Microsoft Has Started Asking Devs Why They're Skipping Xbox
kotaku.com
It seems Xbox has noticed the trend of games not launching on or avoiding its consoles entirely

In 2024, when a new game is announced, you can usually count on it to be released on PC, PlayStation, and possibly Switch. But it’s become a bit less of a guarantee that new games or ports will land on Xbox consoles, and it seems Microsoft is aware of this and is asking devs why…

  • schizo@forum.uncomfortable.businessEnglish
    293·
    20 hours ago

    I mean the article answers it, but this is not the first time that devs have complained that they MUST launch software that runs on the X and it’s sibling, the S.

    Like, it’s a requirement that the game runs well on the flagship console and it’s potato brother.

    It’s hardly a mystery why a dev might not want to spend time building a game that looks great on PS5, Series X, and PC and then also have to make a 2nd lobotomized version since Microsoft decided they wanted two consoles this time around.

    • jmcs@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      73·
      17 hours ago

      Are there any indie studios complaining about the S? It’s usually a throw 100 monkeys with a typewriter unmotivated developers at an AAA game type of problem.

    • derangerEnglish
      87·
      19 hours ago

      The main difference is the GPU and target output resolution, the second is storage size. CPU is identical. If Microsoft can figure out how to run MSFS (including MSFS 2024) on both, so can others. It’s not a potato, it’s an HD console vs the XSX at 4K.

      • azuthEnglish
        71·
        17 hours ago

        The main difference is the most important thing for gaming. Less than half the CU’s of the X (just below 6600 and 6800 desktop GPUs respectively).

        Plus there’s the ram 8gb vram on the S vs 10 on the X is not that much of a deal but having the remainder for CPU usage being 2GBs is shocking.

        Especially since it appears system software on the X occupies around 2,5 GB. Obviously they must have restricted that for the S but still the RAM available is ridiculously low.

        Finally third party developers are not required to figure out how to run their games on Xbox unlike Microsoft. For all it’s technical marvel FS2020/4 is not a killer app, especially on consoles.

        • tabris@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          13 hours ago

          And the problem is further compounded by the Series S outselling the X by around 3:1, and the PS5 outselling the Xbox Series X And S combined by around 2:1. So the series X install base is 6 times smaller than the PS5.

          So having to spend extra dev time to get it to work on the Series S if you want to release on Xbox at all, along with only a fraction of those players getting to experience the intended look and feel of the game, it’s no wonder they’re skipping it.

          This all does indicate an issue for Sony though, with the price of the PS5 Pro. People were told that the Series S would play all the games the Series X can, and they flocked to the cheaper console. Now Sony are pushing a console for £800. I don’t think it’s going to do very well.