"The strategy is to grow our tools to make our development environment better, to make our profiling tools better, so that work benefits both consoles."
- Albert Penello, Microsoft’s senior director of product management and planning for Xbox, in a Q&A with Gamasutra.
One of the common concerns surrounding mid-generation hardware updates like the Xbox One X or PlayStation 4 Pro is the idea that developing a game with both console variants in mind will ultimately lead to one version holding the other back.
In a recent Q&A about the Xbox One X, Microsoft's Albert Penello assured Gamasutra that this isn’t the case for the Xbox One's mid-generational hardware update. Rather, Penello says that game developers should expect to see their Xbox One X-led engine improvements reflected in better performance on the Xbox One S as well.
“An interesting thing is happening, people ask this question, ‘Is Xbox One X held back by the One S or vice-versa?’ And in fact, the tweaks you make to your engine, every tool improvement that we make to development makes Xbox One S and Xbox One X development better,” Penello told Gamasutra.
He cites Turn 10’s work with Forza Motorsport 7 and an example of this in action, saying that changes focused around Xbox One X performance actually helped make dynamic weather possible on the Xbox One S.
“Every tweak you make to your engine to get a little bit more performance out of your engine makes your Xbox One S engine better.”
Take a look at the full Q&A for more from Penello on what developers can expect from the Xbox One X, as well as a look at Microsoft's plans for making the console appealing to both developer and consumers.
