This year will find gamers presented with a feast of epic proportions, with the official launch of a new console generation. Both Sony’s PS5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X are tapped to arrive before the holiday season, and while the former has kept official announcements close to the chest, Microsoft has been forthcoming about . This week, Head Of Xbox Phil Spencer penned a letter to the gaming community, revealing new information about some of the key features Series X has to offer. 

Explaining that Series X will have quadruple the processing power of its predecessor Xbox One, Spencer cites higher frame-rates and more expansive open-worlds as one of the immediate benefits. The presence of DirectX Raytracing will also help deliver hyper-realistic lighting and sound effects, music to the ears of graphic-snobs worldwide. Not to mention the console’s Solid State Drive, which will render load-times all but obsolete. 

Yet some of the most enticing features come by way of quality-of-life changes. The newly implemented Quick Resume will allow players to run multiple games at once and switch between them at their load-free leisure; no closing necessary, making game-jumping a seamless process. Naturally, many are excited to see full Backward Compatibility, with Series X promising “four generations of consoles” stretching back to the OG Xbox and the Xbox 360 — expect load-time benefits to shine here. Last but certainly not least is Smart Delivery, a truly appealing feature that ensues gamers will have to buy a game once and once alone; all subsequent improved versions will be included with the initial purchase. In other words, no more double-dipping on remasters — we can only hope Sony follows suit in that regard.

Check out Spencer’s full open letter right here, and sound off — are you ready and willing to shell out the major ducats when Xbox Series X lands later this year?