A developer at Remedy, the studio behind Alan Wake and Control, has expressed concerns about developers needing to factor in the newly-confirmed Xbox Series S. Microsoft’s strategy in the current generation is more wide-reaching than any platform holder in recent times, with its two consoles targeting very different technical specs. The Xbox Series X will play games at 4K with top of the line hardware, while the Series S will play those same games at 1440p or less with reduced visual fidelity. This difference doesn’t come for free, and studios may have to spend extra time making their games run smoothly on a lesser platform after targeting the Series X.
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This strategy may be somewhat new for the console world, but this is pretty much how PC gaming has worked since its inception. There is no set standard when it comes to computers, so developers have to ensure that a wide range of customers can enjoy their game on wildly different setups. During this generation, it’s often joked that the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were pretty much just PCs in a fancy case, and players have seen many more ports to and from PC as a result of that similarity. But one dev isn’t so keen on the different models Xbox is releasing.
The developer in question is Sasan Sepehr, a senior technical producer for an unannounced Remedy project. He states in his tweet that he loves the small console as a consumer, but dreads it as a technical producer. Sasan has also worked at Crytek during the production of Hunt: Showdown, so he’s familiar with the workflow on technically demanding games on both console and PC. When asked to clarify the statement later, he confirmed that the worry is with game optimization or the process of making a game work effortlessly on a piece of hardware.
While the PlayStation 5 also has a two console strategy, both models of Sony’s machine will likely hit the same target, with the only difference being the lack of a disc drive. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X is basically its own console with a distinct amount of power that developers will have to factor in their time working on games. In addition, Microsoft has told developers that they should be aiming for the Xbox Series X rather than the S, meaning that developers will be optimizing downward rather than developing for the S and then adding a layer of sheen for X customers. This is likely to ensure that games can compete with PlayStation 5 and still feel next-gen despite the power gap between Microsoft’s two machines.
Will optimizing between the Xbox Series S and other devices be a headache? Most likely, but it’s a headache that many developers already go through on other platforms. Consoles are no longer one size fits all, and that benefits gamers in the form of releases that come out on every gaming device and crossplay between those devices. By promising that Series X and Series S get the exact same library, Microsoft is ensuring that customers of any financial ability will be able to experience this generation of games at high fidelity. When put into that perspective, it’s likely worth the effort.
Source: Sasan Sepehr – Twitter
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