When it comes to performance, it appears the PlayStation 5 has been consistently outperforming the Xbox Series X, the console continually touted as “the world’s most powerful.”
The Verge reports that, according to Digital Foundry, analysis between the two consoles across several new games has revealed a much smaller divide in performance than previously thought. Despite the fact that Sony has fewer teraflops and compute units, several games, like Devil May Cry 5, actually run “noticeably better” on PS5, with dips that “look really strange” to Digital Foundry editor Richard Leadbetter.
The “dips” seem to indicate that the GPU, as Leadbetter stated, could be being held back by something. Similarly, the Xbox Series X seems to be without an obvious lead when it comes to the ray tracing mode in Devil May Cry 5.
“I don’t really have any technical explanation for it, except the sense you’re getting here is that PlayStation 5 spec wise is punching above its weight, and something is up with Xbox — which on paper at least should be significantly ahead,” explained Leadbetter.
Digital Foundry discovered that the PS5 version of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla also comes out on top, where the Xbox Series X suffers from dips under 60fps and screen tearing. Much of the same can be said for Dirt 5, when compared between consoles. And while Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War does see an advantage in terms of ray tracing on Xbox Series X, it ends up lagging behind the PS5 with its 120fps mode.
In many ways, it appears the PS5 has been taking the lead in terms of performance, according to these various tests. These findings are likely paving the way for patches, and Microsoft has been working with developers to find a way to resolve the issues, according to a statement made to The Verge.
“We are aware of performance issues in a handful of optimized titles on Xbox Series X|S and are actively working with our partners to identify and resolve the issues to ensure an optimal experience,” explained a Microsoft spokesperson.
“As we begin a new console generation, our partners are just now scratching the surface of what next-gen consoles can do and minor bug fixes are expected as they learn how to take full advantage of our new platform. We are eager to continue working with developers to further explore the capability of Xbox Series X|S in the future.”
Sony has yet to comment on these findings, but it appears Microsoft is ready to take them on headfirst.