By Antonio G. Di Benedetto, a writer covering tech deals and The Verge’s Deals newsletter, buying guides, and gift guides. Previously, he spent 15 years in the photography industry.
Is The Xbox Series S “Holding Back” Game Industry?
31.07.2023 - 21:25 / gameranx.com / Xbox Series / Series S
From the moment Microsoft entered the video game console wars, they made their intentions very clear regarding what aspect of game design and development they wanted to focus on. By that, we mean that they wanted to compete with Sony for the title of “best graphics on a system,” and they wanted to have a large internet presence that would help gamers play in ways they couldn’t do before. To their credit, they’ve kept to that mantra. However, one-half of their newest system, the Xbox Series S, has gotten flak from many due to its limitations on the hardware front.
For those unaware, the Xbox Series S was meant to be the “more affordable” option to their next-gen system, the Xbox Series X. The latter has several hardware improvements over its S counterpart that make it one of the most technically gifted systems outside of the PS5.
So what we have here is a bit of a Catch-22 situation. Because if Xbox/Microsoft didn’t do this, they might not have as many hardware sales because people wouldn’t want to try and afford their new system. But on the other hand, several game developers have noted difficulties with the S-Brand due to the limitations in hardware. As such, games have been delayed or not optimized to their fullest because they’ve had to deal with this “lesser” system.
One of the few developers stepping up for Microsoft and its console is Larian Studios and its CEO, Swen Vincke. They are the team behind the upcoming Balder’s Gate 3, and while the company has delayed the game due to the Xbox system, the CEO says it’s not holding back the gaming industry.
During an interview with the show Skill UP, which you can see below, the CEO stated that while the S-Brand has lesser hardware, it’s simply up to “developmental effort” to make things work as smoothly as possible.
For further proof of this, he noted that it’s no different than developers trying to make things work on the Steam Deck, and it should be said that Valve’s portable system has less power than the Series S.
Another system that could be thrown in here is the Nintendo Switch. The Big N’s platform is significantly less powerful than the current Xbox or Sony systems. Still, when developers like Monolith Soft or PlatinumGames put effort into the platform, the games turn out rather beautifully.
So as in all things, you might just get what you want out of the system you work on.
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