When Microsoft first unveiled the Xbox Series X, gamers had a lot of questions about the next-gen console’s power, capabilities, and games. But there were also concerns about the console’s design, which looked to trade the traditional horizontal orientation for a more, PC-like vertical setup.

Shortly after the reveal, however, Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox Series X can lay flat in a horizontal orientation. Although the console was revealed standing up, users can turn the console on its side if they so wish.

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Xbox Head Phil Spencer confirmed the Xbox Series X’s dual orientation while talking to GameSpot. It was actually the first thing he wanted to address with the publication, so Spencer had likely heard the rumblings and concerns about whether standing straight up was the only way to keep the console.

It’s no mistaking that the Xbox Series X is designed to look powerful and to evoke feelings of a PC Tower, but when it comes to usability there are many console gamers that are familiar with the sleeker design. Both the PS4 and Xbox One are only a few inches tall and devote much of their size to width.

Xbox Series X, on the other hand, is more symmetrical in design and therefore can be stood up without the help of a stand. Microsoft also called attention to the vents at the “top” of the Xbox Series X, which help push air out of the console. For many, they took this to mean that the only way to place the console was as a tower, but that is not the case.

"The first thing I wanted to say is the [Xbox Series X's] design works vertical or horizontal, just like the Xbox One S and Xbox One X. We think that it's not our job to dictate the orientation of our console in your home. That is up to you."

The biggest hurdle to the vertical orientation is entertainment centers, which are not typically built with a lot of vertical space. An Xbox One can fit easily in most spaces on an entertainment center, but if a user turned it vertical then it usually wouldn’t fit. Obviously, there are solutions but space for the console became a legitimate concern when it was first revealed, hence why Spencer talked about laying the Xbox Series X at the top of his interview.

Of course, console orientation is very low on the totem of pole of determining factors when it comes to whether or not gamers will buy the Xbox Series X, but it could have been much more significant if not for Spencer’s comments. Now, the Xbox Series X specs, price, and launch games will be the focus.

Xbox Series X releases Holiday 2020.

Source: Gamespot

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