.Lego: Marvel Superheroes (Best kids' game)It looked stunning on the last crop of consoles, and looks even better on Xbox One. Yes, TT Games have delivered another brilliant LEGO game - and thanks to an impressive roster of heroes, including the X-Men, Iron Man and the Hulk - it's sure to be a hit with comic book fans old and young. Awesome: it already looked great on last-gen, but Marvel Superheroes looks its best on Xbox One The best LEGO game yet...and essential if you don't own it yet.Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (Best adventure game)Black Flag may seem like an act of desperation from Ubisoft, hoping to get the Assassin’s Creed franchise back on track, but this is the best Assassin’s Creed title to date and
one of the finest releases we’ve seen in 2013. Whale of a time: Black Flag is a great game, but it's worth experiencing how the developers intended it to look On Xbox One, there's a host of next-gen features, thanks to Direct X 11. Expect the game to look sharper and run at 60FPS. Indeed, the difference is so stark, that it may be worth trading in your current copy and upgrading... especially if you're still early on in the game.Microsoft have a wide range of games available to suit all tastes. But don't forget the Xbox 360. For those put off by the hefty £429 price tag, the 360 offers an enormous games library for a fraction of the price.Top titles such as Grand Theft Auto 5, Halo 4, Red Dead Redemption and Deus Ex: Human Revolution can be picked up quite cheaply, and are better quality games than all of the launch titles.Plus, Microsoft will still make games for the 360 for a couple more years, so you'll never really be out of the loop if you opt for / stick with the older hardware.