Microsoft revealed the specifications of the upcoming Xbox Series X in a video stream earlier this week. Following this Sony has finally revealed what the specs of the PlayStation 5 would be like in a video stream of its own. Now that we have the official specs of the two upcoming consoles, it is time to compare the two and see how they fare against each other on paper.
Microsoft was calling its console Project Scarlett in the development phase. But the name was officially revealed to be the Xbox Series X later. Sony was not coy about its naming of the new console and went with the tried and tested theme and called it the PlayStation 5. Both the consoles are set to release in the same time frame of Holiday 2020 which means both of these will go head-to-head against each other. As for the specs of the two consoles here’s a look at how the two compare on paper.
Sony PlayStation 5 vs Microsoft Xbox Series X: Specs
| PlayStation 5 |
Xbox Series X
|
|
| Processor | AMD Zen 2 CPU |
AMD Zen 2 CPU
|
| Graphics | AMD Navi-based GPU |
AMD Navi-based GPU (est. 12 TFLOPs)
|
| RAM | unknown |
GDDR6 SDRAM (capacity not confirmed)
|
| Storage | SSD (capacity not confirmed) |
NVMe SSD (capacity not confirmed)
|
| Optical Drive | Yes (4K Blu-ray) | Yes |
| Max Output Resolution | 8K | 8K |
| Max Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| VR Support | Yes | unknown |
| Cloud Gaming | PlayStation Now (unconfirmed) |
Microsoft Project xCloud
|
| Backwards Compatibility | Yes (PS4 games) |
Yes (Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One games)
|
| Dimensions | unknown |
unknown (but design has been revealed)
|
| Color | unknown | Black |
| Release Date | Holiday 2020 | Holiday 2020 |
As we can see here the Xbox Series X seems to be more powerful on paper than the PlayStation 5. But needless to say both the consoles are huge leap over their previous generation consoles. In terms of the major improvement, both the new consoles will be using SSDs which will improve load times of games tremendously. We have already seen demos from both the consoles which show that it is leaps and bounds ahead in the storage department than its predecessors.
Both the new consoles will be featuring new controllers and we have seen some patents. While it seems like the next generation of PlayStation 5 controller will be similar to the present DualShock 4 controllers. It will come with a USB-C port and bigger triggers. Microsoft is also improving upon the previous controllers and the new ones will be smaller and have a hybrid 4-way pad.
But what will really make a difference are the online services that the companies will be providing. But the biggest difference will probably be the library of games and new exclusives that each company will be providing with the new generation. Sony has promised that the upcoming game Godfall will be on the PS5 at launch. Microsoft on the other hand promises Halo Infinite as the launch title. It also showcased Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 during the reveal.
