Xbox Creator Believes Content and Experiences Are More Important for Consoles Than Graphics 1
Image: Push Square

Microsoft says it wants to beat the PS6 on hardware capabilities, as it slowly but surely begins to bring all of its software to multiple platforms. But in an interview with Videogamer, Xbox creator Seamus Blackley has argued that the key to selling consoles is original content, as technological advancements hit diminishing returns.

“I remember seeing Gran Turismo when it came out for the PS1, and I had to buy it just because I couldn’t believe what was happening on the screen,” he remembered. “That was compelling and that doesn’t exist anymore. There’s no more graphics that make you feel that way.”

Blackley continued that the key to selling consoles now is creating unique experiences that you can’t get anywhere else.

“I think that if you want to win you have to find those other things,” he said. “You have to create an experience where people when they see it they have to have it. Because what you’re really doing is you’re trying to suck a huge grape through a straw, you’re trying to get them to spend several hundred dollars to buy a games console in order to play a $70 game.”

Blackley left Xbox all the way back in 2002, and distanced himself from the current state of Xbox.

“How they managed that brand and the story going forward is not my f**king fault,” he exclaimed. “I would not have done things the same way. I don’t know if it would have been more or less successful, but I certainly think that this narrative around being more powerful is not helpful today.”

It’ll be interesting to see how both Sony and Microsoft approach the next generation. As mentioned above, the latter has already committed to more hardware, while PlayStation has effectively confirmed it’s currently working with AMD on its next console.

We tend to agree that the race for more power has hit diminishing returns, and we do respect Sony’s efforts with the DualSense to improve the overall sensory experience of gaming. But it feels like, in order to meaningfully transition players to next-gen hardware, both companies are going to have to be particularly innovative with their next set devices.

[source videogamer.com]