Forza Motorsport seems to meet the greatest expectations fans have when it comes to Xbox Series consoles’ performance.
Xbox Series S Phase Out is Something Spencer Can’t See, But he May Budge on Feature Parity
24.08.2023 - 15:39 / wccftech.com / Phil Spencer / Xbox Series / Series S
While the Xbox Series S has always been a bit divisive, controversy over the machine, and whether its holding back current-gen development, has reached new heights. This has largely been spurred by Baldur’s Gate III, which is not launching on Xbox Series X/S because Larian Studios are having trouble splitscreen co-op working on the Series S. There is also increasing reports of Series-S-related grumbling among studios, as the reality of development is, you have to largely design multiplatform games around the limitations of the lowest spec hardware you’re releasing on.
Well, in a new interview with Xbox boss Phil Spencer, Eurogamer asked flat out whether Microsoft would consider dropping the requirement to release all Xbox titles on the Series S. Spencer made it clear, he doesn’t see that happening, but did seem to be willing to budge on the notion that Xbox Series X and S games need to have feature parity.
“I don't see a world where we drop S. In terms of parity, I don't think you've heard from us or Larian, that this was about parity. I think that's more that the community is talking about it. There are features that ship on X today that do not ship on S, even from our own games, like ray-tracing that works on X, it's not on S in certain games. So for an S customer, they spent roughly half what the X customer bought, they understand that it's not going to run the same way.
I want to make sure games are available on both, that's our job as a platform holder and we're committed to that with our partners. And I think we're gonna get there with Larian. So I'm not overly worried about that, but we've learned some stuff through it. Having an entry-level price point for console, sub-$300, is a good thing for the industry. I think it's important, the Switch has been able to do that, in terms of kind of the traditional plug-into-my-television consoles. I think it's important. So we're committed.”
Obviously, as Spencer mentions, Xbox Series X and S games already don’t have parity in terms of visual features, but I wonder if Microsoft would be willing to budge on gameplay features as well, potentially opening the door for more trimmed-down versions of games custom built for the S. Of course, the issue with Baldur's Gate III is that they don't want to compromise on features like splitscreen.
Interestingly, Spencer also touched on a reason why the Xbox Series S isn’t going anywhere – changes in the tech industry console makers can't expect manufacturing costs to reduce over time. In Spencer's own words, "prices aren't coming down." The Xbox Series X is probably never going to cost less than $300, and Spencer feels an entry-price console is important, so the Series S will remain.
Still, one wonders if Microsoft
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
gamesradar.com
11.09.2023 / 10:14
Phil Spencer hasn’t decided if The Elder Scrolls 6 is an Xbox exclusive yet
Xbox’s head of gaming says The Elder Scrolls 6’s exclusivity still hasn’t been decided.
thesixthaxis.com
31.08.2023 / 23:45
Baldur’s Gate 3 set for a 2023 release on Xbox Series X|S
With the recent compromise with Microsoft that will allow Larian Studios to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox Series X|S, the studio has now confirmed that the critically acclaimed RPG is expected to release on Xbox by the end of 2023.
thesixthaxis.com
31.08.2023 / 10:55
Baldur’s Gate 3 set for a 2023 release on Xbox Series X|S
With the recent compromise with Microsoft that will allow Larian Studios to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox Series X|S, the studio has now confirmed that the critically acclaimed RPG is expected to release on Xbox by the end of 2023.
gadgets.ndtv.com
25.08.2023 / 15:21
Baldur’s Gate III Is Coming to Xbox This Year After All, but No Split-Screen Co-Op on Xbox Series S
Baldur's Gate III will be coming to Xbox consoles this year after all. In a tweet, Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke confirmed that he and Xbox head Phil Spencer had found a solution to bring the critically acclaimed CRPG to Microsoft's current-gen consoles. There's one catch though: the game won't support split-screen co-op on the less-expensive Xbox Series S — a feature the developer has been struggling to enable for months now, thanks to the technical limitations of the console. In fact, to maintain parity of features between Baldur's Gate 3 on the Xbox Series S and X, Microsoft even sent engineers from their side to help out Larian.
thesixthaxis.com
25.08.2023 / 11:25
Baldur’s Gate 3 confirmed for Xbox Series X|S
Baldur’s Gates 3 has been a massive success on PC and it looks like the PlayStation 5 version will also be a big hit, but what about Xbox players? The good news is that the game is now confirmed for Series X|S, but with one caveat. The Series S version will not have split screen but will include cross-save with Steam.
xboxoldies.com
25.08.2023 / 11:05
King of the Hat Out Now on Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5 & 4
Montreal, Canada– August 24, 2023 – Independent development studio Hat Games announces that King of the Hat is now available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5 & 4 at $19.99 USD. The game was initially released on Steam in October 2022.
gamingbolt.com
25.08.2023 / 03:07
Blasphemous 2 is Out Now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Nintendo Switch
Developer The Game Kitchen and publisher Team17 have announced that Blasphemous 2 is out now on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. The launch of the game is being celebrated with the release of a new trailer, which you can check out below.
thesixthaxis.com
24.08.2023 / 23:11
Baldur’s Gate 3 confirmed for Xbox Series X|S
Baldur’s Gates 3 has been a massive success on PC and it looks like the PlayStation 5 version will also be a big hit, but what about Xbox players? The good news is that the game is now confirmed for Series X|S, but with one caveat. The Series S version will not have split screen but will include cross-save with Steam.
gamingbolt.com
24.08.2023 / 17:35
Microsoft isn’t Working on an Xbox Series X/S Mid-Gen Upgrade – Phil Spencer
Rumours have strongly suggested that Sony is gearing up to launch a PS5 Pro in late 2024, complete with support for 8K resolution, accelerated ray-tracing, and more. But with the current console generation barely having kicked off in terms of developers taking full advantage of the hardware they’re working with, there are some who have questioned the need for a mid-gen refresh. After all, unlike with the PS4 and Xbox One, it’s not like their successors were underpowered by any means when they launched nearly three years ago.
gamingbolt.com
24.08.2023 / 16:59
“I Don’t See a World Where We Drop Xbox Series S” – Phil Spencer
Whether or not the Xbox Series S is going to hold back this generation of consoles has been a topic of conversation for about three years now, and that conversation has only grown louder in recent weeks in the wake of the news that Baldur’s Gate 3 probably won’t be launching for Xbox Series X/S until next year due to Larian Studios facing difficulties with getting splitscreen co-op properly optimized on the weaker machine, with the studio also being unwilling to release the game without the feature.
gameranx.com
24.08.2023 / 14:11
Phil Spencer Won’t Let The Xbox Series S Miss Out On Games
Phil Spencer was available on hand to interview at this year’s Gamescom. Among the issues broached with Phil was the matter of the Xbox Series S. To Phil’s credit, he didn’t dodge the question at all or give an evasive answer. Phil was quite clear that he’ll make sure Xbox Series S won’t be missing out on any games.