Microsoft's Xbox Series X aims to make game file sizes as small as possible to help users maximize storage, another shot in the arm against Sony's PS5.

In an interview with Gamespot, Jason Ronald, director of program management for Xbox, discussed how Microsoft's new console will use its internal SSD as efficiently as possible. Specifically, the Series X will use compression technology. [Even the Xbox One X's terabyte drive can fill up quickly if you download a group of triple-A games. So a way to reduce the size of games could be welcome news for those considering purchasing the next-generation Xbox.

Ronald explained that the Xbox Series X will use a new codec to further compress texture data; the BCPack codec takes the standard "block compression" in the gaming industry and adds more compression.

This effectively reduces the "actual size of the assets," resulting in games that use less storage space and less memory, effectively improving overall performance.

Ronald also noted that the Xbox Series X allows games to be downloaded in a fragmented format. While this has proven to be good for those who only want to access either the multiplayer or single-player mode of a game, but not both,

Ronald explained that this feature has been taken even further.

"Developers can also take advantage of the platform's ability to install only a portion of the game that the player needs, thereby minimizing the amount of content that needs to be installed or downloaded to the SSD. We offer many tools to help them become more efficient," Ronald said.

"If it's an English language console, they shouldn't have to devote space to a French or Spanish audio file.

Certainly, these enhancements won't stop the console's storage from filling up quickly if you have several big games installed on the console. Says Ronald, "At the end of the day, there is no silver bullet."

He also said that despite these efforts, there is no pressure on game developers to intentionally make their games smaller." We do not want to arbitrarily constrain the world that developers want to create, but at the same time make it clear that gamers also do not want to download a 300 GB game."

Both the Xbox Series X and its rival, the PS5, are slated to arrive this November. Both will offer numerous upgrades over the Xbox One and PS4, including ray-tracing graphics and custom SSD storage.