This holiday season will see a new generation of consoles launch from both Sony and Microsoft. That, in and of itself, is not unusual even in these COVID-infested times, but what is very unusual is Microsoft’s latest strategy of launching two separate pieces of hardware: The Xbox Series X and the Series S. One is the more high-end console with the X, while the S is a lower-tier machine, but playing the same games at lower setting, at least on paper. In theory, it’s slam dunk on Microsoft’s side, especially with the Series S’s incredibly affordable price tag. But not all developers have been jumping for joy, as some see issues ahead. Although others are slightly more optimistic. Now another big name in the industry is weighing in, and he’s got concerns.
Speaking with Wccftech, the CEO of Quantic Dream, David Cage, talked about the dual strategy Microsoft is aiming for. He seems skeptical of whether or not the Series S is a good idea and seems to express fear that it can lead to confusion, both on a consumer level as well as on the development side. While he understands what the company is aiming to do, he’s not sure it will work as intended.
“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. 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.”
This is really the first time we’ve seen this situation happen in the console space, so right now it can be somewhat difficult to tell just where the Series S will end up landing. We’ll just have to see in practice when both machines are actually out. Both the Series X and S will launch on November 10th.