Xbox exec clarifies “meaningless” spec comparison comment

It seems like the Microsoft team is getting pretty good at saying unnecessary things, and after Xbox executive Albert Penello said that comparing specs is “in some ways meaningless” and taking a jab at the PS4, he has made an effort to clear up his statements.

“I’m not diminishing Sony’s performance claims and I wasn’t trying to be arrogant or dismissive,” Penello said.

The exec’s reply was in response to the feedback regarding his original statement: “The problem is that Sony decided to go out and publish a bunch of numbers, which are in some ways meaningless”.

Penello clarified the point he was trying to get across, saying that he isn’t in the know of what Sony’s machine specs entail.

“What I was trying to say is, I’m not Sony’s engineering team. So I can’t comment on what they have published as specs.

“The guys who are building these machines on both sides are unbelievably talented and experts in their field. Nobody knows the specifics of how the machines are architected or if there may be bottlenecks in one system or accelerators in another that change the impact of the published specs,” added Penello.

Albert Penello

What Penello was really trying to convey is that “great games are what matters”, and regrets the way in which his comments came across.

“It’s always hard, after sitting doing interviews all day, and you’re trying to have an engaging conversation with someone, and… the tone what you’re trying to say didn’t come out how you meant it.”

The exec also added that PS4’s lineup did look good, and thanked the portion of the community that did understand his points.

“Games on both systems looked awesome,” Penello said.

“I was at E3, and while I know RYSE took a hit on the gameplay that was shown, I thought it was the most next-gen looking game I saw on either platform. Of course, I get I’m biased and I didn’t have time to see everything.

“As always, I love taking the hits. And I appreciate that while the words I used may were probably worth some scrutiny, I do appreciate that some of you got what I was trying to say.”