Microsoft's Xbox Series X, formerly known as Project Scarlett, is an unconventional-looking games console. The hardware was shown off for the first time during The Game Awards and seems to evoke a PC tower-like design. However, speaking to GameSpot, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said that owners will still have the freedom to position the console how they want.

"The first thing I wanted to say is the [Xbox Series X's] design works vertical or horizontal, just like the Xbox One S and Xbox One X," he said. "We think that it's not our job to dictate the orientation of our console in your home. That is up to you."

During our interview, we asked Spencer what his first reaction to seeing the console was, and he went on to reveal that, despite its striking design, the Xbox Series X can fade into the background--it doesn't demand attention or have to become the focal point of a room.

Xbox Series X Specs Quick Look

• CPU: AMD Ryzen Zen 2 CPU
• GPU: AMD Navi-based GPU (~12 TFLOPs)
• RAM: GDDR6 SDRAM (capacity not confirmed)
• Storage: NVMe SSD (capacity not confirmed)
• Max Output Resolution: 8K
• Max Refresh Rate: 120Hz

"When we set this design goal for the power that we wanted to put in, I was not sure what the [team was] going to be able to come back with because we really pushed the envelope on what we thought a home console could do. And I was really impressed with what they came back with.

"Now it sits in my home [and] it just kind of goes away. It's quiet, it sits on the shelf--to be fair, I have mine laying on its side--and just where it sits in my setup, it just goes away. And that's exactly what I wanted it to do."

Despite that, the Xbox Series X also wears its power on its sleeve, according to Spencer. "When my daughters were over for Thanksgiving and they came down to see it--they know what dad does--they said they thought it looked powerful. They were just like, 'That is cool.'

"So I was happy that we were able to challenge some of the preconceptions of what it should look like and then really impressed with what they were able to land given the performance that we wanted out of the box."

GameSpot got to see the Xbox Series X before its unveiling and hear about the hardware, its new controller, and Phil Spencer's vision for what it represents. You can learn about that in our exclusive Xbox Series X reveal feature.