Xbox chief Phil Spencer spoke with Kotaku about the new consoles Series X and Series S. He admits extra effort for developers, as both consoles have different performance metrics. At the same time, he emphasizes the advantages of a Series S.
What makes the Series S so interesting? The Series S is the smaller sibling of the new Xbox Series X. It lacks a Blu-ray drive, has 500 GB of storage, and features slightly weaker hardware.
The weaker hardware means that game developers face additional challenges. Spencer acknowledges this point and says: “Absolutely, it’s work. There’s no doubt about it.” There are significant differences between the consoles, and it is not the same whether you develop for “one spec or for two”.
Nevertheless, he sees advantages in the smaller console:
- It is significantly cheaper at 300 euros and is therefore aimed at players who want to acquire a secondary device alongside the PS5 or PC.
- It is still supposed to offer “stunning games”.
- The Series S is expected to even perform better in certain situations than the Series X.
In the last point, Spencer specifically refers to loading times and performance in games.
Better loading times through lower graphics
What does the Xbox chief mean exactly? Because graphics on the Xbox Series S are displayed at a lower resolution and it forgoes 4K, the same games are expected to load faster than on the more expensive console.
And loading times already play an important role in the “console feeling”, which has been praised by many testers.
Spencer also emphasizes that the games should still look great:
I am not worried. I believe we have already proven on PC that you can absolutely get stunning-looking games on great hardware and that these games are scalable to the capabilities of the hardware.
Phil Spencer in an interview with Kotaku
Better sales through lower price?
How much does Spencer believe in the Series S? In the interview, Spencer emphasizes that the Xbox Series X is “a beast” and will sell better at first because “early adopters” prefer this console.
However, over the next few years, the chief expects a different trend:
I think our expectation over the course of the generation is that price really matters and that the Series S will sell more.
Phil Spencer in an interview with Kotaku
Whether the Series S actually sells as well and whether it can convince, we will likely only find out after the release on November 10, 2020.
Those who want to pre-order an Xbox Series X or a PS5 until then will likely need a lot of luck and timing. Currently, it does not seem that another pre-order wave for the next-gen consoles will come.
