Xbox’s Phil Spencer says Series S changes to Baldur’s Gate 3 aren’t about parity

“I don’t see a world where we drop S”

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The Xbox Series S is in the headlines again after Larian announced it would be shipping Baldur’s Gate 3 without split-screen co-op on the Xbox Series S.

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In an interview with Eurogamer, Phil Spencer addressed the perceived issues with Series S and why owners understand the changes.

“I don’t see a world where we drop S,” Spencer said, “In terms of parity, I don’t think you’ve heard from us or Larian, that this was about parity. I think that’s more that the community is talking about it. There are features that ship on X today that do not ship on S, even from our own games, like ray-tracing that works on X, it’s not on S in certain games. So, for an S customer, they spent roughly half what the X customer bought, they understand that it’s not going to run the same way.”

Baldur's-Gate-3-character-is-inspecting
Image via Destructoid

The Series S was a bold decision at launch, dropping alongside the more powerful Xbox Series X at a much more affordable $299 price point, though it omitted key features like a disc drive and only included a 500 GB solid-state drive. The lower price point was made possible with an overall lower spec, turning the Series S into a development bottleneck, which many developers have groused about over the years.

Despite Baldur’s Gate 3 changes, the Xbox Series S is important

The Baldur’s Gate 3 news was disappointing, but it’s still hard to deny the importance of the Xbox Series S. While many tried-and-true Xbox gamers went for the Series X, the Series S received a lot of attention. The console’s lower profile and relative power compared to it’s lower price made it a great fit for many living rooms. It built a reputation as the solution for a more casual gamer looking to dip their toes into Game Pass on a next-gen console without breaking the bank. And for Spencer, that’s precisely why he loves the Series S.

“Having an entry-level price point for console, sub-$300 is a good thing for the industry,” Spencer explained. “I think it’s important. The Switch has been able to do that, in terms of kind of the traditional plug-into-my-television consoles. I think it’s important, so we’re committed.”

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Christopher published his website, an anime fan site, in 1996 and he hasn't stopped since. His writing has been featured on websites like CBR, Dexerto, ComicsBeat, and more. When he's not writing, he's playing the latest fighting games, RPGs, and adventure titles. In 2023, Christopher joined the staff of Destructoid as a weekend editor.
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