The Xbox One Was a Step Backwards, says Gears of War 4 Developer

With Project Scorpio’s release on the horizon, Microsoft is set to release the most powerful console ever made.  The specs recently revealed by Microsoft will be giving game developers plenty of horsepower to make games.  They’ll be righting the wrongs of the Xbox One, which according to one developer was a step backwards.

“When I first started working with Xbox One, I was a little bit disappointed,” says Mike Raynor of the Coalition (Gears of War 4) in an interview with Gamasutra.  “It kind of felt like we’d really taken a step back.  And I’ve seen that evolve, and improve constantly since we’ve launched, but with what we’re doing with Scorpio, it’s now very pleasurable to work with.  From a developer standpoint, when you think about Xbox One, Xbox One S and now with Scorpio, a lot of development for us is similar to PC.  And we kind of think of PC as kind of the ultimate platform in terms of scalability.”

It felt like we’d really taken a step back, says Gears of War dev

While the Xbox One was a huge improvement in terms of power over the Xbox 360, it was certainly not as ambitious as Sony’s PlayStation 4 in terms of raw power.  The Xbox One got off to a rocky start with a 2013 release that saw many games releasing as inferior versions on the platform when compared to the competition.  Lower frame rates and resolutions were attainable on the Xbox One, while consumers were asked to pay a premium price for the console compared to the PS4.

It doesn’t sound like this will be the case with Project Scorpio.  The new console is set for release in 2017, with a full reveal coming at E3 2017 in Los Angeles this June.