Xbox Series S Memory Constraints Allegedly Causing Development Issues

Microsoft took a new approach to this new generation and launched two consoles instead of one. One of them was the premier Xbox Series X and the other was the cheaper Xbox Series S. Both of them are next-generation consoles but there is some disparity seeing the gulf in their price tags. Everyone buying the Xbox Series S expected this but for some, the performance has been much worse. Games like FIFA 22 have already had troubles on the console. Seemingly, the developers also share this view with the players about the console. However, the thing worrying them might not be the one you expect.

In its recent episode of the DF Direct Weekly podcast, Digital Foundry, a website that discusses an in-depth technical analysis of games and gaming hardware, has recently heard from many developers that the Xbox Series S is a pain to work with, and it isn’t due to the power of its CPU or GPU, but the constraints placed on it by its memory. Many players are all a little bit shocked by this news, especially as it is the beginning of the new generation.

As we all know, the Xbox Series S is much cheaper than the Xbox Series X. This obviously results in some aspects being different in the Xbox Series S. One such aspect is its RAM, which is just 10 GB. On the other hand,  the Xbox Series X has a RAM of 16 GB, which is a lot more than the lower-end version of the console.

The part where the Xbox Series S’ memory probably restricts developers is probably how it isn’t much more than the current-generation one. The operating system for the console uses 2 GB of the 10 GB available, so developers have to work with the remaining 8 GB memory only. It isn’t much more than what the current generation offers, so developing next-generation games is obviously going to be hard.

What’s worrying is that it’s only the start of the new generation. If developers are already facing problems at this point, who knows what will happen a few years down the line. A lot of big games, like Starfield and Redfall, are coming to the Xbox Series X|S and we have no idea how the Xbox Series S will handle these games. Microsoft continues to release new strategies to improve sales of its lower-end console. However, if these problems continue, this will become increasingly difficult.