The Verge has found that, contrary to Microsoft's claims, the PlayStation 5 has been consistently outperforming the Xbox Series X and is the rightful holder of the title of "world's most powerful console." Both next-gen consoles were released earlier this month, but thanks to supply shortages and preposterously high demand, they've been excessively hard to come by. Walmart's website crashed multiple times on the release day of the PS5, for instance, as desperate fans struggled to order the new console.
For the video game community, all of 2020 has been colored by anticipation for these two next-gen machines. Both bring their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and their own distinct lineup of launch titles for players to enjoy. For the most part, it seems that the PS5 has been coming out on top; survey data gathered before release indicated that more people worldwide were excited for the PS5 than for the Xbox Series X. But the Series X isn't without its own advantages either; in fact, in terms of raw technical numbers, Microsoft's console actually outperforms the PS5 in most major ways.
That's what it's like on paper, anyway. The Verge has considerable reason to doubt Microsoft's claims. It has been tracking gameplay analysis from Digital Foundry and has come away with the conclusion that the PS5 might actually have an edge in the technical field as well. For instance, even though the Series X has a slight lead when it comes to ray-tracing performance on Devil May Cry 5, it also suffers from some bizarre frame rate dips that end up leaving the PS5 with a smoother performance overall. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X version of Assassin's Creed Valhalla suffers from screen tearing and even more regular framerate dips, problems that are largely absent from the PS5 version of the game. While a lot of these issues can be chalked up to simple bugs that can and likely will be patched out moving forward, The Verge has also spoken to several anonymous developers who claim that Microsoft gave them much less time with the development kit for the new console than they got for the PS5. This could mean that quality will improve as developers get better acquainted with the new hardware, but for now, one's left wondering what took Microsoft so long.
This is, of course, simply The Verge's analysis. There are sure to be a lot of players out there who aren't encountering the aforementioned issues and are in fact having a wonderful time with their new Series X. There are also some fans who have been, inexplicably, vaping into the new console, which is sure to raise issues that Microsoft can hardly be held responsible for.
It might be impossible to judge once and for all which model of video game console is the single most powerful on the market. Everyone is going to have a different experience with the new generation of games depending on which console they buy, which games they play on it, and any number of additional issues that are totally out of their control, like a loose sticker ending up in a console fan. Ultimately, fans will have to decide for themselves if the PS5 or the Xbox Series X is the superior console.
Source: The Verge