Whether the relatively less powerful hardware of the Xbox Series S compared to other current generation consoles will be a problem for developers has been debated since its introduction by Microsoft, and while its benefits cannot be denied, especially from a consumer perspective, by now it has become clear that the Series S has some limitations that could lead to development problems.
The authors of Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy from Frozenbyte seem to agree with this opinion. In a recent interview, when asked about the Xbox Series S and whether its hardware can keep up with its next-generation counterparts, Frozenbyte Marketing Manager Kai Tuovinen said that while the console is certainly a great option for those looking to purchase cheaper hardware, it can be a bottleneck from a development standpoint, especially for more technically demanding games.
More powerful hardware is always better from a developer’s point of view. I think for more graphically intensive games the Series S can become a bottleneck as it needs to be supported. From a player’s point of view, I think it’s a good opportunity to have a more accessible console.
Of course, at the moment this is not just a hypothesis. Larian Studios has experienced technical issues getting Baldur’s Gate 3 co-op to work properly on Xbox Series S, delaying the Xbox launch of the highly anticipated RPG. Last year, Techland also talked about how the console’s GPU was holding back development.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy releases this summer for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
