Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has been very outspoken about the release of the Xbox Series X/S, and has made many comparisons to Sony's PlayStation 5. Now, a week before Microsoft's new consoles release, Spencer has shared his thoughts about the pricing models for the next-gen hardware.
Spencer has recently compared the features, challenges and pricing on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. While the Series S is cheaper than the Xbox Series X, it does have limited capabilities. Spencer has referenced to the challenges of having two different consoles saying, "I'm not going to stand here or try to PR somebody and say two different specs is the same as having one spec." However, Spencer believes the Xbox Series S will hold up its value.
In an interview with Spanish news outlet La Vanguardia, Phil Spencer shares his ideas on the next-generation consoles' pricing models. Spencer said previous Xbox generations saw a rise in gamers after price points dropped, thus he believes the Xbox Series S being priced at $300 will give more casual gamers an affordable way to pick up consoles closer to release. Spencer also believes that Xbox Game Pass will be a more affordable way to play a large list of games, which he later compares to the $70 next-gen video game pricing.
"You know, gaming can be an expensive hobby. I see certain platforms going to, in the US pricing, $70 for games. The consoles are $500 in US pricing," he said. "I think that's a heavy investment for people who aren't every day playing videogames ... the more casual player or a family that's balancing many things."
Although Spencer does not reference PlayStation directly, it is pretty clear that "certain platforms" is the PlayStation 5. Sony announced that first-party titles like Demon's Souls, Destruction AllStars, and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Ultimate Edition will be priced at $70. Spencer points out that Xbox is going the opposite direction by offering more content through Xbox Game Pass.
Game Pass will feature all games published by Microsoft Studios on launch, and stay in the Game Pass library. This includes exclusives like Gears: Tactics, Halo Infinite, and State of Decay 3. With the $10 Xbox Game Pass subscription, players will get access to a huge roster of titles as well as new titles as soon as they release. Combined with the Xbox Series S pricing, Spencer believes that the investment is worth it, and may not be matched by other platforms.
Spencer also brings up the value that xCloud gaming will add. As a part of Xbox Game Pass, xCloud gaming will allow players to use mobile devices to stream current-gen games. As of now, the service is reserved for Android devices, but will support iOS in 2021. Spencer believes xCloud will eventually allow players to play next-gen games on current consoles and PC. If Microsoft can achieve that, it would be one more reason that the Xbox Series X/S is a solid investment.
The Xbox Series X/S release on November 10.