Xbox boss 'feels good about timelines' for Xbox Series X's holiday launch

Xbox boss 'feels good about timelines' for Xbox Series X's holiday launch

By Heidi Nicholas, 27 May 2020
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Microsoft has suggested there will be no delay to the Xbox Series X release date, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer saying he feels "really good about this holiday". In a recent interview, Spencer discussed how the Xbox team has faced some "challenges" but "feel good about timelines" for the Series X launch.

On the latest episode of the Talking Games with Reggie & Harold podcast, Spencer discussed the impact of the current global situation, how the team was faring, and whether the Series X timeline is still on track for the holiday period. Spencer says the team had a recent hardware review and feel good about the supply chain and the hardware side — it "feels like we’ll be able to get enough units" — as well as the software and platform side, which, along with the games, are "making progress". Spencer reiterates that he wants to avoid launching the Series X in the same way as the Xbox One with a delay in different territories, and says, "we’re pretty committed… to a worldwide launch which regretfully we didn’t do with Xbox One".

Spencer also discussed the change to working from home, and how he and the team are adapting to it. "Over time, the emotional toll is something we shouldn’t shy away from talking about," he says, speaking about how "people are physically away from their friends and co workers... I feel it, I want to be with the team".

"I understand the privilege I have of working at a company that allows me to work from home," he continues, adding, "It’s not lost on me that there are so many people out there that aren’t afforded that same privilege", and that the Xbox team aim to "make sure that’s in our minds... with everything that we’re doing”. It seems the Xbox teams have been adapting well, with Spencer describing how some of Microsoft's first party teams have been using private mixer streams to test games, now that they can't test them in the same room.

Microsoft has repeatedly made efforts towards clear and concise messaging about their Xbox Series X, but Spencer says there's still some things that are hard to get across. "One of the things... is the way it feels to play games on a box where frame rates are higher," he says, adding that without getting too technical about variable refresh rates, showing "the fluidity ... in video form is just impossible — how do you show how something feels?" He continues, saying, "it is a physical medium... it's interactive and the interactivity is something... that makes this art form unlike any other art form that's out there".

Overall, it seems Xbox feels pretty ready for a holiday launch of the Series X, especially if Spencer's comments mean the only thing they're having trouble with at the moment is showing just how good it is. “We've been through so many generations... I think we’re getting to the point where the immersion feel that you get… is now up to par with the visual capabilities," he says, "and that’s just something that we continue to be challenged with — how do you share that with people?” We've still got no word on an exact release date, but according to Spencer, although the Xbox team has “had to work through some challenges", they "feel good about timelines" and "feel really good about this holiday”.
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Written by Heidi Nicholas
Hey, I'm Heidi! I've just finished studying a Masters in English Literature, but I've been obsessed with gaming since long before then. I began on the PS2 with Spyro, before graduating to the Xbox 360 and disappearing into Skyrim. I'm now a loyal RPG fan, but I still like to explore other genres — when I'm not playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey, or being lured back into Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Witcher 3!