As the co-founder of Valve and chief architect behind Steam, one of the world’s most popular and successful digital distribution platforms, Gabe Newell is all about the PC side of gaming and technology, but evidently, he’s had a few thoughts about the upcoming peasant war between Sony and Microsoft as well. The billionaire developer was recently asked whether he preferred the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 on The Project, a New Zealand current affairs show, and his answer was brief and definitive: Xbox!
“This Christmas, PlayStation, Xbox, are both coming out with new consoles,” show host Jesse Mulligan began. “Which is better?”
“The Xbox,” Newell confidently responded.
“Why?” asked presenter Kanoa Lloyd.
“Uh…because it is?” Newell answered, to audience laughter.
“I don’t have a stake, you know, in that race, obviously we do most of our development on personal computers,” explained Newell. “So, but of the two, I would definitely go with an Xbox.”
GabeN has spoken! While he didn’t elaborate any further, it’s pretty clear why he’s siding with the Xbox Series X, which is being billed as the most powerful games console ever created. The man also worked for Microsoft back in the day (who do you think helped write Windows?), so maybe there’s a bit of bias there.
Oh, and if you’re wondering why Newell is on a New Zealand talk show that few gamers may have even heard of, it’s because he’s stuck there due to COVID-19, which prompted a border closure during his 10-day vacation (he and a group of friends decided to take a much-earned break after shipping Half-Life: Alyx). To thank the country for its hospitality, Gabe is setting up a free concert and event where families can enjoy VR systems.