Size may not be as unimportant as it is popularly believed, at least in the case of the Xbox Series X. The fact that it is much more powerful than its predecessors — eight times moreso than the Xbox One, to be precise — also means it uses more power than any other console, thus creating more heat. The massive console that’s double the size of Xbox One will most likely host more sophisticated cooling technology to evade the overheating problems that the 360 was infamous for.

Microsoft believes the Xbox Series X will be the most powerful next-gen console, and they’ve certainly done as much as they could to ensure that. However, processor fabrication technology isn’t really up to par for what Microsoft needed for this project, so they did the next logical thing: they just… put more stuff in it. And while this doesn’t necessarily double the size of the console — after all, transistors tend to be pretty tiny — the significant increase in power means an equivalent increase of heat, and it is expected that the Series X will use double the power of the One X. Therefore, the new console will need to hold a bunch of components that can help cool the internal temperature.

First reported by Eurogamer, the upcoming console is set to redefine the limits of console gaming. Aside from incredible features, considered “beyond what we currently know as reasonable limits for console design,” it is also expected to completely remove loading times. Truly a momentous day for all gamers out there. This may also translate into a matching price tag. Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox and Executive Vice President of Gaming at Microsoft, previously told the publication that they would not “sacrifice performance for the sake of price.”

The Xbox Series X was also confirmed to have a maximum resolution of 8K and a 120Hz limit, and games may opt to go for 120 fps for this console and lure more PC gamers to this so-called “dark side.” Another interesting potential feature is variable rate shading, or VRS. It simply means that not every area of the screen will be rendered with the same precision. Oddly enough, this technology works because the human eye is equally imperfect at this job. In fact, the concept was already implemented by the likes of Wolfenstein: Youngblood, and it was proven to increase performance.

All in all, the Series X is expected to be a colossus in its field — not just in size, but with its power consumption as well. So buckle up and start saving now, because you’ll need way more than just what you’re going to spend on the console itself. You’ll also need a savings account to cover your electricity bill.

Source: EuroGamer