Randy Pitchford, the head of Gearbox Software, doesn’t seem to appreciate the Xbox Series X.

The next-gen console, named Xbox, had its Xbox Series X model introduced a week ago (and yes, we do know it sounds weird), and the head of Gearbox isn’t supportive of it. About the console, Digital Foundry released an analysis, and Phil Spencer, the leader of Xbox, responded to it on Twitter: „Digital Foundry does good work. As Moore’s law slows [the number of transistors on an integrated circuit double every two years – the ed.] and our performance ambitions increase, it leads to design innovation. Software innovations like VRS [Variable Rate Shading, allowing developers to get more performance out of the GPU – the ed.] will also be critical – Xbox Series X rewrites the rules of console design – and the power level should be extraordinary.” We should quote a bit from DF’s analysis as well: „Transistor density is unlikely to have doubled, meaning that the primary route forward for increased performance is frequency – and lots of it. Increasing clock-speeds get more performance and therefore more value from the silicon, but the harder you push, the more power you need. And the more power you need, the more heat you produce – necessitating innovation in terms of thermal dissipation.”

Pitchford responded to it: „Is Moore’s Law slowing down? How many transistors in the Series X? What if Moore’s Law is like the 4-minute mile? [you can run a mile in less than four minutes, and this time is getting faster and faster – the ed.] Your ambitious message for the Xbox One X was inspiring, but for Series X, well, this feels more like an excuse.” He got a question where this thought came from, mentioning that Gearbox is working on the first announced PlayStation 5 game, named Godfall. His reply follows: „I’m an Xbox gamer. Gamertag: DuvalMagic. If I could wave a magic wand, Xbox and Playstation would both be incredibly powerful and keep parity with one another. I think Sony and Microsoft should team up, actually.” He later added a few thoughts: „There’s nothing more than my comment. I love Phil and am grateful for his leadership. I want the next Xbox to be as powerful as it can be and I want to hear platform leadership carrying aspirational and ambitious technology goals that benefit customers and developers.”

He seems to have some double thoughts, just like how Borderlands 3’s Google Stadia version is in a similar situation, as discussed yesterday.

Source: WCCFTech

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