For more than two decades, the battle over plastic consoles remain to bring a dogma to the industry that many are truly tired of multiple generations later. Even when the newest systems from both Xbox & PlayStation were still fresh on store shelves, both CEOs Phil Spencer & former Jim Ryan denounced this. Of course, there are objective facts in which system performs better, as Xbox has admitted in the past.
However, that does not shield either party from strict analysis on which offers a better experience. At launch in 2020, the Xbox Series X|S did offer a definitive advantage in terms of its core hardware. Digital Foundry did report that dozen more games offered 120hz support compared to PlayStation 5. However, marketed titles from Xbox were more consistent on the Sony system.
But according to a new report from Digital Foundry, there is a clearer answer for this concurrent fault on Xbox hardware – that is when compared to PlayStation 5. It is no secret that Microsoft has touted the Xbox Series X ‘the most powerful console’ on the market. And on paper it’s true. But several accounts when comparing different games on both hardware, PlayStation 5 is the better experience.
More than one key triple-A developer tells us that the PlayStation GPU compiler is significantly more efficient than the Microsoft alternative, meaning that there’s better utilisation of the graphics hardware. In general, we understand that the lower level API access afforded to PlayStation development means game makers get more from the hardware.
The second most common explanation we’ve received from developers concerns the nature of the GPU itself. Mark Cerny himself discussed this way back in March 2020 when he revealed the technical specifications of the PlayStation 5. While the console may have fewer compute units than Xbox Series X – 36 vs 52 – the entire GPU runs faster, meaning that certain tasks will complete faster, better suiting certain game engine designs.
Richard Leadbetter, Digital Foundry Technology Editor
“So, based on our conversations, the combination of a more efficient GPU compiler, lower-level APIs and higher clock speeds allows PlayStation 5 to match or even exceed the outputs of Xbox Series X in some scenarios. That said, of course there is value in the approach Microsoft has taken: by standardising on DirectX 12 and the DXR ray tracing API, there is a commonality with PC development that obviously helps game makers. And of course, Xbox does still have more compute throughput – so game engines that tap into that will see advantages. Additionally, there are situations where the Xbox ecosystem and feature set yields dividends.”
The topic also points towards the PlayStation 5 Pro – an ongoing rumored console that is projected to release later this holiday. Digital Foundry does express many of the PlayStation 5 strengths are expected to be amplified for the integrated hardware. From The Verge, it offered an extensive rundown on the coming hardware. You can read the full report by heading here.
What has you most interested from this recent analysis?
Source: Eurogamer
