Microsoft has been trying to be a more consumer-friendly company recently, or at least the Xbox gaming division is. From Xbox Game Pass to porting multiple exclusives to PC, they have been gearing up for the next console war. Microsoft announced last month that they will be releasing one budget-friendly console along with their upcoming Xbox Series X.
The low priced console is called Xbox Series S and will only cost you $299.99. It come with only 4 TFLOPS of computing power, whereas the Series X has a whopping 12 TFLOPS. The CPU clock rate is also lowered by 200 MHz. However, the issue with the Series S is that it only has 10GB of RAM compared to 16 GB on the superior console.
Several developers have come forward and said that the low RAM will be an issue in game development. When making games for consoles, developers optimize their game for the lowest hardware. That’s why the introduction of the Series S could affect game development in a major way.
In a recent interview with Wccftech, David Cage, CEO of Quantic Dream, shared his disappointment about the lower end console. “When a manufacturer offers two consoles with different specs, there is a strong chance that most developers will focus on the lower-end version to avoid doing two different versions. I must confess that I am really not a big fan of this situation,” Cage said to Wccftech. “I think it is confusing for developers, but also for players, and although I can understand the commercial reasons behind this choice (a difference of €200 on the street price) I think the situation is questionable.”
Cage continued, explaining how his studio specifically will be impacted. “Regarding Quantic Dream, as we develop our own technology and engines, we are determined to optimize our titles for each platform,” he added in his interview with Wccftech. “Being now a PC developer, we are implementing scalable features based on the platform, which is very helpful to highlight what the hardware has best to offer.”
Xbox Series S might be the biggest addition to Microsoft’s consumer-friendly attitude. However, there is no doubt that the console will be an issue for several game developers as they will have to make concessions for it.
So what do you think? Are you interested in Xbox Series S? Or do you prefer the more powerful Series X? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
