Former Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada has criticized the Xbox Series S for creating additional development challenges, suggesting that Microsoft should avoid releasing another console with similar hardware limitations.
Speaking at the Console Game Developers Conference 2026 in Seoul, South Korea, Harada discussed the difficulties developers face when optimizing games for the less powerful Xbox console.
His comments came during a panel attended by an Xbox representative and Cyberpunk 2077 Associate Game Director Paweł Sasko.
Harada jokingly asked Microsoft not to repeat the Xbox Series S strategy with its next generation hardware, arguing that the performance difference between Series S and Series X creates unnecessary complications.
However, Sasko offered a more balanced perspective, explaining that developing games for weaker hardware can also produce optimizations that benefit other platforms.
Harada Says Xbox Series S Creates Additional Development Work
Harada's main criticism concerned the Xbox Series S having significantly less powerful hardware than the Series X while belonging to the same console family.
The Series S has less memory and graphics processing power, requiring developers to adjust visual quality, performance and other technical features.
According to Harada, this arrangement can be particularly frustrating because studios must deliver versions of their games for both systems.
He contrasted Microsoft's approach with Nintendo Switch 2, which developers can treat as a separate platform with different technical expectations.
With Xbox Series S, however, players may expect an experience similar to Series X despite the hardware differences.
Harada also argued that developers often receive complaints when Series S versions feature lower resolution textures or reduced graphical detail.
He noted that the console's popularity in markets such as the United States makes it difficult for studios to give the cheaper model less attention.
His remarks were delivered humorously, but they reflected concerns previously raised by developers working on demanding multiplatform games.
Cyberpunk 2077 Developer Explains the Benefits of Series S Optimization
Paweł Sasko acknowledged that the Xbox Series S creates technical challenges, particularly when developers need to optimize demanding games for its limited resources.
However, he also explained that the process can improve performance across other hardware platforms.
According to Sasko, optimizing for lower performance devices encourages development teams to improve code efficiency and memory management.
These improvements can subsequently benefit PlayStation 5, high performance gaming PCs and handheld gaming systems.
He cited Cyberpunk 2077 as an example, explaining that development work undertaken for Nintendo Switch 2 helped improve the game on other platforms.
The Switch 2 version reportedly required a team of approximately 80 to 100 developers working for more than a year.
Some of the optimization techniques developed during that process were later incorporated into Cyberpunk 2077 version 2.5.
Sasko also defended the Series S from an accessibility perspective, noting that its lower price allows more people to play modern games without purchasing expensive hardware.
Microsoft's Next Xbox Could Face Similar Questions
The discussion also raised questions about Microsoft's next generation Xbox platform, currently associated with Project Helix.
Harada jokingly expressed concern that Microsoft might introduce another lower performance console alongside its flagship hardware.
However, Microsoft has not confirmed whether Project Helix will include multiple console models with different performance capabilities.
The Xbox Series S has been criticized previously for its hardware limitations, including during discussions surrounding Baldur's Gate 3 and other demanding releases.
At the same time, developers have acknowledged that supporting lower specification hardware can encourage improvements that benefit an entire game's performance.
Harada's comments highlight the ongoing debate between making consoles more affordable and reducing the technical complexity of multiplatform game development.
For now, Microsoft's plans for a potential successor to Xbox Series S remain unconfirmed, leaving developers uncertain about how the company's next generation hardware strategy will address these concerns.
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