Xbox Series X Director Asks: Why Do You Want To Know Specs So Early?
David Prien has a question.
One of the biggest talking points about the upcoming Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 next-generation consoles is their specs. Just how powerful will these new consoles be? While both Microsoft and Sony have shared some initial details on the power of their new machines, the full picture of their power and performance compared to current-gen remains to be seen.
Xbox hardware director David Prien has now asked his Twitter audience a simple question: "Why do people want to know specs of anything so far in advance?"
For him, Prien said it's "like movie spoilers" in that he doesn't want to know until he sits down in a theatre. He also asked his followers if knowing the specs of an upcoming piece of tech would impact their purchasing decision.
Serious question, not looking for toxicity or box wars. Why do people want to know specs of anything so far in advance? Will it change what you buy since it will be same day of launch? To me it's like movie spoilers I don't want to know until I buy my movie ticket.
— David "8K" Prien (@dprien) January 8, 2020
The replies to Prien's question came in fast. The Verge editor Tom Warren, who is known for breaking stories about Microsoft and Xbox, said he suspects people are thirsty for the details because it may provide an indication of what to expect from next-gen games.
Someone else explained that they are on a budget, so knowing the specs of an upcoming console gives them time to save money so they can buy the most powerful system. Prien acknowledged that this is a "very valid" response.
"This is very valid and appreciate solid answer makes total sense if one was out and competition had not released yet, but I get pushed since last E3 daily for specs and don't know why this far out," he said.
Prien also shared a sad story about how he was walking around the Consumer Electronics Show and people were getting upset that he wouldn't share the Xbox Series X's specs. Some people even apparently called him an "asshole," which is just bad form.
Nah I love the community, never turn away from it, here to help answer any questions I can about industry, just hard sometimes when walking at CES and people get mad I won't tell them specs. Literally walk away calling me an Asshole.
— David "8K" Prien (@dprien) January 8, 2020
Here are some of the specs we know so far for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, as pulled from GameSpot's previous reporting:
| PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | AMD Zen 2 CPU | AMD Zen 2 CPU |
| Graphics | AMD Navi-based GPU | AMD Navi-based GPU (est. 12 TFLOPs) |
| RAM | unknown | GDDR6 SDRAM (capacity not confirmed) |
| Storage | SSD (capacity not confirmed) | NVMe SSD (capacity not confirmed) |
| Optical Drive | Yes (4K Blu-ray) | Yes |
| Max Output Resolution | 8K | 8K |
| Max Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| VR Support | Yes | unknown |
| Cloud Gaming | PlayStation Now (unconfirmed) | Microsoft Project xCloud |
| Backwards Compatibility | Yes (PS4 games) | Yes (Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One games) |
| Dimensions | unknown | unknown (but design has been revealed) |
| Color | unknown | Black |
| Release Date | Holiday 2020 | Holiday 2020 |
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