I can’t quite believe it’s the best feature of the Xbox Series S
I’m obsessed with the weakest feature of the Xbox Series S.
After buying the console at a bargain price, I did what many new Xbox owners did: subscribed to the Xbox Game Pass and downloaded an exorbitant amount of games that far exceeded the number I could reasonably commit. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Doom Eternal, Sniper Elite 5, and even Fable and some other 360 era classics. I downloaded them all before happily jumping between them – no matter how big my backlog of partially completed games got .
But that’s just that – I rushed between them. Not switched, not swapped, didn’t wait long for each of them to be loaded. Thanks to the fast-resume feature on the Xbox Series S, I whizzed between them at the rate Lee Van Cleef could unload the six-shooter – a matter of seconds.
Not the sexiest feature of the console, and even the one that appeared in subdued form on the Xbox One, Quick Resume has quickly become a standout component of the Xbox Series X | S. With this feature, you can automatically save up to three suspended games, so you can come back to them exactly where you left off. You don’t need to sit on loading screens or navigate through the main menus – launching a frozen game will bring you back into action almost instantly.
It sounds pretty cliche, but it solved one of the most boring aspects of console gaming. Loading screens can sometimes offer gameplay tips or present interesting concept art to stare at, but they’re not half a mood killer.
When I played Mass Effect 2 on the PS3 almost 10 years ago, the initial loading screen was so long that I read almost every anthology of Gary Larson’s Far Side comic in my complete gameplay. While the Normandy crew were worried about the Illusive Man’s hidden motivations, I kept thinking about the anthropomorphic cows and the surreal single-panel word game.
More likely, I’ll jump into a quick Fall Guys round to end the game session
However, the fast resume feature has not only made my game library easily accessible, it has also changed the way I use it. I’m more likely to jump into the Fall Guys quick round to end my game session knowing that I won’t have to wait half as long for the game to load than I will have to flip through the assault track. Now I hardly have time to read my WhatsApp messages before loading the game, let alone coming up with a new costume to wear for my bean.
I haven’t reached the zenith of fast loading video games yet. As one investigative Xbox gamer discovered earlier this year, you can remap the share button on your Xbox controller to open a few games of your choice. Remap it to open suspended games with Quick Resume, and you’ll have an easy way to instantly switch between your favorite games, all at the tip of your thumb. Indeed, gaming hardware has grown in popularity.
