Xbox head Phil Spencer doesn’t see the need for an upgraded Xbox Series X yet
Cool your jets
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Phil Spencer has commented on the status of an Xbox Series X successor in a recent high-profile media interview.
The current CEO of Xbox Game Studios, who oversees the development of new titles for theXbox Series Xamong other duties, explained that he doesn’t “feel an imperative” for the company to release an Xbox successor when speaking toBloomberg. He went on to explain: “That’s not the feedback we’re getting right now. Right now, we’re pretty set on the hardware we have”.
The Xbox Series X andXbox Series Sare now nearing three years of market availability as both systems originally launched in late 2020. The prior console generation saw a system revision in the form of theXbox One X(in 2017) which debuted three and a half years after theXbox Onedid. The decision behind the upgrade was to deliver4Kresolution to consumers, a feat that the current flagship Xbox console can do straight out of the box.
Microsoftwent on to reveal new hardware during its Xbox Games Showcase, but not in the way that was typically expected. The all-digital Xbox Series S, which is currently only available in 512GB, is now getting aCarbon Black 1TB versioneffectively doubling the total available storage. Spencer seems content with the current Xbox ecosystem which stretches across not only the two current-generation Xbox consoles but also the previous-generation versions and PC with the continued success ofXbox Game Pass.
The Xbox Series X is one of thebest gaming consolesavailable, being the most powerful from a purely technical point of view. The system boasts the same 8-coreAMDCPU as thePS5, however, it is clocked slightly higher at 3.8 GHz compared to the latter’s 3.5 GHz among other differences. Namely, the fact that the AMD RDNA 2 GPU inside the Series X, Scarlett (10GB VRAM), is capable of delivering 24.29 TFLOPs in contrast to the rival system’s Oberon (16GB VRAM) which outputs 20.58 TFLOPs.
A mid-generational leap in hardware does make sense from a consumer’s point of view. That’s because some of thebest Xbox Series X gamesare currently locked at 30fps, which extends to the brand’s premiere first-party titles. You only have to look as far asRedfallandStarfield, the latter of which being one of the most anticipatedupcoming gamesof the year which are stuck at this framerate.
An Xbox Series X successor would mean that games on the platform could be able to run at the coveted 4K60 as promised by the hardware manufacturer, but it’s a feat that fewer games are reaching as the chipset and GPU inside ages. Based on Spencer’s comments, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a hardware revision any time soon, as performance and fidelity modes have become common practice for console games with little incentive to push the boat forward at this time.
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Aleksha McLoughlin is an experienced hardware writer. She was previously the Hardware Editor for TechRadar Gaming until September 2023. During this time, she looked after buying guides and wrote hardware reviews, news, and features. She has also contributed hardware content to the likes of PC Gamer, Trusted Reviews, Dexerto, Expert Reviews, and Android Central. When she isn’t working, you’ll often find her in mosh pits at metal gigs and festivals or listening to whatever new black and death metal has debuted that week.
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