NEWS · EVENTS
PUBLISHEDOctober 13, 2020
READING2 min
David Cage on Xbox Series S: developers will likely focus on the cheaper console
Quantic Dream's David Cage believes developers will target the cheaper Xbox Series S, potentially slowing down the advancement of game graphics.
As it turns out, Quantic Dream head David Cage is no fan of Microsoft's budget Xbox Series S. The industry veteran warns that most developers will likely focus on the cheaper console to avoid the extra cost of building two different versions of the same game. Still, Cage understands why Microsoft made the move:
Many developers prefer console development over PC. The reason is simple: with consoles, you target a single hardware spec, whereas the PC has countless configurations of graphics cards, drivers, controllers, and so on. It makes an already complex process a hell of a lot harder. When a manufacturer offers two consoles with different specs, most developers will likely target the cheaper version to avoid making two distinct builds. I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of this situation. I think it confuses both developers and players. While I get the business case behind it—saving 200 euros on the retail price—I still think the situation is questionable. As for Quantic Dream, since we build our own tech and engines, we are committed to optimizing our games for every platform. Now that we also develop for PC, dealing with multiple specs isn't an issue for us, and we can squeeze the absolute most out of whatever hardware is available.
Cage is indirectly hinting that the budget Xbox could hold back graphical progress in the current console generation. And honestly, he probably has a point. However, we shouldn't forget that the last generation already had its own equivalents of the Series S and Series X in the form of the PS4 and PS4 Pro, or the Xbox One S and Xbox One X. So, Cage's concerns might just turn out to be unfounded.
As a reminder, the main difference between the Xbox Series S and the Series X comes down to GPU power: the budget model targets 4 TFLOPS of computing performance, while the flagship console boasts an impressive 12 TFLOPS.