With thePlayStation 5’s reveal this past week, several developers have spoken publically about their excitement for thePS5’s new SSD technology. These developers have largely been current or ex-first party devs from Naughty Dog, Insomniac, or other studios, but their experience is still noteworthy. Another ex-Sony developer is now offering some opposing insight. Chris Grannell, former senior game designer at Guerilla Games and SCEE, is sharing that he’s heard the power difference betweenXbox Series Xand PS5 is “quite staggering.”
While the “console wars” of the PS2 and PS3 generations has calmed down considerably, fans can still get somewhat overexcited about next-generation information. Grannell was replying to a post on Twitter clarifying some details about thePS5 and Xbox Series X comparisonwhen he brings up what he’s heard. He doesn’t name any names but says that he’s “chatted to a few devs” regarding the next generation of consoles.
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According to Grannell, the devs, “confirmed the power difference is quite staggering,” in theXbox Series X’s favor. The comments went further, saying, “It doesn’t mean you can’t make good games on the PS4,” which is perhaps a bit harsh. By all accounts, both the PS5 and Xbox Series X will provide a significant leap in hardware for game developers to employ.
Grannell’s comments do reflect the realities of the two consoles' hardware in a way that surprisingly few game developers have spoken publically about. TheXbox Series X has a significant advantage in both CPU and GPU power, specs that have traditionally been used to accurately gauge graphics power.
That’s not to say the PS5 isn’t powerful. It clearly very much is, it just is somewhat less powerful than the Xbox Series X in some very important ways. Sony is touting its SSD technology as a major advantage, which it certainly is. However, the Xbox Series X’s advantages have known tangible benefits for game visuals and design, whereas thePS5’s still need to be shown.
There’s still a lot of time before thePS5 and the Xbox Series X launch later this year. There are aspects of both consoles that have yet to be revealed that could change the conversation. And most importantly, very few games have been shown. Until each console’s launch titles are known and there’s enough footage to make healthy comparisons, it’s all quite meaningless. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to hear positive talk about the Xbox Series X online, too.
ThePS5andXbox Series Xlaunch holiday 2020.
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