We’ve learned a lot about what’s inside the next-gen Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 over the past few weeks, but Xbox boss Phil Spencer doesn’t believe teraflops alone will sway consumers when it comes to choosing between the two.
Offering his thoughts on how the Xbox Series X is stacking up during an IGN interview, Spencer explained that while console design, specs, services, and games all have a role in winning over consumers, price will be a “critical” factor at launch.
“Price will be important as well. In the end if you look at it, price is usually a critical, critical factor. I think if we look back at this generation at the beginning, I don’t think the difference was the games,” he said.
“If you look at the first couple of years of Xbox One and PS4, I don’t think that was the clear difference between the two platforms. At the beginning I don’t think that was the real difference, so I think that price will be important.”
While it might seem obvious to call out pricing as a sticking point, it’s interesting to hear Spencer suggest that the Xbox One lost ground on the PlayStation 4 at launch because of the $100 price gap between the pair — with each console costing $499 and $399 respectively.
To hear more next-gen musings from Spencer, be sure to check out the full interview over on IGN.