The Xbox Series S has faced its share of criticism, but Microsoft isn’t pivoting away from the console. In fact, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer believes the Series S is part of what helps differentiate Microsoft in the market. The apparent clause at Microsoft that mandates developers support both Series X and Series S for games coming to the platform is not going to change, he said.
Speaking to Destin Legarie, Spencer said Microsoft has a “real advantage” right now thanks to the Series S because some of the most popular new platforms, including Steam Deck and ROG Ally, are more in line with the power and performance specs of the Series S.
“When we look at something like a Steam Deck or a ROG Ally, we’ve got this Xbox Series S version of the game that’s more tailored to the device specs of a lot of devices that are getting introduced right now. I think that helps us,” he said, going on to specifically mention the Nintendo Switch 2 as well.
For what it’s worth, Spencer separately told GamerTag Radio that he’s been in contact with Nintendo’s president and plans to put Xbox games on Switch 2.
Asked directly if Microsoft could remove or amend the apparent “parity clause” between Xbox Series X and S, Spencer said (via VGC), “In a way, I think about it almost exactly the opposite way right now.”
There has been ongoing commentary regarding the performance differences between the Series X and Series S. Quite a few game developers from across the industry have commented on the challenges that getting games to run on the lower-powered system present.
In the case of Baldur’s Gate 3, issues with the Series S edition held back the game’s overall release on Xbox. Stalker 2 developer GSC Game World, meanwhile, said it originally believed bringing the game to Series S was “impossible” due to the technical limitations of the console. Concerns exist about how GTA 6 might run on the Series S, but Take-Two isn’t worried. More recently, the developers of Black Myth: Wukong said the Xbox port delay is due to the Series S.
In regards to sales volume, the Series S had outsold the Series X in the US since the systems debuted in 2020, but that’s no longer the case, as the Series X now accounts for 51% of all Series X and S consoles sold stateside. The Series S was more widely available than the Series X during 2020-2022 due to supply-chain issues amidst the pandemic, and this was one of the elements that played a role in the Series S jumping out to an early lead over its more expensive and more powerful sibling. By the end of the Series X|S generation, however, Microsoft believes the Series S will outperform the Series X due to its lower price.
Spencer said in the interview that he believes the Series S is an important part of Microsoft’s hardware offerings, saying it’s no slouch and can handle new games capably.
“The scalability of engines today allows [games] to scale from ray trace-enabled, multi-thousand dollar graphics on desktop PCs all the way through to a handheld, battery-powered device. So for me, Xbox Series S has been helpful in our portfolio,” he said. “I’m playing Indiana Jones on the S and it looks great. It’s definitely capable of playing current-generation games in a great way.”
The Xbox Series S has been important for Microsoft and will continue to be an “important design point” for Microsoft’s teams going forward, Spencer said.
Also during his chat, Spencer discussed the possibility of Starfield coming to PS5, while in a separate interview he talked about Microsoft’s desire to “win” in the hardware market.
