The news that Microsoft's Xbox Series S may have only 20 CUs (compute units) of power disappointed some people, not that 20 CUs is less, but given that the current Xbox One X model has 40 CUs, it seemed like a strange It seemed like a strange step backward.

And now the Xbox Series S is making a spirited defense. Former PlayStation principal engineer Matt Hargett took to Twitter to offer his professional opinion, "20 5nm RDNA2 CUs is the perfect profile for modern portable gaming hardware at 720p/1080p for 900 games. I think it's perfect as a ..."

The word "portable" is a bit misleading here, so before I go any further, let me clarify that he meant more portable than the unwieldy Xbox Series X.

It is important to remember that Microsoft marketed the Xbox One X as a 4K machine, and while the Xbox Series S has not yet been officially recognized, let alone sold, all indications are that it will achieve HD resolution - 720p or 1080p point to a budget console that is advertised to achieve HD resolution - 720p or 1080p. Therefore, the fact that the CU is half of the current generation hardware may not matter much, especially since the architecture of newer machines is likely to be more efficient, allowing more to be done with less.

For comparison, the Xbox Series S has 20 CUs, while the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have 36 and 52 CUs, respectively, with 10.28 and 12 teraflops of performance. [However, if the Series S is only targeting 1080p gameplay, gamers with smaller TVs may gravitate to less expensive consoles.

Elsewhere in the discussion, Hargett addressed the elephant in the room. If the Xbox Series S does indeed adopt the 5nm CU, will it lead to a hardware shortage?"[13]

Hargett said that with the expected global recession, Microsoft is likely to tolerate such a situation. We go a step further and say that a scarcity of inexpensive next-generation Xbox hardware may be to Microsoft's advantage. Not only might the scarcity encourage hype and panic buying, but it might also drive ultra-enthusiastic buyers toward it as an alternative to the more expensive Series X. Seems like a win-win for us.