Phil Spencer once again talks about the Xbox Series Y, which could be the name of Microsoft’s next console. His words should make some disappointed.
The PS5 and Xbox Series have only been available in sufficient quantity for all gamers for a few months. However, their improved versions have been talked about for much longer than that. On the Sony side, the PS5 Pro would be well in the pipeline and could be released at the end of 2024. At Microsoft, a mid-generation console called the Xbox Series Y (or Xbox Series 2) could also make its arrival according to the rumors. During Gamescom 2023, Phil Spencer was asked about the subject and his answer should not please everyone.
Phil Spencer on Xbox Series Y
During Gamescom 2023, which is currently being held in Cologne, IGN had the chance to welcome Phil Spencer, executive vice president of the gaming branch of Microsoft, to its stand. The media took the opportunity to ask him about a potential Xbox Series Y in development. Last June, Phil Spencer had already explained that such a console was not really necessary and he maintains his words with our colleagues.
He explains that Xbox is currently focusing on the new Xbox Series S with a 1 TB SSD which should be released on September 1. ” I think we have to let the developers adapt to this material and make the most of it “Adds the strong man of the Redmond firm. According to him, a new console with more advanced technologies does not necessarily rhyme with more beautiful games.
As for increasing frame rate and resolution, I’m looking at what’s happening on PC with high end GPUs and CPUs, and it’s not always a matter of pixel count or image resolution. There are a whole bunch of things that make a game beautiful and fun to watch. The industry has considerable leeway in this area.
More beautiful games without new consoles?
With this last sentence, Phil Spencer is surely trying to make us understand that the Xbox Series X has the potential to offer even more impressive games and therefore make the arrival of a mid-gen console unnecessary. Obviously, he also expects a lot from the development studios on this point. The Unreal Engine 5, which is starting to democratize on the market, could help them take a step forward and set new standards that the public has been waiting for since the release of the PS5 and the Xbox Series.
On the other hand, on the technical level, the Epic Games engine and the developers will not be able to work miracles: the consoles currently available are struggling to offer native 4K at 60 fps on AAA and that is frustrating for the players. In any case, Phil Spencer shares the opinion of Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two, who was not very enthusiastic about the idea of seeing mid-gen consoles arrive, even if the latter is convinced that they will come one day. Remember that according to rumors, the Xbox Series Y could ship a new AMD chip and a more efficient cooling system.