It’s widely accepted that Microsoft’s Xbox Series X console is the most powerful ever made, so why do some games run better on Sony’s PlayStation 5? That’s a question that the tech experts at Digital Foundry have finally answered.
Microsoft and Sony launched the next generation of consoles at the same time in November 2020, and while the less powerful Xbox Series S obviously struggles in the performance department, the Xbox Series X is a technological behemoth; it’s capable of 12 teraflops of GPU performance, while the PS5 is capable of 10.28 teraflops.
Xbox executives have said they want to avoid repeating the narrative established during the last generation, where the Xbox One was significantly less powerful than the PlayStation 4, leading to a lag in cross-platform gaming performance. That’s why Microsoft has doubled down on the Xbox Series X, ensuring it can safely call it the “world’s most powerful console” in marketing terms.
But now, as we approach each console’s fourth anniversary, has that power difference paid off in the games we play? It turns out that some games run better on the PS5 than they do on the Xbox Series X. But how is that possible?
According to Digital Foundry’s conversations with developers, “the combination of a more efficient GPU compiler, lower-level APIs, and higher clock speeds allows PS5 to match or even exceed Xbox Series X performance in some scenarios.”
An example of this is FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, which runs faster on PS5 than on Xbox Series X. Digital Foundry’s analysis of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC shows a surprising frame rate difference in favor of the PS5, which is apparently the slower-performing machine.
But as Digital Foundry points out, there’s still value in Microsoft’s approach to the Xbox Series X, as it shares common ground with PC development that helps game creators. “Plus, there are situations where the Xbox ecosystem and features pay dividends,” Digital Foundry says. “For example, while Elden Ring may run faster on PS5, Sony’s limited implementation of variable refresh rate support means we’d rather play the game on Xbox Series X: the experience is simply smoother and more consistent.”
So what’s next? Sony is widely rumored to be ready to release a PS5 Pro later this year, and Microsoft is reportedly set to release an Xbox handheld console. Digital Foundry expects the PS5 Pro to “build on the same strengths that made the PS5 competitive and go beyond: PSSR machine learning-based upscaling should act as an effective ‘multiplier’ of sorts on its increased GPU performance.”
What next? We’ll probably have to start over when Microsoft releases its next-gen Xbox and Sony releases the inevitable PS6.
Wesley is IGN’s UK News Editor. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or in confidence at wyp100@proton.me.
