Despite recent hiccups, Xbox is sticking with its less powerful next-gen model, the Xbox Series S. This is despite the console reportedly getting in the way of Baldur's Gate 3's Xbox launch, with the port now coming much later than the PC and PS5 versions of the game.

However, Xbox boss Phil Spencer also makes it clear that Microsoft is willing to make concessions, citing the fact that Series S ports will often already release with poorer graphics and a reduced framerate. In the case of Baldur's Gate 3, this was a bit more dramatic, seeing couch co-op removed but kept for Series X players. This is the biggest change between an Xbox Series game so far, showing that Microsoft is willing to cut entire features to get more games on its consoles.

"I don't see a world where we drop S," says Spencer, speaking with Eurogamer at Gamescom.

He also denies that Baldur's Gate was held back by Microsoft demanding parity between Series X and S. "There are features that ship on X today that do not ship on S, even from our own games," says Spencer. "Ray-tracing [...] works on X, it's not on S in certain games.

"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."

Spencer adds that the team isn't "overly worried" about getting games working on both consoles, but admits that the saga with Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios has helped to educate them on the matter. In practical terms, that likely means we won't see Xbox Series ports launch after PS5 - something Microsoft would be incredibly eager to avoid again.

Even ignoring the obvious concern around Xbox missing out on Baldur's Gate sales compared to PlayStation, the Baldur's Gate saga caused other issues. The fact that it wasn't certain if the game would launch on Xbox at all sparked an industry-wide debate around the Series S's value. Some argued that the fact that any game that's set to launch on Series X has to also run decently on Series S is holding the more powerful console back. Both Microsoft and Larian have denied this.

Xbox certainly seems serious about sticking with the Series S too. On Septmeber 1, it will launch a black model of the Series S with more memory, with a $50 price increase on the original release. This still puts it $150 below the Series X, so still aimed at those looking to game on more of a budget. With this in mind, the Series S will probably be around for a while yet.



Posted: Aug 30, 2023 10:52 am
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/xbox-series-s-wont-be-dropped-says-phil-spencer/