Should You Buy PS5 or Xbox Series X? (Part 1 – The Specs)

With the PS5 and Xbox Series X both now merely months away from launch, the age old question – which of these two new consoles should I buy? – is going to be asked by many, many people, and asked often. There are some critical factors that we still don't know about, such as the price, while for many, the single most important consideration in making that decision will be the games.

But the backbone of both consoles is, of course, the hardware that those games will run on, and whether or not that hardware will enable the PS5 or the Xbox Series X to do things that their competitor won't be able to do is intrinsically tied to the question of which console will have the more compelling library.

It's also worth noting that after a generation where both consoles were defined by off-the-shelf mid-range hardware, the PS5 and Xbox Series X are once again going back to custom elements, and there's much differentiating the two of them than their predecessors. The question is- which one is better? That question isn't easily answered, but let's take a look at the individual aspects of both consoles anyway and try to do just that.

CPU

ps5 cpu gpu

When it comes to CPU, both the Xbox Series X and PS5 are going for very similar things- one of the few areas where that can be said for both consoles. Both consoles use semi-custom Zen 2 CPUs with eight cores and 16 threads. The difference comes with clock speeds, and it's here where the Xbox Series X has a slight edge- at least on paper.

The Xbox Series X's CPU has a clock speed of 3.8 GHz without simultaneous multithreading (or SMT), and 3.6 GHz with SMT. The PS5, on the other hand, has a variable frequency of 3.5 GHz with SMT. What does that all mean, though? Well, it means that on paper, the Xbox Series X does have a slight edge, but effectively, it's not going to end up making much of a difference, if at all.

The fact that the Xbox Series X is committing to harder numbers as opposed to the PS5's variable frequency is definitely a point in its favour, since the PS5 might conceivably drop to 3.3 GHz or even 3.2 GHz in the worst case scenario- but again, while that is a knock against it on paper, it's not going to make much difference, especially when you consider how negligible the differences seem to be in real world terms. It's like two people who're the same height, but one of them has their hair standing on end that makes them slightly taller. It doesn't matter.

The Xbox Series X edges it here- but it's a victory in name and little else. Both consoles have impressive processors that are more or less getting the same results.

GPU

Xbox Series X Expansion Port

This is one area where the Xbox Series X has a very clear advantage, and the area where all the talk about it having more raw power than the PS5 comes from. With a 12.16 TFLOPs GPU with 52 compute units, each running at 1.82 GHz, the Xbox Series X has a seriously impressive GPU, one that truly does feel like a significant leap over the console hardware developers have had to work with these past 7 years.

By comparison, the PS5's GPU is much smaller on paper, with only 36 compute units as compared to the Xbox Series X's 52. But – and this is a pretty significant but – the PS5's GPU still has a frequency of 2.23 GHz, which is more than the Xbox Series X. That is a variable frequency, which, once again, means that it will every now and then drop off to below that number, but the net result is still a higher frequency than the Xbox Series X. The total compute power comes up to 10.28 TFLOPs.

What does all of that mean? It means that the Xbox Series X's GPU is clearly the more powerful one, with much more raw power than the PS5, but the PS5 does boast of pretty impressive speed, and while that doesn't bring it completely neck-to-neck with its competitors, it does come pretty close to doing that. The end result is an 18 percent gap in raw terms, which is not negligible, but not devastating for the PS5 by any means either.

This one goes to the Xbox Series X, but the PS5 is no slouch either.

SSD 

ps5 ssd

Just as the Xbox Series X has a very clear advantage over the PS5 when it comes to the GPU, the PS5, too, has a vast advantage over the Xbox Series X when it comes to the SSD. The fact that both consoles have SSDs is, in and of itself, exciting no matter how you cut it, but the PS5 is frankly going above and beyond what most would have expected from it until a few months ago.

The Xbox Series X's 1 TB NVMe SSD has a compressed throughput of 4.8 GB/s, and raw throughput of 2.4 GB/s- which is impressive, to be sure, especially for the console space's standards. But the PS5, incredible enough, more than two times faster than the Xbox Series X on both counts. Its 825 GB NVMe SSD has a compressed throughput of up to 9 GB/s, and a raw throuput of 5.5 GB/s- which puts it far, far ahead of not only the Xbox Series X, but basically any SSD that has ever been made.

The Xbox Series X does have an ace in the hole that helps it (somewhat) make up for that giant gap- its Velocity Architecture, which is basically an umbrella term that Microsoft are using for several elements that work together to make streaming much faster, including hardware decompression, DirectStorage, and Sampler Feedback Streaming. Collectively, they reduce the work that the CPU has to put in for data transfers, make on-the-fly decompression much faster, and make streaming much more efficient.

The Velocity Architecture is accomplishing a lot, and the effects it will have will bleed over into more than just what the SSD can accomplish (for instance, it will free up the CPU to do more things). No, the Velocity Architecture doesn't make up for the massive gulf between the two consoles' SSDs, but its an important factor that cannot be ignored when talking about SSDs nonetheless.

This one, of course, goes to the PS5.

MEMORY

Xbox Series X

Memory is such a crucial factor in consoles- so often we see this being the one element that ends up crippling even the most impressive pieces of machinery. Thankfully, it doesn't seem like the PS5 and Xbox Series X will have that issue (or so it seems right now, at any rate).

Which of the two has the upper hand though? Well, it's hard to say. The Xbox Series X has a 16 GB GGDR6 RAM. 10 GB of that has a bandwidth of 560 GB/s, while the remaining 6 GB has a bandwidth of 336 GB/s. Architectures that split their memories have proven to be tricky in the past, and while its conceivably that that might present issues for the Xbox Series X as well, its pool of 10 GB running at 560 GB/s seems like more than enough to handle whatever developers might throw at it- for the next year years, at the very least.

The PS5, in comparison, also has a 16 GB GDDR6 RAM- but it has a unified pool, and a bandwidth of 448 GB/s. Yes, that bandwidth is significantly lower than the bandwidth Xbox Series X has for its critical pool, but then again, the PS5 does have the advantage of having a larger, unified pool of RAM.

The end result? Well, both have advantages over the other, but effectively, they both pretty much arrive at the same spot. The Xbox Series X does seem to be better suited for 4K gaming, seeing as it can dedicate much faster speeds of 10 GB RAM to its GPU, but that gap most likely won't be a huge one.

CONCLUSION

ps5 xbox series x

Where does all of that leave us? Well, it leaves us with a multi-faceted answer to the question of which of the two consoles has the upper hand in terms of specs. The Xbox Series X is the more powerful console on paper, especially in traditional terms, and its more impressive GPU is more than enough to ensure that. The PS5, however, makes up for that with its incredibly fast SSD, which is an area where it has the clear upper hand over the Xbox Series X. In terms of pure raw power, yes, the Xbox Series X has the upper hand, but if we take a holistic view of the hardware of both consoles, the difference between the two ends up being rather negligible, at least effectively speaking.

One crucial factor in this discussion that we also need to consider is the Xbox Lockhart- the supposedly cheaper and less powerful variant of the Xbox Series X (that Microsoft haven't officially confirmed yet). There's plenty that we don't know about it, but at the end of the day, if it does exist – and it almost certainly does at this point – that will be the baseline that all developers will have to hit. Of course, Microsoft may very well have pipelines that would allow for efficient scaling of games, but having to ensure that their games run on significantly weaker hardware – especially in terms of GPU – is something that will invariably effect most developers. Again, though, the Lockhart is a big question mark in more ways than one right now, so it's hard to be too sure of anything when it comes to this.

What we can do right now is compare the Xbox Series X and the PS5, and this is the conclusion you can come away with. Imagine two buildings, both of them twelve storeys tall- but while one is completely above ground, the other has six of its storeys beneath the ground. That's the Xbox Series X and PS5- they're both equal, but in very different ways. If its pure, raw power in traditional terms that you want to consider, then sure- Xbox Series X does have the edge.

Top Xbox Exclusive Boss Fights of All Time

Over the last couple of weeks, we've done these features for Nintendo and Sony exclusive games. Doing one for Xbox is a lot harder, owing simply to the fact that Xbox doesn't have as rich of a history with boss fights as the other two platforms do. But that doesn't mean there haven't been any highlights at all- and in this feature, we'll be talking about some of our favourite boss fights in Xbox-exclusive games over the years.

NOTE: There are spoilers ahead for all games mentioned in this feature. If you see us talking about a game you don't want spoiled, skip ahead to the next entry.

BERSERKER MATRIARCH (GEARS 5)

The boss fight against the Berserker Matriarch in Gears 5 was probably one of the best moments in the entire game. A perfect blend of challenge and tight design, the fight saw players having to take on a rampaging beast as it charged at you with stunning ferocity. Navigating around her and attacking her weak point was infamously gruelling, but the hook of dunking her in the ice cold water beneath her feat added a nice little twist to the encounter.

Fall Guys Has Already Sold Over 2 Million Copies on Steam

fall guys

If you haven't been living under a rock, you probably know what Fall Guys is by now. Mediatonic's multiplayer game has seen an explosion in popularity since its recent launch, having had more than 1.5 million players within 24 hours of its launch. And that momentum apparently hasn't slowed down.

Recently, publishers Devolver Digital took to Twitter to share some new stats related to the game, and confirmed that it has already sold over 2 million copies on Steam. Considering the fact that the game is also available on PS4, its total sales are likely considerably higher than that right now.

The tweet also shares some other interesting stats. Fall Guys has been watched for over 23 million hours on Twitch since its release, and players have grabbed over 1.5 million crowns. 60 million players have fallen off courses to their deaths- as they should, in a game named Fall Guys.

Fall Guys is currently available on PS4 and PC. You can read our review for it through here. Its developers have said that they would "love to bring the game to other platforms down the line." Read more on that through here.

Horizon Zero Dawn PC Fixes Are Guerrilla's "Highest Priority"

horizon zero dawn

PC audiences have had the chance to experience Guerrilla Games' 2017 open world action RPG Horizon Zero Dawn thanks to its recent release on Steam, and while that is, of course, an exciting prospect, the game's PC launch has been marred by technical issues. From crashes to some instances of downgrades to frame rate issues, players have been reporting issues with the game's PC port quite frequently since its release, and the developers have been listening.

Following the game's recent PC release, Guerrilla Games took to Steam and posted an update in which they assured players that they are aware of all the issues that are being reported. All these reports are apparently being taken into consideration for future fixes, with Guerrilla saying that these fixes are their "highest priority."

"We have been monitoring all of our channels and are aware that some players have been experiencing crashes and other technical issues," the developer writes. "Please know that we are investigating your reports as our highest priority."

As for when these issues will be addressed, Guerrilla haven't given an exact (or rough, for that matter) timeframe, but they do say they will "update you all as soon as [they] have more news."

Horizon Zero Dawn is available on PS4 and PC. You can read our in-depth technical analysis of the PC port through here.

Xbox Series S Details Coming "Within Three Weeks" – Rumor

Xbox Series X

The Xbox Series S or Xbox Lockhart, a lower cost alternative to the Xbox Series X, has been rumored for quite some time now. It seems that a reveal may be on the cards soon, especially following its mention on the Xbox Series X controller box. Xbox boss Phil Spencer promised more news on the Xbox Series X in August but details on the Xbox Series S could be coming sooner.

According to VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb on Twitter, fans can expect to hear more "within three weeks." While that technically places it anywhere in the remainder of August, an announcement at Gamescom Opening Night Live seems appropriate. It's currently set for August 27th and will kick off this year's digital event.

The Xbox Series X, meanwhile, is currently slated to release this holiday season. While a release date and price have yet to be revealed, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood confirmed that it would be out in November. As always, stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Fallout 76 Mod Support is Still Coming – Bethesda

Fallout 76 Season 1

Bethesda Softworks' Fallout 76 has made a pretty decent turnaround since launch. This isn't necessarily difficult given the dumpster fire that was its first year of launch but the community at least seems satisfied with how Wastelanders turned out. However, what's going on with mod support?

Private servers/worlds were added with Fallout 1st but mod support is nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, project lead Jeff Gardiner cleared the air at a recent Q&A for Quakecon at Home via Twitch. He said that "We are definitely still working on mod support, it's coming."

Adding mod support is tougher in this case due to the game's client-server architecture. "We call it the heavy lift. Meaning we've had to put a lot of resources into that…it's not just drag-and-drop from the previous games because of the way our client-server architecture works. But it is coming, we're working on it…just stay tuned."

There's also the question of how mods will be distributed and/or monetized. Bethesda previously noted that mods would be available on private servers but the latter is gated behind Fallout 1st, a subscription service. How this will be handled remains to be seen but the development studio has yet to outright admit that Fallout 1st will be needed for mods. In the meantime, stay tuned for more details.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Website Code Has Mention Of Switch Version

crash bandicoot 4 it's about time

Later this year, we'll get the first original adventure in the Crash Bandicoot series in many years with Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. The platformer seems to be hitting all the right notes with tons of new levels and playable characters and seemingly no microtransactions (at least at launch). When it was unveiled, there was much rejoicing, but one thing did raise eyebrows with the lack of a Switch version. The series seems to have done well on the platform with the late release of N.Sane Trilogy and then Crash Team Racing releasing day and date on Switch alongside other versions. Well, it seems the game's website could point to it still happening.

As you can see from Twitter user SunwerPrower, they did some digging on the game's website to see that within the code there is mention of a Switch version. Now, of course, this doesn't necessarily mean anything, since it's entirely possible this is just leftover code, but there is something of a precedent for companies to release games 6 months to a year later on Switch, and Activision has said they are always 'evaluating' for more platforms. So, don't be too surprised if a Switch release is in the cards at some point.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is set to release October 2nd for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Call Of Duty: Warzone Continues To Tease Next Game With Mysterious Gas Canisters

call of duty warzone

It's been much later than usual, but it seems that we are on the verge of getting the unveiling for 2020's Call of Duty entry. We know that mysterious crates were sent to streamers and press with instructions to open them later today, but it also seems like there's teases within Call of Duty: Warzone itself, with more discovered recently.

Near the end of last week, people reported having a strange 'glitch' during matches that flashed messages in English and Russian. Now, people are reporting finding mysterious canisters that were not present before that release a mysterious gas. You can see an example from Twitter poster Sonny below, who was one of the first ones to find a canister.

While nothing has been officially revealed about the game, we do know it is almost certainly a new entry in the Black Ops subseries of the franchise, and one element in the series was the Nova6 gas biological weapon, so this could be a reference to that. Most likely we'll get some more information when those crates are to be opened later today, so stay tuned.

Fall Guys Developer "Would Love to Bring the Game to Other Platforms"

fall guys

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout has come out of nowhere and taking the internet by storm. Mediatonic's multiplayer game provides an experience overflowing with charm and chaotic entertainment, and has already seen stellar success on all fronts. Obviously, that means that there are plenty of people who want to play the game but cannot do so because it's not on their platform of choice- but the developers do want to change that.

In an FAQ on the game's website, answering a question about whether there are any plans to bring Fall Guys to the Switch or Xbox One, Mediatonic says that they would love to do so, but imply that it depends on how much demand there is for the game.

"To start with, Fall Guys will only be available on PS4 and Steam," the developer writes. "We'd love to bring the game to other platforms further down the line. Please let us know on Twitter and Discord which platforms you'd like us to release on next – we'd love to see how much demand there is!"

Given the fact that Fall Guys has become an internet phenomenon overnight and racked up over 1.5 million players within 24 hours of launch, it's fair to say that there's plenty of demand. Here's hoping we get to see the game on more platforms not long from now.

Fall Guys is currently available on PS4 and PC. In our review, we called it "a gleefully stupid, utterly chaotic, and ridiculously enjoyable game". You can read our full review through here.

Marvel's Avengers To Get Exclusive Skins From Intel, Virgin Mobile, And Verizon

marvel's avengers image

Marvel's Avengers will release early next month, but the last few weeks talks about the game has been been dominated by exclusive deals the game has with Sony. Primarily, that the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game will exclusively get Spider-Man. Sony has seemingly even unveiled a new branding relating to this with the PlayStation Advantage. But it seems Sony won't get a monopoly on exclusive content for the game.

As compiled by Reddit user smoove4254, several early promotional exclusive skins for the game have leaked. These include skins for those who use Virgin Mobile in the UK and Verizon in the US, as well as another set of skins for Intel. It's not entirely clear yet how you'll be able to get these or if these costumes are 100% exclusive or early unlocks of the many costumes you can get in-game. So, keep your eyes open if you use any of these services for promotional material soon. You can also check out the costumes and promotion art below.

Marvel's Avengers will release September 4th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions will come later.