Is the Xbox Series S a "potato" console holding next gen game dev back?

[MattyP]

So reading around the net there are claims from the devs that the Series S is holding back the whole generation of gaming? Is this just devs moaning again? 

 

The way I look at it is that the Series S is targeting a  1080p/1440p res @ 60fps. It has the same CPU as both the PS5/Xbox Series X. Has a SSD drive with velocity architecture and has the same GPU features as a Series X. 

 

I'm guessing the Series X/PS5 need the extra processing because of the target of 4K visuals - higher res textures etc so they need more memory and faster bandwidth etc. However in terms of actual games developed and how they play I really cannot see how much of difference there is? Will it restrict the types of games we see being the least powerful hardware? Will we see Series X / PS5 only versions of the larger releases? Was MS crazy for releasing two different spec machines this gen? Should they have stuck to what Sony have done? Released a digital only version of the same console?

 

For me I accept that the games might not look as shiny as their more powerful siblings - as much as a PC with a lower end video card vs one with a higher end one. Surely games are developed in a scalable way these days so it shouldn't matter.

 

I must admit I am more than happy with my Series S. It gets the job done and was affordable. I don't have any desire to get a Series X as I have never had to sit and think I'm playing a compromised experience. It's been great. It feels next gen - just for the loading speeds, quick resume and some visual effects and sometimes increased frame rates etc. So for me it has the very essence of a this gen machine. It certainly feels like a massive improvement over what has gone before. For me I don't think it will hold things back. If the CPU was a generation different to the X or PS5 then yes.

 

Any thoughts? 

 

[Jamie John]

I'd have thought devs still feeling obliged to make games for the PS4/XB1 would have been more likely to be holding things back. That seems to be tapering off a bit more recently, but it's still something that affects developers trying to get as many people to buy their game as possible. God of War 2 is a recent example.

[SeanR]

I only wish my series S did Xbox one X enhanced games properly. It’s very confusing.

 

Im just holding out until a series X price drop now… 

[MattyP]

2 minutes ago, SeanR said:

I only wish my series S did Xbox one X enhanced games properly. It’s very confusing.

 

Im just holding out until a series X price drop now… 

I expect it may be a while - especially as Sony have just upped the price of the PS5!

 

 

[SeanR]

2 minutes ago, MattyP said:

I expect it may be a while - especially as Sony have just upped the price of the PS5!

 

 

I can wait. I don’t think any of my Xboxes have been on for a while.
 

Not since pgr4 in the 360 appreciation thread. At least.

[MattyP]

4 minutes ago, SeanR said:

I can wait. I don’t think any of my Xboxes have been on for a while.
 

Not since pgr4 in the 360 appreciation thread. At least.

 Yeah PGR4 got me back into gaming again this year that did.... well as did the 360 to be fair. Why I ended up with an S to play my digital 360 games a bit better/faster but enjoying the new content too. It works for me TBH. Only thing it lacks is a disk drive for some of my 360 games but don't think they are BC anyway.

[LaveDisco]

I love my series s. It’s brilliant. But let’s not pretend if it didn’t exist there would be a lot more options on the table. Imagine the fidelity of a 1080p, 30fps game is series x. It would be amazing. But if you did that, there’s no where for the series s to go in that space. 
 

it’s an extreme example, but the point stands. 
 

 

[Ry]

Wasn't it just one guy who basically isn't a developer who said this?

[moosegrinder]

I don't think so. Not in the way previous generations hampered next ones. It seems like Microsoft have made it so the console versions scale to the hardware in the same way the PC versions are scalable (if there is a PC version of any given game), or is that miles off the mark? We could do with some actual devs in here.

 

If this is about the Gotham Knights thing that's not on the Series S. It's absolutely on the dev/Warners.

[Mallet]

How is it that PC games can be played on every thing from a 1060 to a 4080, from 4 core to 12 core cpus. Played at all sorts of resolutions, graphical settings and frame rates but having 2 consoles is too much and is holding back progress? 

[thesnwmn]

2 minutes ago, Mallet said:

How is it that PC games can be played on every thing from a 1060 to a 4080, from 4 core to 12 core cpus. Played at all sorts of resolutions, graphical settings and frame rates but having 2 consoles is too much and is holding back progress? 

 

Exactly.

 

I've no doubt that for console focused outfits there is a bit of shift in thinking but they should have already dealt with that for the Pro models last gen. And half these games on consoles have been coming out on PC too for a while so they've already dealt with this.

 

And, at least personally, I'm not too bothered if there is a slight restraint. I don't believe games have got appreciably better in the last 5 or so years because of graphics. They can help add to an experience of course but most of the big graphics showcases aren't getting more out of looking better.

[Graham S]

11 minutes ago, moosegrinder said:

If this is about the Gotham Knights thing that's not on the Series S. It's absolutely on the dev/Warners.

It looks like it is available on Series S, but not Xbox One.

[moosegrinder]

No, sorry, Gotham Knights is a shit show* of a game to look at. Arkham Knight is superior looking in almost every way, people are blaming this on the Series S (or so I read). It's actually the devs being not very good at their job/making poor ray tracing decisions.



*Ok maybe not a shit show, but it looks pretty awful for a Series/PS5 game.

[bradigor]

Developers are going to have to consider the Steam Deck too as part of their development process. It is only small fry at the moment, but all signs point to it being a major factor. 

I think having to make a game work on everything from a Switch/Steam Deck to a PS5/4090ti should make developers better. They have to get creatove and not rely on graphics. Vampire Survivors should work on an actual potato for example and it is a wonderful game. 

[SeanR]

10 minutes ago, Graham S said:

It looks like it is available on Series S, but not Xbox One.

no last gen? Shame. 
 

I blame the devs.

[SMD]

people will always complain for a variety of reasons and every gen other developers prove that creativity and art design goes a long way in making new and exciting games

[deerokus]

17 minutes ago, SeanR said:

no last gen? Shame. 
 

I blame the devs.

 

 

Apart from the ray tracing nonsense, it looks like a last gen game. God knows how badly it was running on those to cancel it.

[Timmo]

51 minutes ago, LaveDisco said:

I love my series s. It’s brilliant. But let’s not pretend if it didn’t exist there would be a lot more options on the table. Imagine the fidelity of a 1080p, 30fps game is series x. It would be amazing. But if you did that, there’s no where for the series s to go in that space. 
 

it’s an extreme example, but the point stands. 

Damn, I hadn’t thought of this before. 
 

If it is indeed the case, then Series S is even more the fucking business than I thought. If it’s forcing devs to hold back just a little, and making 60fps the norm on the X and the PS5, even if the S itself has to settle with 30 on the odd occasion, then that’s amazing.

 

There’s no way I can go back to 30fps now.

 

All hail Series S!

[SuperCapes]

Honestly, you just need to play Gears 5 on it to see nothing is being held back. 

 

Scaling tools within games are so good these days, that it is just a none issue entirely. People whinge about the GPU in the Series S, but honestly it is incredibly efficient, and again elements within games if set up correctly, can be scaled down enormously whilst still providing desirable results.

[JPL]

1 hour ago, MattyP said:

So reading around the net there are claims from the devs that the Series S is holding back the whole generation of gaming? Is this just devs moaning again? 

Have you got links to these stories?

[Shimmyhill]

It’s just on a list of things holding shinies back…. The main one being profit, you can’t make as much money if you make a game that only runs on a PS5 / Series X so below that you have - PC’s,Series S, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Steam deck all holding them back to some degree.

[Stanley]

When you’ve got stuff like Flight Sim, A Plague Tale, Forza Horizon etc. running on a Series S then I don’t see how anyone is being held back. 
 

If you really just want to make a technical showcase of a game then develop exclusively for PC, but they won’t because those high end machines aren’t profitable enough. 
 

It makes me laugh when I read stuff like this. When it comes to AAA games no one is making anything new or innovative anyway. Breath of The Wild and Mario Odyssey, Splatoon etc. all run on age old mobile chipsets. 

[TehStu]

Although FH5 is still cross-gen, to be fair.

 

Which devs are complaining?

[Sabreman]

Terry Cavanagh

[rafaqat]

2 hours ago, Ry said:

Wasn't it just one guy who basically isn't a developer who said this?

it is.  But everyone’s going to ignore that and run with it. 

[Sarlaccfood]

1 hour ago, TehStu said:

Although FH5 is still cross-gen, to be fair.

 

Which devs are complaining?

None of them. Because “devs” as companies want to make as much money as possible and don’t give a fuck about shinies compared to that sweet sweet install base. 
 

“Devs” as individuals though? I’m sure there’s a few frustrated ones, but they’re probably the kind that scoff at having to add all sorts of things that make the game more accessible, blind to the fact that broadening the appeal of your game is what keeps the fucking lights on. 

[Ninja Doctor]

Citation needed. 
 

I’ve heard the poor choice in having no start button on the dualshock5 thingy is causing games to run like potato. 

[Darren]

I’m very happy with my S and have no plans to upgrade to an X. But then again I also like potatoes so that’s probably why.

[TehStu]

My Shiba is a potato.

[MattyP]

16 hours ago, Mallet said:

How is it that PC games can be played on every thing from a 1060 to a 4080, from 4 core to 12 core cpus. Played at all sorts of resolutions, graphical settings and frame rates but having 2 consoles is too much and is holding back progress? 

Indeed! And I don't mind potatoes either!

 

I think the existence of the S is a good thing lowers the barrier to entry and brings more people into gaming and who will spend money. So good for the industry right?!

 

Sure people with higher end kit may feel they are being "held back" but that is the same as mentioned in the PC market. In the end the current gen machines have the same architecture and featureset so there are no generational differences in the machines.

 

Sorry don't have links to specific web pages just what I've been reading as I've been jusf browsing around. Mainly Devs were complaining about lack of memory and one calling the S a "potato" console which is what made me post this.

 

I personally think the S is a brilliant bit of kit at an insane price point. If all you want is to stick on a game and have some fun then it's perfect. Coupled with GamePass of course it's crazy good value for money.