Control Ultimate Edition weighs nearly half on PlayStation 5 compared to its file size on Xbox Series X thanks to a brand new compression technology.
The game takes 25GB of storage space on PS5 which includes 4K textures and assets as well as other enhancements and optimizations. Xbox Series X however has to part with about 42GB of storage space for the same game. That makes the file size of Control Ultimate Edition around 42 percent smaller (or lighter) on PS5 compared to Xbox Series X which is truly remarkable.
The feat was managed by a combination of Oodle Texture and Oodle Kraken compression technologies from RAD Game Tools (via TweakTown) which Sony Interactive Entertainment has licensed for PlayStation 5.
It is worth noting that the licensed usage of Oodle Texture and Oodle Kraken was revealed last year but which somewhat fell through the cracks. The public was just more focused on the next-generation console launch. That reveal though pointed out how an 80GB game can be compressed to 40GB on disk in theory. Control Ultimate Edition is the first game to prove that theory correct.
The PS5 compression technology does more than just compression. The new toolset also increases compressed data speeds. PS5 already houses a lightning-fast custom solid-state drive. The compression advantages hence synergize with the solid-state drive as well to give players remarkably fast data loading speeds.
PlayStation 5 was launched with just 667GB of usable storage space after cutting out the space needed for its operating system. 667GB is not enough when looking at how modern-day triple-a games are sporting massive file sizes. The jump to 4K resolution has further bloated file sizes. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone as an example require more than 200GB of storage space if players want all content and modes installed at once.
Bringing in Oodle Texture and Oodle Kraken however changes the playing field, at least on PS5. Xbox Series X (including Series S) use a different compression technology called BCPack of which there is little to know about. Perhaps Microsoft only needs a bit of time to get its own compression magic working.
