We know Microsoft and Sony’s next consoles are in the works, but when it comes to the Xbox Series X and PS5, which one is shaping up to be the better choice?
The classic battle between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation continues as both prepare to roll out a new gaming console for 2020. Microsoft’s Xbox Series X will debut around the same time as the PS5, creating a very difficult choice, especially since both are so similar in specs. Without knowing the prices of each system, all we can go on are each platform’s offerings — games, services, and any confirmed features we know about. There’s still much we don’t know about each system, like their release dates, price points, and which launch games will be available. But there is a lot we do know, so in this handy guide, we’ll go through what we know about each so far, so you can make an informed decision when it comes time to purchase later this year. Further reading: We only have bits and pieces of information regarding the performance and internal specifications of the new consoles. Sony is, naturally, calling its console the PS5, while Microsoft’s console will be called Xbox Series X. There are rumors of a less expensive edition of Series X codenamed Lockheart, which is said to be a disc-less option. The PS5, as recently revealed, is confirmed to have a digital-only option as well — though it’s unknown if its specs will mirror those of the base PS5. One could assume so, but Sony has yet to confirm this. On the PS5 side, we know the console will be using AMD chips across the board. This includes an eight-core CPU running on a modified version of the Ryzen line. This CPU will use 7nm Zen 2 microarchitecture. Its CPU is, on paper, slightly less powerful than the Xbox Series X CPU. The PS5’s GPU will also be from AMD, based on the Radeon Navi line, and it will support the resource-intensive process known as ray tracing. This information comes from an interview that Lead System Architect Mark Cerny had with Wired, and we later learned the GPU would run at 10.28 TFLOPS with 2.23GHz, putting it in relative competitive with the Xbox Series X GPU. The PS5 will also come with a 4K Blu-ray player, putting it in line with the Xbox One S and Xbox One X, and we know that discs will have a capacity of 100GB — double that of the current generation. The Xbox Series X will feature 12 TFLOPS of power and up to eight times more graphical performance than Xbox One and twice as much as the Xbox One X. Xbox Series X will have 16GB of GDDR6 RAM. The Xbox One X uses 12GB of GDDR5 RAM, and even a small boost to this would likely be sufficient for future games. We also know it will support features like a variable refresh rate, Variable Rate Shading technology, and a low-latency mode so you can get better responses out of your games. This could be just one of two Xbox next-generation consoles, however, with Microsoft apparently also working on a console internally named Lockhart with around 4 TFLOPS of power. This system will reportedly not include a disc drive and is aimed at more casual players and those using Project xCloud for streaming. At long last, Sony will be moving away from hard drives in favor of solid-state drives for the PS5, as revealed in Wired’s interview with Mark Cerny. It will be a custom super-fast 825GB SSD, with a slot for expanding storage via NVME. The PS5’s SSD also allows it to segment how you install content. If you only want to install the campaign in the latest Call of Duty game, for instance, you will be able to do that and get to playing it much more quickly. You can also load directly into certain modes from the dashboard, allowing you to hypothetically jump right into a multiplayer match with a friend instead of having to navigate all of the menus first. You will even be able to see what rewards you can get for completing possible activities right from the dashboard, with game servers providing this information. The Xbox Series X will also be making use of a solid-state drive. It is a custom 1TB SSD using NVME technology, and it will support proprietary expansion cards. Both consoles support external HDD as well, but they are not fast enough to run next-generation games. It’s recommended to wait to purchase external hard drives in the next couple years so they’re up to par with the requirements of current games. Now that both companies have shown their consoles off, we know how they stack up against one another, visually. The Xbox Series X will resemble a tall PC tower.
