It’s been a little while since the gaming industry has a console war quite like 2020’s. Microsoft and Sony have been dueling over their next-gen consoles since last year, but now, it’s looking like it is entering its final stages. Even though it took a leak to prompt it, Microsoft has come forward with official prices for both the main Xbox Series X and the smaller Xbox Series S. There’s a chance that Sony will go through the same process soon, since rumor has it that the PS5’s prices got leaked too. If that leak proves to be true and gets Sony to make a statement, then it’ll finally be up to consumers to determine who wins this console war.
However, even as giant consoles boast their advanced specs, a few heads might have been turned by the Series X’s little sibling. The Xbox Series S might not be as powerful a machine, but it only costs $299 compared to the Series X’s $499 tag. Up until now, contention between all the upcoming consoles has focused a lot on the technical specs of each device, since that’s what was known. However, there’s really something to be said for the Xbox Series S costing $200 less than the Series X. Being less powerful might make the Series S a sales success while also affecting the development of Xbox games in the future.
Everyone wants a more powerful console out of a new generation — that’s a big point of buying a new console, after all. The problem with technological improvements is that a vast increase in performance comes with a vast increase in price. Five hundred dollars is a huge investment to make into the Xbox Series X, and even then players will probably need to spare $60 or more to pick up release titles. That’s a lot of money at any time, but especially now, considering how COVID-19 has impacted people economically.
However, the newest Xbox games will still be available and perfectly enjoyable on the Xbox Series S. Right now, a lot of consumers might be willing to make a sacrifice in performance in order to save a lot of money. By having a much more approachable price tag, the Series S could be a big success by not only selling a lot of consoles, but by letting consumers spend more money on games. It’s well-poised to help all the projects at Xbox Game Studios be more successful than they might otherwise be at launch if consumers only had the chance to buy a $499 console. However, if most players have invested in the relatively weaker Series S, developers will have to consider that.
Most developers have probably been going into game design on the assumption that the Xbox Series X will be the priority console for most consumers. It’s understandable, since it was Microsoft’s publicity priority and essentially the spearhead for the next generation of Xbox. Because of that, many games are probably optimized to excel on the Series X. They’ll certainly still run on the Series S, but players might not get the optimized experience that the developers wanted to deliver. Past the launch titles, developers might have to strike a balance of game quality and performance between what the Series S and Series X are capable of.
Ideally developers are already keeping that game in mind and making games into worthy next-gen experiences on either of the consoles. Still, it has to be taken into consideration if it turns out the Series S is the real best seller. It’s going to affect how consumers view Xbox products, as well as how Microsoft is compared to Sony. Ultimately, though, odds are consumers come out as winners as the result of this broad range of choices. It’s wonderful to have the choice between an expensive, powerful console and a more modest, affordable device. Hopefully the difference doesn’t have a huge impact on the games the consoles play.
The Xbox Series S releases November 10th.
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