What you need to know
- Todd Howard is Bethesda's director for the highly anticipated Starfield RPG.
- He recently revealed that he's been playing Starfield on the Xbox Series S since his kids have claimed the Series X for themselves.
- According to him, the space adventure runs "great" on Series S.
Only a few days ago during the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, we got a deep look at the upcoming space RPG with a Starfield Direct that was led by legendary Bethesda game designer and Starfield director, Todd Howard.
- Starfield Xbox controller and headset
- Starfield isn't 60FPS for good reason
- ES6 could be Todd Howard's last game
- Starfield preorders are live
- Starfield Direct event
A few days later, during the What Next For Gaming event, Howard explained that he's mostly been playing Starfield on the less powerful Xbox Series S since his kids have claimed the more powerful Xbox Series X for themselves (thanks, VGC). What's more, he says it's a "great" experience.
“I got an X and S when they came out. I put the X in the basement with the big 4K TV," Howard said at the event. “My kids don’t let [me play it]… they’re always on it. So the S is upstairs… and [the game] looks great.”
Howard went on to say, “It looks great. But technically, most of my Starfield play has been on Series S within my family.”
Windows Central's take
Howard's time spent with Starfield on Xbox Series S is important in understanding how well Starfield will run. This is especially true given that many Xbox fans became enraged when it was revealed that the space exploration game will be capped at 30FPS on Xbox. Their uninformed (and rather entitled) argument is that the game should run at 60FPS or higher.
We at Windows Central understand that a game so vast in scope and possibilities like Starfield was never intended to hit 60FPS on a gaming console. As our own Zachary Boddy points out, running Starfield at a lower FPS on Xbox Series X|S allows the game to run far more consistently, which is far more important when providing a good playing experience.
Considering that Starfield is an Xbox Series X|S console exclusive that is gearing up to be one of the most ambitious games of this generation, it's good to hear that its own director is enjoying playing it on the less powerful Series S. It's the actual experience rather than the technical FPS that really determine how good a game actually is.
Starfield is now available for preorder ahead of its release on Sept. 6, 2023, and will release for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Xbox and PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. With or without 60FPS, it may be one of the best Xbox games of the year. If you need more Starfield in your life, you can also purchase the official Starfield accessories.
