Cloud-computing

Microsoft talked up the cloud-computing abilities of the Xbox One at E3 in terms of how it could enhance many types of games. Forza, for example, has the ‘Drivertar’ feature, which uploads player behaviour to the cloud in order to teach the game’s AI to drive more like a human. So, for example, a friend could race against a virtual imprint of you, in order to practice facing you in proper competition. This could theoretically be applied to something like FIFA, say, allowing you to brush up on your opponent’s tactics. Respawn have talked up the ‘cloud’ in relation to improving Titanfall. It’s all a little wishy-washy when it comes to describing the benefits, but in practice this could be an incredibly important part of the next-generation. For a tangible, non-game example, we were shown some NASA data, rendering our galaxy. The Xbox One console can generate, locally, 40,000 asteroid positions. With the cloud enabled, the extra computing performed over the internet can generate 330,000 asteroids on your screen. Not the most thrilling example, I grant you, but the number crunching gives you an idea of the extra processing power.