Todd Howard has been playing Starfield on his Xbox Series S whenever he's home, saying that it performs well on the more consumer-friendly model of the Xbox Series X. Indeed, many fans were likely to be skeptical of its Series S performance given how demanding Starfield appears to be, shown today during the Starfield Direct portion of Xbox Games Showcase, but this is good news.
Fans were treated to thirty minutes or so of Starfield information following a short trailer, which included looks at ship customization, combat, planets, character building, and more. If there is something fans wanted to see of Starfield, it was likely there—even what Starfield's Adoring Fan looks and acts like.
After the Xbox Games Showcase came to its proper end, there was a special panel to discuss the future of Xbox. The Best War Games was able to attend, and here Howard made an appearance to talk about his experience with Starfield. It turns out that, whenever he is home, he is playing it on the Xbox Series S because his children play on his Xbox Series X. He also commented that it's running nicely, but specifics were not mentioned. However, this is good news for those who exclusively play on their Series S, and it's likely a benefit of Microsoft's Bethesda acquisition. Instead of working on multiple platforms, Bethesda is working on PC and the Xbox Series X/S.
Other details mentioned in this closed-door panel include Matt Booty's goal of seeing four console-exclusive games released per year for Xbox, while Phil Spencer also discussed his commitment and confidence to ensure that the Activision Blizzard acquisition goes through. It's clear that fans are still being asked for patience, but it does seem like Xbox as a whole is getting closer to paying off that patience. Starfield's release later this year may help cement that, as well as games coming next year like Avowed and Hellblade 2.
Starfield is positioned as *the* Xbox game of the year, so it's important that it runs well on every platform. Bethesda fans know to expect some bugs, but as long as nothing is game-breaking, its been proven time and again that ambition and design far outweigh the random bug here or there. Howard may be playing at home now, but in just a few short months, many Starfield fans will be doing such too.
Starfield releases on September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.