In a recent conversation, Xbox leader Phil Spencer shared his thoughts on developing for the Xbox Series S, emphasizing its benefits. While gamers can enjoy top Xbox titles on both the Series X and S, there’s been some chatter among developers about the challenges the Series S presents due to its less powerful hardware compared to the Series X. Spencer’s insights shed light on why the Series S remains a crucial element in their strategy.
Spencer highlighted that the Xbox team gains “a real advantage” by focusing on the Series S, especially in today’s market where handheld and lower-power devices are becoming increasingly popular. Despite developers previously noting the hurdles in optimizing games for the Series S, Spencer insists that it delivers a compelling current-gen experience. During an interview on The Destin Channel, he was asked about the Xbox parity clause, which mandates that games must run on both Series X and S. Spencer responded, pointing out the broad range of device specs developers encounter today, from battery-powered handhelds to high-end plugged-in systems.
He elaborated, “I see our long-standing focus on the Series S as a beneficial edge. We’ve crafted games that are flexible across various specs, which means they adapt nicely to devices like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally. The S version is particularly aligned with the specs of many newly-introduced gadgets, offering an advantage.”
Spencer also praised modern game engines for their scalability, from high-end desktop PCs with ray tracing capabilities to portable handhelds. This
