Xbox Series X Has 12 Teraflops
Xbox Series X will have 12 teraflops of GPU power, support backwards compatibility back to original Xbox games, include hardware accelerated raytracing, supports up to 120 frames per second, and supports quick resume for multiple games simultaneously.
Those are just some of the technical specs of the new console listed by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer in an Xbox Newswire blogpost today. The post goes into detail on several key themes for Series X: power & speed, instant immersion and game compatibility. Much of what's being discussed has been touched on previously, but this is a more definitive, technical rundown of the console than in previous statements from Microsoft.
On power and speed, Spencer points out the Series X's custom AMD processor, capable of 12 teraflops of GPU performance, which he says will result in higher framerates and larger worlds. Alongside that, variable rate shading support will allow developers to prioritise how effects are applied to their games, resulting in "more stable frame rates and higher resolution, with no impact on the final image quality." Spencer also says that hardware-accelerated DirectX raytracing will be a first for consoles.
On instant immersion, Spencer points to the console's solid state drive (replacing the hard disc drives of previous Xbox consoles), which should improve load times. The console will also have a Quick Resume feature that allows you to re-enter suspended games with almost no wait times. Latency is seemingly being improved for both controllers and HDMI, and the console will support up to 120 frames per second.
On game compatibility, Spencer promises that all Xbox One games – as well as 360 and original Xbox games already supported by Xbox One – will work on Series X, and will benefit from the better hardware, with no developer work required. Spencer also announced Smart Delivery, which will allow games to be bought once and work across all compatible consoles, despite being technically different versions of the same game - this will apply to all Xbox Game Studios titles, and developers can even apply it to games they release on Series X later than Xbox One. Xbox Game Pass will continue to feature first party games at launch, and that includes Halo Infinite.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-console-power-levels-compared&captions=true"]
This news seemingly confirms a past leak that said Series X would have 12 teraflops. That leak also said that the PS5 would reach 9.2 teraflops (although that latter point remains unconfirmed). It's a jump from existing platforms: PS4 Pro has 4.2 teraflops, Xbox One X has 6, and Google Stadia is capable of up to 10.7 (but that's tempered by your internet speed).
Teraflops are a measure of trillions of Floating Pointing Operations Per Second (FLOPS). Essentially, this is a measure of how many complex calculations your machine can handle every second, allowing for more high-quality graphical output - in theory.
This is just one measure of console power, however, and doesn't take into account storage speed, CPU power or RAM - essentially, teraflops are a useful way of indicating an element of console power, but not the be-all and end-all. If you want a more complex rundown on just what a teraflop is and how, er, floppy(?) previous console generations have been, IGN Executive tech Editor Bo Moore went into more detail in a recent episode of Next-Gen Console Watch:
We still don't know how many terfalops the PlayStation 5 is packing, but you can see a full Xbox Series X vs. PlayStation 5 comparison chart that's continually updated with everything we know so far.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/next-gen-console-watch-how-powerful-ps5-xbox-series-x-may-be"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
On instant immersion, Spencer points to the console's solid state drive (replacing the hard disc drives of previous Xbox consoles), which should improve load times. The console will also have a Quick Resume feature that allows you to re-enter suspended games with almost no wait times. Latency is seemingly being improved for both controllers and HDMI, and the console will support up to 120 frames per second.
On game compatibility, Spencer promises that all Xbox One games – as well as 360 and original Xbox games already supported by Xbox One – will work on Series X, and will benefit from the better hardware, with no developer work required. Spencer also announced Smart Delivery, which will allow games to be bought once and work across all compatible consoles, despite being technically different versions of the same game - this will apply to all Xbox Game Studios titles, and developers can even apply it to games they release on Series X later than Xbox One. Xbox Game Pass will continue to feature first party games at launch, and that includes Halo Infinite.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-console-power-levels-compared&captions=true"]
This news seemingly confirms a past leak that said Series X would have 12 teraflops. That leak also said that the PS5 would reach 9.2 teraflops (although that latter point remains unconfirmed). It's a jump from existing platforms: PS4 Pro has 4.2 teraflops, Xbox One X has 6, and Google Stadia is capable of up to 10.7 (but that's tempered by your internet speed).
Teraflops are a measure of trillions of Floating Pointing Operations Per Second (FLOPS). Essentially, this is a measure of how many complex calculations your machine can handle every second, allowing for more high-quality graphical output - in theory.
This is just one measure of console power, however, and doesn't take into account storage speed, CPU power or RAM - essentially, teraflops are a useful way of indicating an element of console power, but not the be-all and end-all. If you want a more complex rundown on just what a teraflop is and how, er, floppy(?) previous console generations have been, IGN Executive tech Editor Bo Moore went into more detail in a recent episode of Next-Gen Console Watch:
We still don't know how many terfalops the PlayStation 5 is packing, but you can see a full Xbox Series X vs. PlayStation 5 comparison chart that's continually updated with everything we know so far.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/next-gen-console-watch-how-powerful-ps5-xbox-series-x-may-be"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]Xbox Series X Has 12 Teraflops
Xbox Series X will have 12 teraflops of GPU power, support backwards compatibility back to original Xbox games, include hardware accelerated raytracing, supports up to 120 frames per second, and supports quick resume for multiple games simultaneously.
Those are just some of the technical details of the new console listed by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer in an Xbox Newswire blogpost today. The post goes into detail on several key themes for Series X: power & speed, instant immersion and game compatibility. Much of what's being discussed has been touched on previously, but this is a more definitive, technical rundown of the console than in previous statements from Microsoft.
On power and speed, Spencer points out the Series X's custom AMD processor, capable of 12 teraflops of GPU performance, which he says will result in higher framerates and larger worlds. Alongside that, variable rate shading support will allow developers to prioritise how effects are applied to their games, resulting in "more stable frame rates and higher resolution, with no impact on the final image quality." Spencer also says that hardware-accelerated DirectX raytracing will be a first for consoles.
On instant immersion, Spencer points to the console's solid state drive (replacing the hard disc drives of previous Xbox consoles), which should improve load times. The console will also have a Quick Resume feature that allows you to re-enter suspended games with almost no wait times. Latency is seemingly being improved for both controllers and HDMI, and the console will support up to 120 frames per second.
On game compatibility, Spencer promises that all Xbox One games – as well as 360 and original Xbox games already supported by Xbox One – will work on Series X, and will benefit from the better hardware, with no developer work required. Spencer also announced Smart Delivery, which will allow games to be bought once and work across all compatible consoles, despite being technically different versions of the same game - this will apply to all Xbox Game Studios titles, and developers can even apply it to games they release on Series X later than Xbox One. Xbox Game Pass will continue to feature first party games at launch, and that includes Halo Infinite.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-console-power-levels-compared&captions=true"]
This news seemingly confirms a past leak that said Series X would have 12 teraflops. That leak also said that the PS5 would reach 9.2 teraflops (although that latter point remains unconfirmed). It's a jump from existing platforms: PS4 Pro has 4.2 teraflops, Xbox One X has 6, and Google Stadia is capable of up to 10.7 (but that's tempered by your internet speed).
Teraflops are a measure of trillions of Floating Pointing Operations Per Second (FLOPS). Essentially, this is a measure of how many complex calculations your machine can handle every second, allowing for more high-quality graphical output - in theory.
This is just one measure of console power, however, and doesn't take into account storage speed, CPU power or RAM - essentially, teraflops are a useful way of indicating an element of console power, but not the be-all and end-all. If you want a more complex rundown on just what a teraflop is and how, er, floppy(?) previous console generations have been, IGN Executive tech Edtor Bo Moore went into more detail in a recent episode of Next-Gen Console Watch:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/next-gen-console-watch-how-powerful-ps5-xbox-series-x-may-be"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
On instant immersion, Spencer points to the console's solid state drive (replacing the hard disc drives of previous Xbox consoles), which should improve load times. The console will also have a Quick Resume feature that allows you to re-enter suspended games with almost no wait times. Latency is seemingly being improved for both controllers and HDMI, and the console will support up to 120 frames per second.
On game compatibility, Spencer promises that all Xbox One games – as well as 360 and original Xbox games already supported by Xbox One – will work on Series X, and will benefit from the better hardware, with no developer work required. Spencer also announced Smart Delivery, which will allow games to be bought once and work across all compatible consoles, despite being technically different versions of the same game - this will apply to all Xbox Game Studios titles, and developers can even apply it to games they release on Series X later than Xbox One. Xbox Game Pass will continue to feature first party games at launch, and that includes Halo Infinite.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-console-power-levels-compared&captions=true"]
This news seemingly confirms a past leak that said Series X would have 12 teraflops. That leak also said that the PS5 would reach 9.2 teraflops (although that latter point remains unconfirmed). It's a jump from existing platforms: PS4 Pro has 4.2 teraflops, Xbox One X has 6, and Google Stadia is capable of up to 10.7 (but that's tempered by your internet speed).
Teraflops are a measure of trillions of Floating Pointing Operations Per Second (FLOPS). Essentially, this is a measure of how many complex calculations your machine can handle every second, allowing for more high-quality graphical output - in theory.
This is just one measure of console power, however, and doesn't take into account storage speed, CPU power or RAM - essentially, teraflops are a useful way of indicating an element of console power, but not the be-all and end-all. If you want a more complex rundown on just what a teraflop is and how, er, floppy(?) previous console generations have been, IGN Executive tech Edtor Bo Moore went into more detail in a recent episode of Next-Gen Console Watch:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/next-gen-console-watch-how-powerful-ps5-xbox-series-x-may-be"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]CD Projekt Red Is Europe’s Second Most Valuable Games Developer
CD Projekt Red is now the second most valuable game developer in the whole of Europe. This has been confirmed recently after the studio's market valuation surpassed $8 billion (via Reddit).
Can you guess which is the number one studio in Europe in terms of market valuation? It's Ubisoft, which is currently sitting pretty at $9.52 billion. CD Projekt Red isn't all that far behind now, though.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/19/how-does-the-witcher-3-run-on-switch"]
It's tricky to be sure exactly why the value of any company goes up or down, but you can have a good guess, especially when it comes to CD Projekt Red. For starters, the number of people playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt soared after the Netflix series launched.
This would suggest that sales of the game also got a boost, and that seems to be the case, given that CD Projekt Red recently announced that the game has made $50 million in revenue through Steam alone since October 2018. That number is significant as it's the threshold at which Valve's cut from a Steam game's revenue goes from 30% to 20%, meaning that CD Projekt Red make a bit more dosh from every sale of The Witcher 3 on Steam than before.
The Witcher 3 also released on Nintendo Switch recently and has probably been selling well on that platform, too. It's been made more appealing recently due to getting an update that improves the graphics as well as support for cross-saves with the PC version of the game.
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CD Projekt also has Cyberpunk 2077 on the way this year after being pushed back to September. Anticipation for the Polish studio's take on yet another popular franchise is likely also helping with the studio's current market valuation.
If that months-long wait is proving difficult for you, it's worth checking out these cyberpunk games in the meantime, as they provide plenty of future-tech dystopia between them.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
CD Projekt Red Is Europe’s Second Most Valuable Games Developer
CD Projekt Red is now the second most valuable game developer in the whole of Europe. This has been confirmed recently after the studio's market valuation surpassed $8 billion (via Reddit).
Can you guess which is the number one studio in Europe in terms of market valuation? It's Ubisoft, which is currently sitting pretty at $9.52 billion. CD Projekt Red isn't all that far behind now, though.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/19/how-does-the-witcher-3-run-on-switch"]
It's tricky to be sure exactly why the value of any company goes up or down, but you can have a good guess, especially when it comes to CD Projekt Red. For starters, the number of people playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt soared after the Netflix series launched.
This would suggest that sales of the game also got a boost, and that seems to be the case, given that CD Projekt Red recently announced that the game has made $50 million in revenue through Steam alone since October 2018. That number is significant as it's the threshold at which Valve's cut from a Steam game's revenue goes from 30% to 20%, meaning that CD Projekt Red make a bit more dosh from every sale of The Witcher 3 on Steam than before.
The Witcher 3 also released on Nintendo Switch recently and has probably been selling well on that platform, too. It's been made more appealing recently due to getting an update that improves the graphics as well as support for cross-saves with the PC version of the game.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=7-cyberpunk-games-to-play-while-youre-waiting-for-cyberpunk-2077&captions=true"]
CD Projekt also has Cyberpunk 2077 on the way this year after being pushed back to September. Anticipation for the Polish studio's take on yet another popular franchise is likely also helping with the studio's current market valuation.
If that months-long wait is proving difficult for you, it's worth checking out these cyberpunk games in the meantime, as they provide plenty of future-tech dystopia between them.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Marvel Boss Almost Quit Over Lack of Diversity, Says Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo has revealed that Marvel boss Kevin Feige almost quit while making The Avengers due to the lack of diversity and representation within the superhero franchise.
In an interview with The Independent, Ruffalo, who has played Bruce Banner and his Hulk alter-ego since 2012, recalled an early conversation that he had with Feige, in which the MCU helmer admitted he "might not be" around for much longer, as he planned to talk to Disney about the issue of why there were no female-led superhero movies.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/02/10-best-moments-in-avengers-endgame"]
"When we did the first Avengers, Kevin Feige told me, 'Listen, I might not be here tomorrow'," he said. "And he's like, 'Ike [Perlmutter, Disney's largest shareholder at the time] does not believe that anyone will go to a female-starring superhero movie. So if I am still here tomorrow, you will know that I won that battle.'"
With the battle clearly won by Feige, Ruffalo cites this pivotal moment as a "turning point" for Marvel as it triggered the studio's push towards greater inclusion and broader representation on screen, forever changing the MCU landscape.
"Kevin wanted black superheroes, women superheroes, LGBT superheroes," Ruffalo added. "He changed the whole Marvel universe. We now have a gay superhero on the way, we have black superheroes, we have female superheroes – Scarlett Johansson has her movie coming out, we have Captain Marvel, they are doing She-Hulk next.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-superhero-movies&captions=true"]
"No other studio is being that inclusive on that level," Ruffalo concluded. "They have to, though. This is the f***ing world."
Feige has since confirmed that LGBTQ+ representation is coming to the MCU's Phase 4, which is expected to officially kick off with the release of Black Widow on May 1, 2020, followed by The Eternals on November 6, 2020. The second of these two films will feature the MCU's first openly gay character in a large role.
"He's married. He's got a family. And that is just part of who he is," Feige told Good Morning America in August of last year.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-phase-4-official-lineup&captions=true"]
For more on the movies that are set to launch Phase 4, check out our breakdown of the first official Black Widow trailer and take a look at the poster for the film, then read through our detailed Marvel's Eternals Explained and The Deviants Explained features before checking out our breakdown of The Eternals' first trailer footage.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Marvel Boss Almost Quit Over Lack of Diversity, Says Mark Ruffalo
Mark Ruffalo has revealed that Marvel boss Kevin Feige almost quit while making The Avengers due to the lack of diversity and representation within the superhero franchise.
In an interview with The Independent, Ruffalo, who has played Bruce Banner and his Hulk alter-ego since 2012, recalled an early conversation that he had with Feige, in which the MCU helmer admitted he "might not be" around for much longer, as he planned to talk to Disney about the issue of why there were no female-led superhero movies.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/08/02/10-best-moments-in-avengers-endgame"]
"When we did the first Avengers, Kevin Feige told me, 'Listen, I might not be here tomorrow'," he said. "And he's like, 'Ike [Perlmutter, Disney's largest shareholder at the time] does not believe that anyone will go to a female-starring superhero movie. So if I am still here tomorrow, you will know that I won that battle.'"
With the battle clearly won by Feige, Ruffalo cites this pivotal moment as a "turning point" for Marvel as it triggered the studio's push towards greater inclusion and broader representation on screen, forever changing the MCU landscape.
"Kevin wanted black superheroes, women superheroes, LGBT superheroes," Ruffalo added. "He changed the whole Marvel universe. We now have a gay superhero on the way, we have black superheroes, we have female superheroes – Scarlett Johansson has her movie coming out, we have Captain Marvel, they are doing She-Hulk next.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-25-best-superhero-movies&captions=true"]
"No other studio is being that inclusive on that level," Ruffalo concluded. "They have to, though. This is the f***ing world."
Feige has since confirmed that LGBTQ+ representation is coming to the MCU's Phase 4, which is expected to officially kick off with the release of Black Widow on May 1, 2020, followed by The Eternals on November 6, 2020. The second of these two films will feature the MCU's first openly gay character in a large role.
"He's married. He's got a family. And that is just part of who he is," Feige told Good Morning America in August of last year.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-phase-4-official-lineup&captions=true"]
For more on the movies that are set to launch Phase 4, check out our breakdown of the first official Black Widow trailer and take a look at the poster for the film, then read through our detailed Marvel's Eternals Explained and The Deviants Explained features before checking out our breakdown of The Eternals' first trailer footage.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Kojima Productions Drops Out of GDC Due to Coronavirus
Kojima Productions, and Hideo Kojinma himself, have become the latest Game Developers Conference dropouts because of concerns around COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus).
In a short post on its English-language website, a spokesperson for the Death Stranding developer wrote:
"Kojima Productions has made the difficult decision to cancel our participation at the 2020 Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to novel coronavirus. Although much-anticipated, unfortunately this cancellation also includes Hideo Kojima’s session on the 19th and Eric Johnson’s session on the 16th."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/the-outer-worlds-switch-version-delayed-due-to-coronavirus"]
Kojima was due to present a talk about his design philosophy for Death Stranding at the show, in which the legendary director would "unravel this process through an analysis of the game's concept, theme, storytelling, game mechanics, and development, utilizing the overarching keyword of 'connection' as a framework."
It's the latest in a number of developer cancellations for upcoming public shows. PlayStation and Oculus have also pulled out of GDC, while PAX East has also been hit, with PlayStation and Square Enix among those who have changed plans around the event.
The mayor of Boston has since publicly called for PlayStation to reconsider its PAX East decision, saying it contributes to harmful stereotypes.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.
Kojima Productions Drops Out of GDC Due to Coronavirus
Kojima Productions, and Hideo Kojinma himself, have become the latest Game Developers Conference dropouts because of concerns around COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus).
In a short post on its English-language website, a spokesperson for the Death Stranding developer wrote:
"Kojima Productions has made the difficult decision to cancel our participation at the 2020 Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to novel coronavirus. Although much-anticipated, unfortunately this cancellation also includes Hideo Kojima’s session on the 19th and Eric Johnson’s session on the 16th."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/07/the-outer-worlds-switch-version-delayed-due-to-coronavirus"]
Kojima was due to present a talk about his design philosophy for Death Stranding at the show, in which the legendary director would "unravel this process through an analysis of the game's concept, theme, storytelling, game mechanics, and development, utilizing the overarching keyword of 'connection' as a framework."
It's the latest in a number of developer cancellations for upcoming public shows. PlayStation and Oculus have also pulled out of GDC, while PAX East has also been hit, with PlayStation and Square Enix among those who have changed plans around the event.
The mayor of Boston has since publicly called for PlayStation to reconsider its PAX East decision, saying it contributes to harmful stereotypes.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.
The Sony Xperia 1 II Looks Like the Best Smartphone Camera Yet
Sony has announced a new flagship smartphone called the Xperia 1 II and it packs the biggest camera sensor we’ve seen on a mobile device.
The Sony Xperia 1 II’s biggest headlining feature is it now features a 1/1.7-inch main image sensor, which also happens to sit behind a 24mm Zeiss lens that’s also been optically stabilized and specifically calibrated for this phone. It might only be a 12MP resolution sensor, but that big imaging chip is 50% larger than the 1/1.26-inch sensor you’ll find in most smartphone cameras today.
As always, a larger sensor absorbs more light to produces better low-light images with less noise—but it has also allowed Sony to integrate a faster focusing system as well.
With the larger imaging chip, Sony was also able to implement a larger dual-photo diode sensor. This technology already allowed the original Sony Xperia 1 to split each pixel on the sensor two photodiodes, which would receive light from separate angles and essentially act as a phase-detect autofocus system. The Sony Xperia 1 II features the same dual photodiode sensor focusing system, but now it covers 70% of the camera sensor.
What’s more, Sony has added a new 3D iToF sensor that calculates the time of flight from your phone to your subject (i.e. a person or building). With the expanded dual-photo diode and 3D iToF sensor combined, the new Xperia 1 II can give you constant autofocus and auto-exposure while you’re shooting. Additionally, Sony has ported the Real-time Eye AF feature from its mainstream cameras, so it can automatically lock focus onto both human or animal eyes while you're taking portraits or cat photos.
Sony has also expanded the burst shooting capabilities of the Sony Xperia 1 II, which can now shoot at up to 20fps with constant AF and AE enabled as well.
On top of the upgraded main camera, the Sony Xperia 1 II features another pair of 12MP sensors behind a 16mm ultrawide and 70mm telephoto lens. The ultrawide camera features its own dual-photo diode sensor, meanwhile, the telephoto can only use phase-detect autofocus but you do get OIS as with the main camera.
Like the iPhone 11 Pro, users will be able to smoothly zoom between the Xperia 1 II’s three focal lengths, which will come in handy when you’re shooting 4K 60p videos with this handset.
Cameras aside the Xperia 1 II features a familiar extra tall 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display following Sony’s 21:9 CinemaWide screen format. The chipset has also been upgraded to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The battery onboard Sony’s latest flagship is pretty average at a 4,000mAh capacity.
The Sony Xperia 1 II also sees the reintroduction of the 3.5mm audio jack with the addition of dual front-firing stereo speakers. Lastly, Sony has added a few gaming-focused features on the Xperia 1 II including motion blur reduction and enhanced touch sensitivity. Sony has also told us that it will announce a special collaboration with Call of Duty: Mobile at a later date.
Sony has yet to disclose pricing or availability information for the Sony Xperia 1 II, but we expect to hear an update any day now.
Users will be able to connect this phone directly to a Sony camera—from the brand's mirrorless cameras to its professional camcorders. While connected the Xperia Pro can be used as an external recorder and even stream video directly over the Internet.
As with the Xperia 1 II, Sony has yet to announce pricing or a release date for the Xperia Pro but we’re hoping to hear more soon.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
With the larger imaging chip, Sony was also able to implement a larger dual-photo diode sensor. This technology already allowed the original Sony Xperia 1 to split each pixel on the sensor two photodiodes, which would receive light from separate angles and essentially act as a phase-detect autofocus system. The Sony Xperia 1 II features the same dual photodiode sensor focusing system, but now it covers 70% of the camera sensor.
What’s more, Sony has added a new 3D iToF sensor that calculates the time of flight from your phone to your subject (i.e. a person or building). With the expanded dual-photo diode and 3D iToF sensor combined, the new Xperia 1 II can give you constant autofocus and auto-exposure while you’re shooting. Additionally, Sony has ported the Real-time Eye AF feature from its mainstream cameras, so it can automatically lock focus onto both human or animal eyes while you're taking portraits or cat photos.
Sony has also expanded the burst shooting capabilities of the Sony Xperia 1 II, which can now shoot at up to 20fps with constant AF and AE enabled as well.
On top of the upgraded main camera, the Sony Xperia 1 II features another pair of 12MP sensors behind a 16mm ultrawide and 70mm telephoto lens. The ultrawide camera features its own dual-photo diode sensor, meanwhile, the telephoto can only use phase-detect autofocus but you do get OIS as with the main camera.
Like the iPhone 11 Pro, users will be able to smoothly zoom between the Xperia 1 II’s three focal lengths, which will come in handy when you’re shooting 4K 60p videos with this handset.
Cameras aside the Xperia 1 II features a familiar extra tall 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display following Sony’s 21:9 CinemaWide screen format. The chipset has also been upgraded to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The battery onboard Sony’s latest flagship is pretty average at a 4,000mAh capacity.
The Sony Xperia 1 II also sees the reintroduction of the 3.5mm audio jack with the addition of dual front-firing stereo speakers. Lastly, Sony has added a few gaming-focused features on the Xperia 1 II including motion blur reduction and enhanced touch sensitivity. Sony has also told us that it will announce a special collaboration with Call of Duty: Mobile at a later date.
Sony has yet to disclose pricing or availability information for the Sony Xperia 1 II, but we expect to hear an update any day now.
Riding the 5G wave
If you were wondering why we didn’t mention the Xperia 1 II was a 5G phone, well that’s because it’s sticking to 4G. Sony is saving its 5G experience for a higher-end Xperia Pro. The Xperia Pro comes 5G ready with sub6 and mmWave radios, but it otherwise features the same specs as the Xperia 1 II from its cameras to an identical chipset. On other difference you might notice about Sony’s highest-end phone is it's a bit larger and that’s to make way for a more robust frame with a dedicated HDMI port.
Users will be able to connect this phone directly to a Sony camera—from the brand's mirrorless cameras to its professional camcorders. While connected the Xperia Pro can be used as an external recorder and even stream video directly over the Internet.
As with the Xperia 1 II, Sony has yet to announce pricing or a release date for the Xperia Pro but we’re hoping to hear more soon.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspamThe Sony Xperia 1 II Looks Like the Best Smartphone Camera Yet
Sony has announced a new flagship smartphone called the Xperia 1 II and it packs the biggest camera sensor we’ve seen on a mobile device.
The Sony Xperia 1 II’s biggest headlining feature is it now features a 1/1.7-inch main image sensor, which also happens to sit behind a 24mm Zeiss lens that’s also been optically stabilized and specifically calibrated for this phone. It might only be a 12MP resolution sensor, but that big imaging chip is 50% larger than the 1/1.26-inch sensor you’ll find in most smartphone cameras today.
As always, a larger sensor absorbs more light to produces better low-light images with less noise—but it has also allowed Sony to integrate a faster focusing system as well.
With the larger imaging chip, Sony was also able to implement a larger dual-photo diode sensor. This technology already allowed the original Sony Xperia 1 to split each pixel on the sensor two photodiodes, which would receive light from separate angles and essentially act as a phase-detect autofocus system. The Sony Xperia 1 II features the same dual photodiode sensor focusing system, but now it covers 70% of the camera sensor.
What’s more, Sony has added a new 3D iToF sensor that calculates the time of flight from your phone to your subject (i.e. a person or building). With the expanded dual-photo diode and 3D iToF sensor combined, the new Xperia 1 II can give you constant autofocus and auto-exposure while you’re shooting. Additionally, Sony has ported the Real-time Eye AF feature from its mainstream cameras, so it can automatically lock focus onto both human or animal eyes while you're taking portraits or cat photos.
Sony has also expanded the burst shooting capabilities of the Sony Xperia 1 II, which can now shoot at up to 20fps with constant AF and AE enabled as well.
On top of the upgraded main camera, the Sony Xperia 1 II features another pair of 12MP sensors behind a 16mm ultrawide and 70mm telephoto lens. The ultrawide camera features its own dual-photo diode sensor, meanwhile, the telephoto can only use phase-detect autofocus but you do get OIS as with the main camera.
Like the iPhone 11 Pro, users will be able to smoothly zoom between the Xperia 1 II’s three focal lengths, which will come in handy when you’re shooting 4K 60p videos with this handset.
Cameras aside the Xperia 1 II features a familiar extra tall 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display following Sony’s 21:9 CinemaWide screen format. The chipset has also been upgraded to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The battery onboard Sony’s latest flagship is pretty average at a 4,000mAh capacity.
The Sony Xperia 1 II also sees the reintroduction of the 3.5mm audio jack with the addition of dual front-firing stereo speakers. Lastly, Sony has added a few gaming-focused features on the Xperia 1 II including motion blur reduction and enhanced touch sensitivity. Sony has also told us that it will announce a special collaboration with Call of Duty: Mobile at a later date.
Sony has yet to disclose pricing or availability information for the Sony Xperia 1 II, but we expect to hear an update any day now.
Users will be able to connect this phone directly to a Sony camera—from the brand's mirrorless cameras to its professional camcorders. While connected the Xperia Pro can be used as an external recorder and even stream video directly over the Internet.
As with the Xperia 1 II, Sony has yet to announce pricing or a release date for the Xperia Pro but we’re hoping to hear more soon.
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Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
With the larger imaging chip, Sony was also able to implement a larger dual-photo diode sensor. This technology already allowed the original Sony Xperia 1 to split each pixel on the sensor two photodiodes, which would receive light from separate angles and essentially act as a phase-detect autofocus system. The Sony Xperia 1 II features the same dual photodiode sensor focusing system, but now it covers 70% of the camera sensor.
What’s more, Sony has added a new 3D iToF sensor that calculates the time of flight from your phone to your subject (i.e. a person or building). With the expanded dual-photo diode and 3D iToF sensor combined, the new Xperia 1 II can give you constant autofocus and auto-exposure while you’re shooting. Additionally, Sony has ported the Real-time Eye AF feature from its mainstream cameras, so it can automatically lock focus onto both human or animal eyes while you're taking portraits or cat photos.
Sony has also expanded the burst shooting capabilities of the Sony Xperia 1 II, which can now shoot at up to 20fps with constant AF and AE enabled as well.
On top of the upgraded main camera, the Sony Xperia 1 II features another pair of 12MP sensors behind a 16mm ultrawide and 70mm telephoto lens. The ultrawide camera features its own dual-photo diode sensor, meanwhile, the telephoto can only use phase-detect autofocus but you do get OIS as with the main camera.
Like the iPhone 11 Pro, users will be able to smoothly zoom between the Xperia 1 II’s three focal lengths, which will come in handy when you’re shooting 4K 60p videos with this handset.
Cameras aside the Xperia 1 II features a familiar extra tall 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display following Sony’s 21:9 CinemaWide screen format. The chipset has also been upgraded to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The battery onboard Sony’s latest flagship is pretty average at a 4,000mAh capacity.
The Sony Xperia 1 II also sees the reintroduction of the 3.5mm audio jack with the addition of dual front-firing stereo speakers. Lastly, Sony has added a few gaming-focused features on the Xperia 1 II including motion blur reduction and enhanced touch sensitivity. Sony has also told us that it will announce a special collaboration with Call of Duty: Mobile at a later date.
Sony has yet to disclose pricing or availability information for the Sony Xperia 1 II, but we expect to hear an update any day now.
Riding the 5G wave
If you were wondering why we didn’t mention the Xperia 1 II was a 5G phone, well that’s because it’s sticking to 4G. Sony is saving its 5G experience for a higher-end Xperia Pro. The Xperia Pro comes 5G ready with sub6 and mmWave radios, but it otherwise features the same specs as the Xperia 1 II from its cameras to an identical chipset. On other difference you might notice about Sony’s highest-end phone is it's a bit larger and that’s to make way for a more robust frame with a dedicated HDMI port.
Users will be able to connect this phone directly to a Sony camera—from the brand's mirrorless cameras to its professional camcorders. While connected the Xperia Pro can be used as an external recorder and even stream video directly over the Internet.
As with the Xperia 1 II, Sony has yet to announce pricing or a release date for the Xperia Pro but we’re hoping to hear more soon.
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Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam