Gaming

PlayStation 5 v Xbox Series X: how will the rival consoles compare?


Last week, in a livestream watched by millions, Sony revealed the first games coming to its PlayStation 5 console. Due out this winter, the machine will be competing with Microsoft’s Xbox Series X in the first major console war since 2013. But what will these new devices offer that Xbox One and PlayStation 4 do not – and will this finally get the kids off Fortnite?

Technology

Like the Xbox One and PS4, the two new machines have quite similar tech, much of it provided by leading semiconductor manufacturer AMD. This is where things get a bit technical. Both machines use versions of AMD’s Ryzen series of central processing units, which are built around the company’s Zen 2 core architecture. This technology is designed to bring efficient processing to desktop PCs and mobile devices but the console companies have worked with AMD to produce custom versions. The PS5 CPU operates at 3.5GHz, while the Xbox Series X CPU can run at a peak speed of 3.8GHz, suggesting a raw processing advantage for Microsoft’s machine.

Both consoles also have dedicated graphics processing units (GPUs) to drive their high-detail 3D visuals, also based on AMD technology: its Radeon Navi RDNA graphics architecture. The PS5 version uses 36 compute units (individual blocks of computing resources) running at 2.23GHz and offering 10.28 Teraflops (a measure of how many trillions of floating-point operations per second a graphics processor can deal with). The Xbox Series X version of the AMD Navi GPU features 52 compute units, offering 12 Teraflops. This would seem to give Xbox Series X another advantage, but the PS5 GPU runs faster (2.23GHz compared to 1.825GHz) and developers will also be able to vary the frequency of operation, boosting the speed of the CPU and GPU when needed – during graphically intense moments of a game, for example – while the speed of the Xbox Series X processors is locked. There’s no clear winner here – it will be up to developers to get the most from these slightly different approaches.

Both Sony and Microsoft say their machines will be able to run content at screen resolutions of up to 8K, but it’s not clear whether this will be games or 8K movies. They will definitely both run games at 4K (ultra-high-definition) and up to 120 frames per second, making for extremely smooth visual performance at high definition (as long as you have a 4K-capable TV). The machines also support an emerging graphics technology known as real-time ray-tracing, which accurately calculates the interactions and reflections of light beams through a 3D space, making for naturalistic lighting. However, ray-tracing is costly in terms of processing, and too much may mean games run at 30 frames per second rather than 60 or 120. Consequently, ray-tracing might be limited to small areas such as windows and metallic armour. Insomniac Games, for example, has confirmed its Spider-Man: Miles Morales game will use ray tracing … in the puddles.

Ray of light … Spider-Man: Miles Morales.



Ray of light … Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Photograph: Sony

Storage

Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X have switched from using hard disk drives (HDDs) for storing games and saves to solid state drives (SSDs), which are much faster. Games will be extremely quick to boot up and loading new environments or levels while playing should be almost seamless. The PlayStation 5 comes with an 825GB SSD which can send 5.5GB per second of raw data, or 9GB per second of compressed data, to the console’s CPU. The Xbox Series X comes with a larger capacity 1TB SSD, but its raw throughput is less than half at 2.4GB/s. Both have an expansion slot allowing owners to plug in a second SSD if they want.

Accessories

Both consoles will come with redesigned versions of their familiar controllers. The Xbox Series X joypad focuses on comfort with a new shape, raised D-pad and tactile dot patterns on the triggers and bumpers to increase grip. Microsoft is also making a big deal of how the Xbox Series X will eliminate latency, the delay between pressing a controller button and the corresponding action happening on screen. Its dynamic latency input system should make for incredibly responsive controls, which will make a big difference in fast-paced shooter games.

The PS5’s new DualSense pad features haptic feedback, which brings a sense of resistance to the analogue sticks simulating, say, rough road surfaces in a driving game. It also has adaptive triggers in the L2 and R2 buttons that simulate the feel of tension in an item, for example drawing a bow string to shoot an arrow. Finally, a built-in microphone array will enable players to chat to friends without a gaming headset. We know the PS5 will have a compatible HD stereo camera and a Pulse 3D wireless headset, designed to get the most out of the system’s supposedly revolutionary Tempest 3D audio engine.

Games

Sony’s recent Future of Gaming livestream was a huge success, revealing a 29 PlayStation 5 games and a variety of exclusive titles including Gran Turismo 7, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon Forbidden West, and updated versions of Grand Theft Auto V and From Software’s Demon’s Souls. There were also intriguing original titles such as cyberpunk cat adventure Stray, stylised shooter Deathloop and role-playing quest Little Devil Inside.

Halo Infinite.



The future of gaming? … Halo Infinite. Photograph: Halo Infinite

Microsoft has also announced a list of Xbox Series X games, but only three first-party titles so far – Gears 5, Halo Infinite and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Its own recent livestream was not as well received as Sony’s, relying heavily on unfamiliar indie titles and optimised versions of games available elsewhere. The company has stated that all 15 of its own studios are working on Series X games, however, so we can expect more announcements.

Backwards compatibility

This is somewhere Microsoft definitely has the edge. The company has announced that many hundreds of classic Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One titles will be playable on Xbox One Series X, either via game discs or digital downloads – and they will boast enhanced performance, including smoother frame rates and shorter loading times.

Sony has so far only confirmed backwards compatibility with PS4 games. In March, PS5 system architect Mark Cerny said around 100 titles had been successfully supported, and more recently, PlayStation CEO JimRyan told CNET that a further 4,000 games were being tested – but again, only PS4 titles.

Digital services

Xbox Series X will support the Game Pass subscription service, which gives owners access to hundreds of games. It will also support the cloud-based game streaming service xCloud (currently in closed beta), which will integrate with Game Pass allowing fans to play the latest Xbox titles on a range of platforms.

Elsewhere, with the Xbox Smart Delivery programme console owners will buy one version of a game, and then be able to access that title on any compatible Microsoft platform. For example, if an Xbox One owner buys Halo Infinite but then upgrades to Xbox Series X, they get that version of Halo Infinite for free. Microsoft has also been talking about its Quick Resume feature, which will allow players to pick up games where they left off, without having to load save files each time they start a new title.

PlayStation 5 will support the PlayStation Now service, which currently offers more than 700 PS2, PS3 and PS4 games, which can be streamed and played on PS4 or a PC – again for a monthly subscription. We’re not sure yet how Sony will upgrade the service for the new machine.

Horizon Forbidden West for PS5.



Deep dive … Horizon Forbidden West for PS5. Photograph: Sony

Price and launch details

All we know for both machines is that they’ll be launched in autumn/winter 2020 – probably October or November. Price-wise we have nothing but rumours. A listing allegedly placed on Amazon France for a few hours, showed a price of €499 for the PS5 with the disc drive and €399 for the digital version, which would likely translate to £499 / £399 and $499 / $399. Rumours also suggest a 20 November launch for Sony’s machine. Separate rumours put the Xbox Series X at between $349 and $499.

Specifications at a glance

PlayStation 5
CPU:
x86-64-AMD Ryzen Zen 2, eight cores, variable frequency, up to 3.5GHz
GPU: AMD Radeon RDNA 2-based graphics engine, variable frequency, up to 2.23GHz, 10.3 teraflops
System memory: GDDR6 16GB
SSD: 825GB, 5.5GB/s read bandwidth (uncompressed)
Game disc: Ultra HD Blu-ray, up to 100GB/disc
Video out: Support of 4K 120Hz TVs, 8K TVs
Audio: Tempest 3D AudioTech

Xbox Series X
CPU:
AMD Ryzen Zen 2, eight cores, 3.8GHz
GPU: AMD Radeon RDNA 2-based graphics engine, 52 CUs at 1.825GHz, 12 teraflops
System memory: GDDR6 16GB
SSD: 1TB, 2.4GB/s read bandwidth
Game disc: Ultra HD Blu-ray, up to 100GB/disc
Video out: Support of 4K 120Hz TVs, 8K TVs

Conclusion

Just like the last console war, the two machines are very similar on paper, but we’ll have to see how their system architects have enhanced the basic tech specifications with proprietary firmware, compression techniques and hardware features. Exclusive games will also be a vital factor, despite our era of cross-platform streaming services. With so much yet to be revealed, including prices and launch line-ups, betting on a winner at this stage would be foolhardy.

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