One of the most-appreciated new features to be implemented with the current-gen Xbox Series X|S console is Quick Resume. The feature allows gamers to exit a game without losing progress and instantly pick back up right where they left off. (Note that many but not all games support Quick Resume).
The PlayStation 5 and even the Nintendo Switch have features that allow the system to go into a low-power mode without losing game progress. However, neither has the Quick Resume instant startup. In the case of the PS5 Switcher, it allows users to swap between recently used apps and games without navigating back to the Home screen, but lacks the save states used by Quick Resume, meaning instead the games and apps reboot normally.
Microsoft Head of Xbox Software Roanne Sloanes recently said something that suggests Quick Resume might be coming to Windows, as pointed out by Tom Warren of The Verge.
Microsoft dropping hints that it’s thinking about bringing Xbox Quick Resume or something similar to Windows. This would be great for PC gamers. Here’s Roanne Soanes, head of Xbox hardware, discussing improving the Windows experience here pic.twitter.com/8eT87PhYoy
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) May 11, 2023
“How do we think about the idea of you start on your PC and then you just want to take this with you and you want to pick up where you left off and you want to be immediately ready to go…How do we think about integrating this into the Windows platform?”
It seems likely the new DirectStorage feature would play a part in making this happen. No doubt this would be a great boon for PC gamers. While Alt+Tab is always an option, a genuine Quick Resume feature would naturally be a more resource-efficient one.