Stay with me on this one, but I want to put it to you… the Xbox One gamer… how important do you think DX12 is? Now this is just a piece to promote debate. Get the thoughts flowing and not bring out the trolls from under their bridge. I’m writing this as a gamer, not a journalist, not from an industry perspective, just a gamer.
So what really matters to me as a gamer? GAMES. I consider myself to be a fairly old gamer (I’m 33 btw). Most people 5-10 years older than me don’t care about video games, and most younger than me are really into them. Its a culture and form of entertainment that seems to have aged with me, especially console gaming. I remember my very first console was actually a Commodore 64 Games System, so it shows I have been about a while. In all my time as a gamer I have never had to sit and think about what a new API can bring to my enjoyment of games..until now.
Technically DX12 is set to do great things. Microsoft truly are the bomb when it comes to software development, and no doubt it will have some impact on the Xbox One’s performance. My question is…do we need to be overly concerned? Games for me are judged on how much I enjoy them. Not what everybody else thinks. Not what the media thinks. Not what the fanboys think. ME. The sheer amount of negativity surrounding the performance of the Xbox One created by major media outlets, and the vile comments I see everyday on Twitter from the fanboys on both sides makes me shake my head so much it may fall off one day soon. This isn’t what gaming is about for me. As a gamer all I want is good games to play on my console, and for me the Xbox One already delivers that without DX12.
Now I know the console war exists. I know the generation before this, it existed. Going even further back it was probably worse when Sega and Nintendo were at each others throats, and it will never end in the near future. The competition is truly great for the industry, it keeps the market robust and more importantly it keeps console gaming much cheaper than PC. Sony have gone all out this gen on the console and future peripherals such as Morpheus. Nintendo have almost cult following, and although they don’t have the superior hardware right now, they have the games many go to them for. There has literally never been a better time to be a console gamer, and that is also true if you have an Xbox One.
What makes me turn my Xbox One on everyday (*cough* apart from the need to watch TV in the morning) GAMES. As a gamer I enjoy games, all genres (except beat em up) whether I’m fighting in a Titan, or exploring the afterlife with a Princess (Child of Light). Xbox One has already showcased some really great games both multi-plat and exclusive. Titanfall for example has provided me with hours of fun. It felt innovative, fun, and is still one of the smoothest games I have ever played. EVER. Was it a graphical powerhouse? NO. Would I have more fun if it looked a bit better? NO. That’s the point. If a game is fun, literally not ONE f**k is given on how a trees shadow looks, or how many cracks are on a house brick compared to the competition. Sunset Overdrive has stunned critics with how good it plays and how refreshing the gameplay feels. Forza Horizon 2 and Ryse are classic examples of how good the Xbox One can make games look, so what’s the big deal?
I personally play Xbox because its where my friends are at, and where the most exclusives I’m interested in lie. Its a great console and one I have already had hours of fun playing. Did I ever sit playing Battlefield 4 thinking “hmmm this is a slightly better resolution on the PS4”? No did I fuck! I thought “holy shit I’ve been shot by a camping son of a bitch yet again despite playing conquest”. And its probably the same the other way around for PlayStation gamers. They don’t care its in a higher resolution, they play it because its fun. Did I think “this game would be so much better with DX12?” NO! Because A- I don’t really know what it brings to the table, and B- I don’t care! I really enjoy the games as they are, and that is where the importance lies. Lets be honest for one moment as well, the performance difference that fuels this console war isn’t exactly the gulf some believe. Its certainly not as evident as between last and current gen, and DX12 wont improve the Xbox One to look far superior to PS4. Media and Fanboys flame the console war. It makes the trolls feel superior behind their keyboards, and it provides click bait hits for the main sites. PERIOD.
The need for DX12 to make the Xbox One become some sort of super console is fuelled by the media and trolls. Most gamers want what’s really important… great games to play on their console, and on that front Xbox One delivers already. It doesn’t need a boost to have great games, and neither does the competition for that matter. If DX12 brings improvements to how innovative devs can make a game, or how they can utilise tools for that development then great. That would certainly be a plus. I play Xbox One because I enjoy the games on the platform, an whether your a gamer on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo or PC just enjoy YOUR choice of platform for the games you love.
Please feel free to leave a comment below, or like always hit the forums. No trolls or calling each other names please, I have the ability to IP ban you 😉
#XboxOn
Liam (@XboxMadUk)
Liam (@XboxMADUk) contributed 10 articles to ICXM in 2015, covering Xbox news with a focus on hands-on impressions and verified-source reporting. Their bylines on the site span the Xbox One’s first full year of post-launch coverage, including the early days of Backwards Compatibility and Windows 10 gaming. They post on X as @xboxmaduk.