Xbox boss feels Series X has a launch games and hardware advantage over PS5

Xbox head Phil Spencer has said he believes Xbox Series X has an advantage over PlayStation 5 when it comes to launch games and hardware.

During the Gamelab Live conference on Wednesday, Spencer was asked for his reaction to the recent PS5 reveal event, where Sony debuted next-gen software and unveiled the console’s design.

“I watched the show, I thought they did a good job,” he responded, adding that he sent Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan a note of congratulations for PlayStation‘s production efforts on the event.

“As a competitor it’s great to have them out there now so we kind of know what the programme is, we see the device, we see the games,” he continued.

“Just being honest, I felt good after seeing their show. I think the hardware advantages that we have built are going to show up as we’re talking more about our games and frame rates and other things.

“I thought the games line-up that we’re going to have at launch I felt really good about, and we got more clarity on what they’re doing at their show which just helped us focus in on more of what we have, and I think that will be a strength for us at launch.

“So I thought they did a good job, I thought they do what they do very well and they did that, but when I think about the position that we’re in, with the games that we’re going to be able to show and how they’re going to show up, and the hardware advantage that we have, I think we’re in a very good position.”

Ahead of an Xbox Series X first-party games showcase in July, Spencer reiterated that Microsoft has taken on board criticism of its first next-gen software reveal event in May, which focused on third-party titles and left some viewers underwhelmed.

“So I feel good about July and the gameplay that we’re going to be showing there and the hardware capability,” he said.

“Teams are working hard to get it lined up, we’ve taken feedback from our last event and I think people are really going to be pleased with what we’re going to be showing there. Halo [Infinite] will be a big part of it and I think that’s obviously an important title for us.”

343 Industries released a Halo Infinite video teaser on Wednesday. The game is described as a “spiritual reboot” of Xbox’s flagship shooter series, which launched in 2001.

Spencer also said on Wednesday that Microsoft’s Xbox All Access console subscription model will be “critical” to the Xbox Series X launch and the overall hardware generation.

Further reading

Xbox Series X is ‘the most compatible console ever’ and supports ‘1000s of games’

Microsoft discusses backwards compatibility