Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has explained that more Xbox Series X units were built for launch than Xbox Series S, but that the ratio of units made of each console will likely be more even by next holiday season. In an interview with The Verge's Decoder podcast, Spencer explained the logic, saying that the company expected to see more demand for Series X at launch, something he says has proven to be true. "We figured that our first holiday, and probably our second holiday, you would see more of the higher end SKU, the Series X sold. We built more Series Xs than we did Series Ss." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/fixing-ps5-xbox-series-x-launch-issues-next-gen-console-watch"] It seemingly won't be too long until those numbers balance out a little more: "I think when we go into spring and summer, we’ll probably moderate that a bit." Spencer continued. "Over the long run, in most cases, price wins out. If you just go back and look at previous generations and when console generations hit the real sweet spot of sales, which is one of the reasons we like having that, that’s the Series S at its price point. "Then when we go back into next holiday, which we’re already thinking about with supply chain and build, we’re already in that framing, trying to look at what we think our ratio should be between the two." Interestingly, Spencer adds that Series S chips can be made more efficently than the larger Series X equivalent, which could theoretically help Series S unit production catch up to Series X: "The chips are very different in size — this is a little bit in the weeds — we can actually build more of the Series S [chips] in the same [chip] die space as we can the Series X." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-s-review"] Despite that lower demand, Spencer seems content with how the dual launch has worked for Series S – and explained that the decision to create a lower-priced console was "questioned a number of times internally". He continued, "The best argument against doing it was Sony. We didn’t think that they were going to do it. I’ve said it before, I have a ton of respect for what Sony does." With that in mind, Spencer says that, ultimately, the idea was pushed through because of how it could help grow a portion of the audience that may not otherwise buy a console at launch: "It was really this inclusion: how do we include more people in the launch euphoria and hype and everything that happens, and make it as accessible to [as many] more people as possible. Going to that [question of] how do you really build things that can get to true scale and influence everybody and impact everybody on the planet?" We awarded the Xbox Series S a 7/10 review, saying it "has its place and could shine as a second console, but it's hard to recommend as your primary gaming platform due to its 1440p resolution and claustrophobic storage capacity." If you're in the market for Xbox Series X and S – or some games for your new machine – Black Friday should be the best place to find them. Make sure to check out our best Xbox Black Friday deals page for more on that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has explained that more Xbox Series X units were built for launch than Xbox Series S, but that the ratio of units made of each console will likely be more even by next holiday season. In an interview with The Verge's Decoder podcast, Spencer explained the logic, saying that the company expected to see more demand for Series X at launch, something he says has proven to be true. "We figured that our first holiday, and probably our second holiday, you would see more of the higher end SKU, the Series X sold. We built more Series Xs than we did Series Ss." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/fixing-ps5-xbox-series-x-launch-issues-next-gen-console-watch"] It seemingly won't be too long until those numbers balance out a little more: "I think when we go into spring and summer, we’ll probably moderate that a bit." Spencer continued. "Over the long run, in most cases, price wins out. If you just go back and look at previous generations and when console generations hit the real sweet spot of sales, which is one of the reasons we like having that, that’s the Series S at its price point. "Then when we go back into next holiday, which we’re already thinking about with supply chain and build, we’re already in that framing, trying to look at what we think our ratio should be between the two." Interestingly, Spencer adds that Series S chips can be made more efficently than the larger Series X equivalent, which could theoretically help Series S unit production catch up to Series X: "The chips are very different in size — this is a little bit in the weeds — we can actually build more of the Series S [chips] in the same [chip] die space as we can the Series X." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-s-review"] Despite that lower demand, Spencer seems content with how the dual launch has worked for Series S – and explained that the decision to create a lower-priced console was "questioned a number of times internally". He continued, "The best argument against doing it was Sony. We didn’t think that they were going to do it. I’ve said it before, I have a ton of respect for what Sony does." With that in mind, Spencer says that, ultimately, the idea was pushed through because of how it could help grow a portion of the audience that may not otherwise buy a console at launch: "It was really this inclusion: how do we include more people in the launch euphoria and hype and everything that happens, and make it as accessible to [as many] more people as possible. Going to that [question of] how do you really build things that can get to true scale and influence everybody and impact everybody on the planet?" We awarded the Xbox Series S a 7/10 review, saying it "has its place and could shine as a second console, but it's hard to recommend as your primary gaming platform due to its 1440p resolution and claustrophobic storage capacity." If you're in the market for Xbox Series X and S – or some games for your new machine – Black Friday should be the best place to find them. Make sure to check out our best Xbox Black Friday deals page for more on that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Rainbow Six Siege’s next-generation update will arrive on December 1, and brings with it a variety of improvements and quality of life features that should help Siege feel at home on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Chief among the upgrades, Siege on next-gen will support resolutions of up to 4K and frame rates of up to 120FPS. The update will, akin to many games, provide two modes for this. Talking to IGN, Mazen Elbawab, Software Project Lead on Rainbow Six Siege, said: “You can either favour the resolution of the game or the frame rate. If you favour frame rate we guarantee you playing at 120FPS at the highest resolution possible, versus if you favour resolution then the game renders at 4K with the highest frame rate possible.”

Elbawab noted that these options will be added to the menus if the game recognises that you have a 4K TV capable of 120Hz. If your TV is not capable of high refresh rates, then the console defaults to 4K 60FPS.

While the higher resolution and frame rate will make Siege look crisper and smoother, the game won’t technically look ‘better’. “There is a certain increase to some of the textures but I wouldn’t qualify it as highly noticeable,” said Elbawab. “The focus was really on the performance side.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/24/rainbow-six-siege-ps5-and-xbox-series-x-official-trailer"]

That means no high-resolution texture pack, and definitely no ray tracing. “The idea was to get as close as possible to the competitiveness of PC hardware, which is why we focused on getting up to 120FPS,” Elbawab explained. “There’s a balance to strike, and we thought for now using ray tracing would not benefit that competitiveness, which is why we focused on 120FPS.”

Similarly, the update will not make use of the dedicated audio hardware in the PS5 and Xbox Series X. But that’s not to say that focus has been purely on resolution and framerate; the game loads quicker thanks to next-gen SSD storage.

“We also added optimisations to the log-in flow, so the start of the game should be quicker than it was before on both generations,” said Elbawab. Note that he said “both generations”; PS4 and Xbox One versions should benefit from these optimisations, although won’t see the speedy load times the SSD provides.

Matchmaking is cross-generational, so PS5 players can play with PS4, and Xbox Series X with Xbox One players. Progress also comes with you, so there’s no need to start afresh. However, true cross-progression and cross-play across platforms is not yet on the agenda. “Cross-play is on the table, but nothing is confirmed. There’s no commitment to it,” Elbawab said. “Cross progression is not impossible, absolutely not, but it depends on priorities, it depends on what the community would want.”

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/09/operation-neon-dawn-aruni-exclusive-details-gameplay-rainbow-six-siege"]

That covers features coming to both new consoles, but the PS5 has specific features to make the most of its UI and DualSense controller. “We match the Activity Cards to the Playlists we have in the game, so Ranked, Unranked, Quick Match, Newcomers, and also Time Limited Events,” says Elbawab. “These will take you as fast as possible to matchmaking.”

“Adaptive triggers have a unique feeling for using weapons and gadgets,” he says. “There are custom presets for all the weapons and for some specific gadgets. Haptic feedback has ‘Compatibility’ mode for the regular rumble from the old controller, or audio-driven ‘Advanced’ mode, so you’ll have some actions within the game that the audio data itself is driving the rumble, so you have a better feeling for what’s going on.”

Elbawab gives an example of pistol triggers providing resistance to the half-way point and then suddenly releasing, which provides a sensation akin to real handguns. Explosions use audio data to power the controller’s haptics to help provide a better sense of immersion. The controller’s speaker is also used to play some “key moments” such as pings or HUD sound effects. All of these features can be disabled, should you feel they distract.

Rainbow Six Siege’s next-generation update will be available December 1. For more information on the upcoming season, check out our look at Operation Neon Dawn and its new operator, Aruni.

[poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Rockstar Games has revealed a standalone version of Red Dead Online which can be purchased separately from the game's campaign. As of December 1, players will be able to purchase Red Dead Online on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Rockstar Games Launcher, Epic Games Store and Steam. The game will cost $4.99 at launch as part of an introductory offer, which is 75% of the game's RRP. This offer will last until February 15, 2021. Of course, you'll need PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold to engage with the game's multiplayer features. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/28/red-dead-online-the-naturalist-trailer"] As well as the last-gen consoles Red Dead Redemption 2 is already available on, Red Dead Online will be playable on next-gen consoles via backwards compatibility and take up 123 GB of hard drive space. The standalone package will also give players the option to upgrade and purchase Red Dead Redemption 2's story mode at an additional cost. To coincide with the standalone launch of Red Dead Online, the Bounty Hunter role is being expanded, with an extra 10 ranks added to the role as well as new Legendary Bounties. Here's our review of Red Dead Redemption 2 from 2018. We scored the game a 10, touting its "meticulously polished open-world." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Rockstar Games has revealed a standalone version of Red Dead Online which can be purchased separately from the game's campaign. As of December 1, players will be able to purchase Red Dead Online on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Rockstar Games Launcher, Epic Games Store and Steam. The game will cost $4.99 at launch as part of an introductory offer, which is 75% of the game's RRP. This offer will last until February 15, 2021. Of course, you'll need PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold to engage with the game's multiplayer features. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/28/red-dead-online-the-naturalist-trailer"] As well as the last-gen consoles Red Dead Redemption 2 is already available on, Red Dead Online will be playable on next-gen consoles via backwards compatibility and take up 123 GB of hard drive space. The standalone package will also give players the option to upgrade and purchase Red Dead Redemption 2's story mode at an additional cost. To coincide with the standalone launch of Red Dead Online, the Bounty Hunter role is being expanded, with an extra 10 ranks added to the role as well as new Legendary Bounties. Here's our review of Red Dead Redemption 2 from 2018. We scored the game a 10, touting its "meticulously polished open-world." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Microsoft has revealed that the Xbox Games With Gold for December 2020 are The Raven Remastered, Bleed 2, Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell, and Stacking. Announced on Xbox Wire, The Raven Remastered and the Xbox 360 Backward Compatibility game Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell will be available to Xbox Live Gold members on December 1, while Bleed 2 and the Xbox 360 Backward Compatibility game Stacking will arrive on December 16. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/24/xbox-december-2020-games-with-gold-trailer"] Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell will leave Games With Gold on December 15, followed by The Raven Remastered and Stacking on December 31, and Bleed 2 on January 15. The Raven Remastered puts players in the shoes of Constable Anton Jakob Zellner in 1964 London as he hunts for a legendary master thief known as The Raven. Enjoy this crime story whodunit where "everyone has something to hide, and the Raven is always one step ahead." Bleed 2 stars the pink-haired heroine Wryn as she must defend the world from an invading force of villains in seven intense levels with over twenty-five boss battles. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/01/29/just-how-crazy-is-saints-row-gat-out-of-hell"] Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell stars franchise favorites Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington as they tear apart the underworld and wage war against the Prince of Darkness to save the soul of the Boss. In our review of Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell, we said "Flying around Gat Out of Hell's new city is a blast, and while it puts its focus almost entirely on side activities, it does a good job of making those activities fun, especially with a co-op partner." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2011/02/08/stacking-video-review"] Stacking has you helping Charlie Blackmore, the world's tiniest Russian stacking doll expert, embark on an adventure to rescue his family from the nefarious industrialist, The Baron. In our review of Stacking, we said it "is chock full of charm, humor, and fun puzzles. Though some of the solutions are really easy, if you avoid the hint system it’ll take some time to decipher some of the harder ones." While you wait for these to become available, don't forget to download November 2020's Xbox Game With Gold, including Aragami: Shadow Edition, Swimsanity, and LEGO Indiana Jones. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

IO Interactive has revealed a new Chongqing location for Hitman 3, and released more details about how the game will run on PC and next-generation consoles. The new location takes Agent 47 to the neon-lit streets of Chongqing in China. A short video published by IO today shows off the new environment and digs into the power of the Glacier Engine. Hitman 3 will include more than 300 active NPCs at once, and on next-gen consoles and PC, the game will run at 4K resolution, and 60 FPS, with HDR. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/24/hitman-3-under-the-hood-chongqing-location-reveal-trailer"] The video mentions that the rendering, animation and AI upgrades coming to Hitman 3 will also be available retroactively in the missions of Hitman 1 + 2, as the entire trilogy of missions will be available to players who purchase the third game. In a separate blog post detailing IO Interactive's partnership with Intel, it was revealed that PC players will receive special enhancements at launch and Ray Tracing as a post-launch update, "later in 2021."

Welcome to Chongqing, a brand new location coming to HITMAN 3. Plus, get a closer look at our Glacier engine, the technology that powers HITMAN 3.

HITMAN 3 is available on 20 January 2021 https://t.co/XYtWCXKOb9 pic.twitter.com/ZnaRQlUAEI — IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) November 24, 2020

Hitman 3 will launch on January 20, 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia. The Nintendo Switch version of Hitman 3 will be cloud-based. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

IO Interactive has revealed a new Chongqing location for Hitman 3, and released more details about how the game will run on PC and next-generation consoles. The new location takes Agent 47 to the neon-lit streets of Chongqing in China. A short video published by IO today shows off the new environment and digs into the power of the Glacier Engine. Hitman 3 will include more than 300 active NPCs at once, and on next-gen consoles and PC, the game will run at 4K resolution, and 60 FPS, with HDR. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/24/hitman-3-under-the-hood-chongqing-location-reveal-trailer"] The video mentions that the rendering, animation and AI upgrades coming to Hitman 3 will also be available retroactively in the missions of Hitman 1 + 2, as the entire trilogy of missions will be available to players who purchase the third game. In a separate blog post detailing IO Interactive's partnership with Intel, it was revealed that PC players will receive special enhancements at launch and Ray Tracing as a post-launch update, "later in 2021."

Welcome to Chongqing, a brand new location coming to HITMAN 3. Plus, get a closer look at our Glacier engine, the technology that powers HITMAN 3.

HITMAN 3 is available on 20 January 2021 https://t.co/XYtWCXKOb9 pic.twitter.com/ZnaRQlUAEI — IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) November 24, 2020

Hitman 3 will launch on January 20, 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PC, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia. The Nintendo Switch version of Hitman 3 will be cloud-based. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer says he thinks Xbox will release a smart TV app used to play games, with no console required, "in the next 12 months". In an interview with The Verge's Decoder podcast, Spencer was asked what was stopping Microsoft from releasing Xbox as an app for smart TVs that meet a minimum hardware specification. The answer, it seems, is nothing: "I think you’re going to see that in the next 12 months," replied Spencer, "I don’t think anything is going to stop us from doing that." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/fixing-ps5-xbox-series-x-launch-issues-next-gen-console-watch"] Spencer doesn't go into any specifics on the mooted app, but we've previous heard the Xbox exec discuss the idea of Xbox 'Streaming Sticks' that could be used to stream games through xCloud after being plugged into the TV. These could even be made part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription cost. It's not clear if Microsoft is considering which approach to take, or if it will take both, allowing those with higher-powered TVs simply to download the app, and those without to use a plug-in solution. Spencer reiterated that he doesn't see streaming as the end of Microsoft's dedicated consoles, however, saying, "I don’t think these will be the last big pieces of hardware that we ship." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] Instead, he sees the future of Xbox as a hybrid of in-built computing power and streaming: "When we think about xCloud, which is our version of [Google] Stadia or [Amazon] Luna, I think what it needs to evolve to are games that actually run between a hybrid environment of the cloud and the local compute capability, and that they can actually take full advantage of the cloud that’s there and that’s available, but also full advantage of my edge compute capability that I have in my home in the console. It’s really a hybrid between both of those." He later continued, "I don’t think the outcome is by definition going to be, 'everything becomes terminal-server in my home and all my games are just running completely in the cloud.' When we think about the evolution of our game platform, it’s really more of a hybrid game platform between edge and cloud that we’re shooting for." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-review"] Given the scarcity of Xbox Series X and S right now, many would likely jump at the opportunity to simply stream Xbox games directly onto their TVs. For now, if you are in the market for Xbox Series X and S, Black Friday may see more consoles go on sale – make sure to check out our best Xbox Black Friday deals page for more on that. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Fortnite is starting up a monthly subscription service with the arrival of Chapter 2 - Season 5. Dubbed Fortnite Crew, players can sign up for $11.99 a month to gain unique perks and benefits beyond just purchasing a new Battle Pass every season. Fortnite Crew will launch on December 2, the same day as Season 5. As a monthly subscription, the $11.99 cost will be recurring, but each month players will get a series of bonuses, including exclusives. Subscription members will get:

• Battle Pass for the full season - Members will have access to the current season’s Battle Pass.
• 1,000 V-Bucks each month.
• A monthly Crew Pack - Subscribers will get an exclusive Fortnite Crew Pack each month with an always-new Outfit Bundle.

  The first Outfit Bundle is the Galaxia Outfit and Style with a Cosmic Llamacorn Pickaxe and Fractured World Back Bling. Epic says a Crew Pack will contain a new Outfit and at least one accessory, and these items are exclusive to Fortnite Crew subscribers. Players can purchase a subscription directly from the Item Shop or Battle Pass purchase screen. If players already purchased a Battle Pass when subscribing, they’ll be refunded 950 V-Bucks. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/24/fortnite-fortnite-crew-announce-trailer"] Fortnite is currently in the midst of its Marvel-themed Nexus War, and it seems that Galactus will be arriving just in time for the Finale. Be sure to tune in to see how Fortnite’s massive crossover ends. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.