Playstation boss Jim Ryan is making his media rounds again. This time, he’s saying that consoles like the Xbox Series S “don’t produce great results.”
Speaking to Japanese media site Impress AV Watch, Jim Ryan detailed how they considered such an approach in the past. He notes that a low-spec, low price range console doesn’t perform well at all.
Ryan says lower-powered devices “problematic”
According to Ryan, Playstation considered making a second PS5 model similar to the Series S. He likely references a lower-powered device that will be price accessible to all. He quickly notes that, while he respects this decision, it is “problematic.”
“The first thing I would like to say is that I respect every competitor’s decision and their philosophies,” Ryan noted in a transcript by VGC. “Clearly, price is a very important factor. We respect other companies’ competitive strategies. However, we are fully committed to and believe in our current strategy and the effect it will have.
“One thing that can be said is that if you look at the history of the game business, creating a special low priced, reduced spec console is something that has not had great results in the past. We’ve considered that option and seen other executives who have attempted this discover how problematic it is.”
He further added that their research suggests gamers want a long-lasting console. It needs to stand the test of time, future-proofed for games coming out in a few years.
“Based on our research, it’s clear that people who buy a game console want to continue using it for four, five, six or even seven years,” said Ryan. “They want to believe they have bought something that is future-proofed and not going to be outdated in two-to-three years.
“They want to have faith that if they end up buying a new TV that their current console will be able to support that new 4K TV they are considering on buying.”
Xbox Series S has a different audience vs Series X, PS5
What Jim Ryan suggested in his interview is accurate, but only to a certain degree. At US$299, Microsoft’s Xbox Series S console is the cheaper alternative. Compared to the Series X at $499, this pricing is aggressive.
Developers in the past have mixed feelings regarding the matter. Some showed apprehension with the push, noting the weaker RAM can be a problem. Others had no issues with it, considering the target for the console is 1440p instead of 4K.
At the same time, the Playstation 5 is in a similar situation. The PS5 is far weaker hardware-wise compared to the Series X. While the systems are not very comparable, the logic is the same.
Even then, for people looking to buy an Xbox Series S, 1440p will likely be a luxury. They are likely looking to play their Series S with their mid-range to low-upper range TV and monitors. There’s a whole audience out there waiting for this, and Jim Ryan likely knows it.
Featured image courtesy of Playstation/YouTube Screenshot