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Tekken development legend Katsuhiro Harada had some strong comments for Microsoft's lower-powered Xbox Series S console, dubbing it a "weaker child" with "awkwardly lower performance."
A number of video game developers have struggled with the Xbox Series S while following Microsoft's feature parity rules across Xbox Series consoles. Baldur's Gate 3 famously came to Xbox a few months late and required the help of Microsoft's engineers to get the game's split-screen co-op working on Series S. More recently, the developer of breakout shooter Wardogs admitted that the limitations of the Xbox Series S had stopped it from adding certain things to the game.
Indeed, one of the questions facing Microsoft ever since the release of the Xbox Series S back in 2020 is whether it would be willing to allow developers and publishers to release a game on Xbox Series X only, leaving Xbox Series S behind. As it stands, Xbox mandates that video games launch on both or none at all, and that there should be main feature parity between each version.
In a roundtable discussion held at the Console Game Developers Conference in Korea, Harada slammed the Series S and attempted to encourage Cyberpunk 2077 associate game director Paweł Sasko to join in the pile-on, too.
"There's something I really want to say while I have the floor," Harada began (thanks, Inven Global), "since a senior Xbox official is actually in attendance here today, I wish hardware like the Xbox Series S wouldn't be released (laughs)."
Throughout his years in charge of Tekken, Harada has become known as a colorful character happy to express his opinions freely. And, to be fair, it sounds like Harada made the comment knowing he was being rather cheeky. But the developer then continued to explain his position further — and have Sasko back him up, following reports that CD Projekt struggled with Cyberpunk 2077's Series S version.
"I want to ask director Paweł personally," Harada continued. "Honestly, weren't you upset inside because of Series S?"
"It constantly throws challenges at us and forces us to optimize our code very cleanly," Sasko responded, appearing to tiptoe around the subject.
"You just used a very polite and elegant way to say 'Xbox Series S sucks,' right?" Harada ploughed on. "Low memory is an issue, but the hardest part is that it's a device so similar to Series X while having awkwardly lower performance. When porting to Switch 2, developers can shift their mindset to 'Switch 2 is a distinct device for Nintendo fans!' But with Xbox, after delivering your absolute best output, it feels like having to do extra work for a slightly weaker child."
Gosh. Tell us what you really think, Harada!
"Furthermore," he continued further, "in markets like the U.S., there are more Series S users than Series X users, so we can't just cut corners. Yet after launch, Series S users direct their complaints at us developers rather than Microsoft, asking 'Why is texture resolution lower only on Series S?'"
While Harada's comments will likely not come as a shock to many developers who have been tasked with releasing games across the Xbox Series family this generation, it is rare to hear someone of Harada's prominence discussing the Series S' drawbacks out loud.
In response — and in a continued attempt to not say anything that would get him in trouble — Sasko acknowledged that such Series S drawbacks were real, but that the console also offered a lot of positives. Its more affordable price point meant that developers could get their games played by a wider audience, Sasko offered, while opimtization breakthroughs initially made for Series S had also benefited Cyberpunk 2077 across all platforms.
Acknowledging Sasko's more positive take, Harada concluded that he was now worried Microsoft would "feel reassured and release a successor like 'Helix S' for the next-gen Xbox as well (laughs)."
Will Xbox release a lower-powered Helix console? It's unclear. After earlier reports that suggested the new console was reportedly targeting a holiday 2027 launch, more recent estimates have pointed to a 2028 launch for the machine — at an eyewatering $1,200 - $1,800 price point. Maybe that will make Harada reconsider?
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