Xbox Chief: Project Scarlett “Will Not Be Out of Position on Power or Price”

[Tsing]

Don't expect Project Scarlett to make the same mistakes as its predecessor. In an interview with The Verge, Xbox chief Phil Spencer promised that Microsoft's next-generation console would match the PlayStation 5 in both pricing and performance. When the Xbox One launched in 2013, it was weaker than the PS4 despite being costlier, which didn't do the system or brand any favors.

“I would say a learning from the Xbox One generation is we will not be out of position on power or price,” says Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s Xbox and gaming chief, in an interview with The Verge. “If you remember the beginning of this generation we were a hundred dollars more expensive and yes, we were less powerful. And we started Project Scarlett with this leadership team in place with a goal of having market success.”

 

[Captindecisive]

I don't think that had as much to do with swaying the scales of the market as much as not having a good set of exclusive titles. Sony has had, and continues to have, much much better exclusive IPs, so having the same price and performance isn't going to sway the market as much as they're hoping unless they've got some major titles up their sleeve to go with it.

 

[Brian_B]

Exclusives have a lot to do with it, but I don't think it's everything. I think perception has a lot to do with it too - MS made a lot of missteps with XB1 there before it was released and never could get away from it. Sony had similar issues with PS3.

The horsepower in the console... it's a marketing point, but I don't think most gamers will buy Console A over Console X because it's faster -- the end user can't really use the power directly anyway, that's more incentive to developers to put out awesome titles. People will choose one over the other first and foremost if their friends are on it (or they assume their friends are going to want to be on, which is where perception plays heavily), secondly because it has the games they want to play, and only third comes down to everything else (price, marketing, etc)

 

[SeymourGore]

I have a good feeling about MS with the next console cycle - they've bolstered up their first party studios, Game Pass Ultimate is becoming a great service, and their leadership is a lot better this time than the Xbox One launch.

I agree that hardware power wasn't that relevant with PS4 and Xbox One - the 3rd party titles looked and performed more or less the same.

 

[Dudhunter]

I’ll never get an Xbox until they change that user interface. It’s so chock full of advertising and distraction. I bought a PS4 because when I went to play the Xbox at my cousins’ house I couldn’t figure out where the hell to click and start the game.

 

[Uvilla]

So they'll be selling at a loss... Might not be a bad idea.