Microsoft Addresses Xbox Series X Quick Resume Bugs And Lagging Performance In Legacy Games
For the few that have an Xbox Series X sitting in their entertainment center, you may have noticed some rather annoying glitches that are affecting gameplay. While Microsoft has already pushed out a couple of system updates to address bugs that have cropped up after launch, at least two are still outstanding. During Larry Hyrb's (aka Major Nelson) official Xbox podcast, Jason Ronald, who serves as the Xbox Director of Program Management, said that they have pinpointed the issues that gamers have been encountering with Quick Resume.
Quick Resume Has Not Been The Claimed Time Saver For Many Gamers
For those not in the know, Quick Resume is an Xbox Series S/X exclusive feature that allows gamers to suspend several [supported] games right where you left off. You can then start a different game or another task, and come right back to the same point in your previous game without dealing with load screens or pulling up a savegame slot to slow you down. For some games, Quick Resume has not functioned properly at all, or has been inconsistent in its operation.
Demo of Quick Resume between multiple titles on Xbox Series S from r/XboxSeriesX
So, Microsoft is instead disabling the systemwide Quick Resume, and only allowing it to work with games that have been officially cleared to properly support the feature. At this time, there are nearly two dozen games that can properly take advantage of Quick Resume, and that list will only grow as more developers get used to the platform and the unique features that it brings to the table. As for all-new games that will launch for the platform going forward, chances are that they will fully support Quick Resume without any fuss.
Microsoft Addresses Perceived Xbox Series X Performance Shortfalls Vs. PS5
The other issue that Ronald addressed has to do with overall performance of the Xbox Series S/X with legacy [cross-generation] games... at least compared to the PlayStation 5. It has been well documented that the Xbox Series X lags behind the PlayStation 5 in performance on many titles despite the Xbox Series X "technically" having superior hardware under the hood. Ronald, however, seemed to suggest that this is not the fault of the Xbox Series S/X or the system software, but something that is traced back to each individual developer.
"There's different kinds of issues that can come up as developers are starting to learn and take advantage of this platform," said Ronald. "In some cases, they're just simply bugs in the titles - and we've partnered very closely with them, and the developers will go in and fix those bugs."
We’re still early on in the lifecycle of the Xbox Series S/X, so these issues are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. As we saw with the Xbox One before it, once developers get comfortable with the platform, they will extract every ounce of performance out of their games with the hardware provided, and will make the most of all available features. We have the feeling that developers will iron out these problems sooner rather than later; probably well before the time when the average gamer can actually walk into a retail store and actually purchase an Xbox Series X without having to camp out days in advance.
