Microsoft has really put its cards on the table in regards to the next generation, first revealing the design of theXbox Series Xin a trailer featured at The Game Awards, thenshowing off the full hardware specsearlier this year. One curious omission was an optical audio out port, which Phil Spencer has recently discussed in full.
In a recent interview, Xbox boss Phil Spencer addressed the lack of the audio port for theXbox Series X. Naturally, when designing a major piece of hardware, the team has to weigh certain factors like overall price, space inside the hardware, and even overall usage. To Spencer, the marginal cost of everything was very important, relaying an example where if one part costs 1$, you need to multiply that times however many consoles planned on being sold. A $1 object quickly becomes $100 million if that’s how many consoles are ultimately sold over its lifespan.
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Other considerations factored in as well including the size of the component and the knowledge of how many current Xbox One players actually use it. While Spencer wouldn’t reveal the numbers, the usage rates were apparently low enough that the team felt they could use the money better elsewhere. Thankfully, with working through third party headset manufacturers like Astro, alternative options should be available at launch.
While fans alreadyknow quite a bit about the console, price is still a major piece of the puzzle. Microsoft isn’t quite ready to share that information yet, though Spencer did reveal that the company’s motive is to stay agile and flexible leading towards launch. The team clearly has a plan, though it’ll likely be a bit more time until it shares just what that is with players.
TheXbox Series Xis scheduled to launch this holiday season.
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