PlayStation 5 is 10-50% More Powerful Than Xbox Scarlett? Don’t Believe This Rumor

Xbox Scarlett is not as powerful as PlayStation 5. According to a new insider report, PS5 specs are more powerfful but Xbox Scarlett does better ray-tracing.

Over the past few days, there have been reports of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett performances and specs. Some reports claim Xbox Scarlett specs are more powerful while others say the opposite is true. To stir up discussing and speculations, another insider report has come to light.

PlayStation 5 is more powerful than Xbox Scarlett hardware. The performance difference is 10-15%, report claims. PlayStation 5 outperforms Microsoft’s next Xbox but it doesn’t do well when handling ray-tracing.

Developers familiar with devkits say both PS5 and Xbox Scarlett mimic hardware architecture. But Xbox Scarlett does better ray-tracing compared to Sony’s PS5.

Don’t Believe The Claims Just Yet?

First of all, this source seemingly has no history of providing correct inside information. There is no reason to believe PS5 is more powerful than Xbox Scarlett but there is more to this.

In the past few weeks, a couple of questions have popped up multiple times, which console is more powerful? And does that even matter?

According to Microsoft, the next-generation Xbox will do 4K at up to 120FPS. The custom SSD designed for Xbox Scarlett specs is 40% faster than Xbox One S performance. AMD is proving 8-core zen 2 with Navi graphics. The PS5 specs are the same, 8-core Zen 2 Navi graphics. SONY already showed super quick load times of PlayStation 5.

Both consoles are using pretty much the same core components from AMD. Don’t expect PS5 and Xbox Scarlett to have a big difference in terms of performance. Since they are coming from the same parts bin, the difference should be minor depending on how these parts are put together.

Microsoft already confirmed 4K/60 fps with the specs they are using for the new Xbox so expect PS5 specs to be able to do the same.

We have heard many rumors from developers, some favor PS5 while others favor the performance Xbox Scarlett is offering. Matt Booty himself went on to say that Xbox Scarlett will “absolutely” be the most powerful console on the market. But Phil Spencer not once said they have the most powerful console during E3 2019 presentation.

The fact of the matter is, no one for sure knows which console is more powerful. The only one who knows what’s going on is AMD, the company which provides parts for PS5 and Xbox Scarlett.

Of course, AMD can’t share details of Xbox Scarlett with Sony nor it can tell Microsoft about PlayStation 5 Specs. At this point, no one except AMD knows which console is more powerful in terms of raw performance.

It is also fair to say that specs for both consoles won’t be fully locked down just yet. Sony and Microsoft need to look at chip yield out of AMD, clock-speed, cooling, RAM speed, among other parts. At this point, developers are probably given rough PS5 and Xbox Scarlett specs to target as we are more than a year away from release.

Anyone claiming one console is more powerful than the other can’t be taken seriously at this point. You will see many reports, rumors, leaks online and let me assure you, 90% of them are just hyperbolic. Do not trust rumors and leaks, take them with a massive grain of salt. But as we enter the months leading up to the launch of Xbox Scarlett and PlayStation 5, we may see factual information leak online. Because by then Sony and Microsoft will have their specs on lockdown and finalized.

Sarmad is our Senior Editor, and is also one of the more refined and cultured among us. He's 25, a finance major, and having the time of his life writing about videogames.