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Xbox Series X VS PS5: which console currently has the edge?
Butcher79
PS5 and Xbox Series X / S are head to head and the situation is stalemate. After a long chase between the two tech giants, the Xbox Series X/S and PS5/PS5 Digital Edition prices have finally balanced out. So who has more advantages today? The editors of PortalVirtualReality undertook to figure it out.
How are consoles different?
1. Available versions
PS 5
At the start, Sony has prepared two versions of the consoles: PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. The latter, as the name implies, does not have an Ultra HD Blu‑ray drive. In addition, there are no differences between them, the filling of both consoles is the same. Due to the lack of a disc drive, the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition is slightly thinner and does not have a built-in Blu-ray player, which is logical. Also the digital version is cheaper.
Xbox Series X and Series S
At Microsoft, things are different. There are also two prefixes, but they are completely different. The flagship Xbox Series X features an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, 1TB SSD, 4K 120Hz gaming and 8K upscaling.
The budget Xbox Series S has no disc drive, only a 512GB SSD, and much less performance. But it is more than enough, since the console does not support games in 4K, but displays the picture only at 1p, 440 Hz. Such content looks good on 120K TVs, but is inferior in clarity and detail.
At the same time, both consoles have the same controllers, support ray tracing technology, 4K video playback and are fully compatible with games from previous generations of Xbox.
2. Design
Both consoles look very interesting, and both do not look like their predecessors. Xbox Series X has a discreet and versatile design that will fit into any interior. The console from Sony looks more futuristic and even pretentious.
PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition are almost identical in appearance, the second is only slightly thinner, as mentioned earlier. But the Xbox Series X and S are completely different. The more accessible console is smaller and has a ventilation grill on the side.
3. Dimensions
Despite the fact that we are talking about stationary consoles, not portable ones, this parameter also plays a role. Microsoft's set-top boxes are tight-packed and smaller than the competition. The younger Xbox Series S is twice as compact as the regular Series X and roughly the same size as the Xbox One X.
Sony in this generation has significantly increased the body of the PlayStation, and now the console is already comparable in size to the PC system unit. Such a colossus will not fit on every shelf, and some users may have to change the TV stand or place the set-top box on the floor.
Attachment dimensions and weight:
- PlayStation 5: 390 × 104 × 260 mm (without stand), 4,5 kg.
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition: 390 × 92 × 260 mm (without stand), 3,9 kg.
- Xbox Series 51 × 151 × 301 mm, 4,5 kg.
- Xbox Series S: 65 × 150 × 275 mm, 2,0 kg.
4. Performance
In terms of dry performance, the Xbox Series X is superior to the PlayStation 5, but optimization plays an important role in the final performance. Therefore, how the consoles will show themselves in real use cases remains to be seen.
The Sony set-top box features a very fast SSD for seamless level loading, as well as high clock speeds from the graphics chip. Another feature of the PlayStation 5 is the support for 3D audio, thanks to which developers will be able to take immersive gameplay to a new level.
If we talk about numbers, they look like this:
| PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 5DE | Xbox Series X | Xbox series s | |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen Zen 2, 8 cores, 16 threads, 3,5 GHz, variable frequency | AMD Ryzen Zen 2 8 Cores 16 Threads 3,8GHz (3,66GHz SMT) Fixed Frequency | AMD Ryzen Zen 2 8 Cores 16 Threads 3,8GHz (3,66GHz SMT) Fixed Frequency |
| Graphics Processor | AMD RDNA 2, 36 compute units, 2,23 GHz (variable frequency), | AMD RDNA 2, 52 compute units, 1,825 GHz (fixed), 12 | AMD RDNA 2, 20 compute units, 1,565 GHz (fixed frequency) |
| Graphics performance | 10,23 teraflops | 12,15 teraflops | 4 teraflops |
| RAM | 16 GB GDDR6, 448 GB/s | 16 GB GDDR6, 10 GB (560 GB/s) + 6 GB (336 GB/s) | 10 GB GDDR6, 8 GB (224 GB/s) + 2 GB (56 GB/s) |
| Built-in Memory | Custom SSD 825 GB, 5,5 GB/s | Custom SSD NVME 1TB 4,8Gb/s | Custom SSD NVME 512 GB, 4,8 GB/s |
| Optical drive | Ultra HD Blu‑ray / no | Ultra HD Blu‑ray | no |
| Network interfaces | Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet | Wi‑Fi 802.11ac, Gigabit Ethernet | Wi‑Fi 802.11ac, Gigabit Ethernet |
| Connectors | HDMI 2.1, 3 USB‑A, 1 USB‑C | 1 HDMI 2.1, 3 USB‑A | 1 HDMI 2.1, 3 USB‑A |
| Sound | Tempest 3D Audio | Dolby TrueHD Atmos | Dolby TrueHD Atmos |
5. Controllers
With regard to gamepads, Microsoft and Sony also have different approaches. The first is more conservative and adheres to the familiar design of the Xbox One X controller. Of the notable changes is the Share button in the center, as well as a faceted cross, as in the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller gamepad.
The latter adds convenience and improves the accuracy of complex combinations, for example, in fighting games. The surface of the triggers is textured for a better grip. But the controller still works from two AA‑batteries, although it is connected via USB‑C.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/SebzB8W3bVU
Sony has departed significantly from the design of the previous generation, retaining only the outlines and key features. As before, the PlayStation controller is much more technologically advanced and offers many more options. There is a touch panel, and a microphone with a speaker, and a gyroscope, and a built-in battery with USB‑C charging.
But the main feature of the DualSense controller is dynamic adaptive triggers that change the pressing force depending on the events in the game. So, clicking the button and pulling the bowstring are perceived completely differently, which greatly diversifies the gaming experience.
6. Exclusives
In terms of exclusive projects, Sony has always been ahead of Microsoft, the situation has not changed even now. The Japanese company sponsors well-known developers, providing many high-profile titles on its platform. They won't even be available on the previous generation of PlayStation (at least right away), let alone Xbox Series X and PC.
PlayStation 5 captivates with the opportunity to plunge into projects such as:
- God of war ragnarok
- Horizon forbidden west
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Gran Turismo 7
- Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
- Demon's Souls
- return
- Sackboy: The Big Adventure
- Astro's Playroom
- AllStars Destruction
Microsoft follows a very different strategy and relies on the availability of content for all of its platforms. Therefore, full-fledged exclusives on the Xbox Series X are not planned for at least the next couple of years. All games that will be released on the new console will be able to run on any Windows 10 PC, as well as on Xbox One.
Among the hotly discussed and expected projects are the following:
- Halo Infinite
- STALKER 2.
- Fable
- scorn.
- State of Decay 3.
- Forza Motorsport.
- everwild.
- Avowed.
- As Dusk Falls.
7. NextGen games at launch
The value of consoles is largely determined by the set of new games that will be available with the start of sales. Unlike the previous generation, both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will have something to play at launch. Here are the projects announced.
PS5
- Astro's Playroom.
- Demon's Souls.
- Destruction All Stars.
- Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
- Sackboy A Big Adventure.
- Fortnite.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
- Cyberpunk 2077.
- Watch Dog's Legion.
- deathloop.
- godfall.
Also available to PS Plus subscribers on PlayStation 5 is the Plus Collection, a selection of 18 of the best games from the previous generation, including God of War, Bloodborne, Uncharted 4, Days Gone, Detroit, Battlefield 1 and more. Over time, the collection promise to replenish.
Xbox Series X
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
- The Ascent
- The Medium
- NBA 2K21
- Watch Dogs Legion
- Destiny 2: Beyond Light
- Dirt 5
- Fortnite
- Gears Tactics
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon
- Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2
8. Backwards compatible
On this point, the Xbox Series X wins. Microsoft announced support for games from all previous generations of the console, and even with improved graphics and frame rates in some of them. At the same time, thanks to the Smart Delivery program, you can buy a game for Xbox One, and then run its improved version for free on Xbox Series X.
The PlayStation 5 is only backwards compatible with games from its predecessor. According to Sony representatives, thousands of projects have been tested and 99% of them will work properly.
9. Subscriptions
As before, Sony and Microsoft offer users a paid subscription. It is not required, but without it, neither the PlayStation nor the Xbox Series X will play online with friends. Subscribers also receive free games, discounts and additional bonuses every month. Here's what's included in the subscriptions and how they differ.
- PlayStation Plus (3 rubles per year) - multiplayer, 299 free games per month, discounts and pre-orders, early access to demos, 2 GB in the cloud for saves.
- Microsoft Xbox LIVE Gold (3 rubles per year) - multiplayer, 649-2 free games per month, discounts, additional content.
- Microsoft Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (10 rubles per year) - access to a library with more than 776 games for consoles and PC, bonuses in the form of in-game content and discounts. Also includes an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription.
10. Prices
Regular versions of consoles cost about the same. The more affordable PlayStation 5 DE and Xbox Series S have a significant price difference, but you can't directly compare them. After all, the first differs from the flagship only in the absence of a drive, while the second is much weaker in performance. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Xbox Series S is the most affordable next-generation console on the market.
- PlayStation 5 - 46 999 rubles.
- PlayStation 5 Digital Edition - 37 999 rubles.
- Xbox Series X - 45 590 rubles.
- Xbox Series S - 26 990 rubles.
Which console to choose
Who is the PlayStation 5 for?
As before, the main advantage of Sony consoles is a large number of exclusive projects. First of all, the PlayStation 5 will suit those who are interested in the announced games.
It can also be advised to users who missed the PlayStation 4 or are buying a console for the first time. Thanks to backwards compatibility and the PlayStation Plus Collection, they will have the opportunity to experience the iconic games of the previous generation.
The Sony prefix is definitely worth choosing for those who are interested in VR content. Xbox Series X will not support virtual reality technology, and Microsoft has no plans to develop it in the next generation.
Who is the Xbox Series X for?
The superior performance hardware of the Microsoft set-top box is best suited for multi-platform games. So the Xbox Series X can be recommended to gamers who put the quality of graphics and pictures in general in the first place.
While regular versions of the console cost about the same, the Xbox Series S is the most budget-friendly next-generation console and will be the perfect choice for those who want to save money.
In addition, backward compatibility with all games released on the Xbox platform makes Series X more attractive to those who already have an existing library of games from previous Microsoft consoles.
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