- Original Xbox designer Seamus Blackley has discussed the console landscape on a podcast
- He argued that the best specs are no longer important, with gamers seeking compelling software instead
- He highlighted the Nintendo Switch as an example
Original Xbox console designer Seamus Blackley has said that good games are more important than powerful hardware today.
Speaking in an interview with VideoGamer, Blackley said that marketing the original Xbox as the most powerful console “really worked and was relevant then because we were still [in] the nascent stages of graphics.”
This is not the case today, however, where the differences between the likes of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are significantly less pronounced. “I remember seeing Gran Turismo when it came out for PlayStation, and I had to buy it just because I couldn’t believe what was happening on the screen […] that was compelling and that doesn’t exist anymore,” he continued.
He argued that the games themselves are now more important than ever. “The battle […] has switched away from that sort of technical achievement into other things […] you have to create an experience where, when people see it, they have to have it.”
He highlighted the record breaking sales of the Nintendo Switch as an example of a console that has succeeded despite lacking any real cutting edge specs. “That’s all you need,” he said. “I have played through Breath of the Wild maybe three or four times. I’ll just keep playing through it and I can carry it with me.”
He also commented on the current state of Xbox. With the Xbox Series X touted as the most powerful console out there (at least, before the arrival of the PS5 Pro), but falling significantly behind the PS5 in sales, it’s clear that raw power isn’t the way to win. “How they managed that brand and the story going forward is not my f***ing fault,” he remarked. “I would not have done things the same way […] I certainly think that this narrative around being more powerful is not helpful today.”
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