The PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix have yet to be fully revealed, but thanks to leaks, we have a rough idea of what they are capable of. Going by them, Microsoft's next-generation system will be the most powerful of the two, but the difference between them will be "not that meaningful," according to Digital Foundry.
During an early analysis of the leaked specifications for both systems conducted during the latest episode of their weekly podcast, the known tech experts commented on how the difference between the two systems will not "get you a whole lot" and it's "basically not that meaningful."
On the NeoGAF forums, known AMD leaker Kepler_L2 chimed in, saying that, contrary to a general wrong belief, the difference between the PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix will be bigger than the gap between the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. "For Magnus (Project Helix APU) it's ~25% higher TFlops/Tex rate, ~33% higher Front-end BW, Geom rate, Pixel rate plus 140% more LLC and 20% more memory bandwidth," the leaker wrote.
However, Kepler_L2 agrees with Digital Foundry's take. "I agree that it's not enough to make a huge difference, like Magnus running something at 60 FPS while the PS6 can only handle 30 FPS, or running Path Tracing in a game where the PS6 can only handle RT." The leaker expects the Xbox Project Helix to run games at a higher internal resolution or use slightly higher-quality settings, which is, effectively, not a meaningful difference, considering games will make ample use of upscaling with future versions of PSSR and AMD FSR Diamond.
Console Price Wars
With the Xbox Project Helix performance advantage set to be not very meaningful, prices of next-generation systems will determine their success, more than ever before. In this regard, Microsoft's system will struggle considerably more. "Because the new Xbox Magnus die is also over 400mm squared, even though I think it is a dual die design, that is a considerably large die for a console. Whereas PS6 seems to be a die around PS5 Pro size, as it's a very svelte die that's monolithic, so that should be cheaper to produce just by its nature as well," commented Digital Foundry's Oliver Mackenzie. With a high bill of materials, there's a high chance the system will cost more than the PlayStation 6, which will definitely limit its appeal, especially in light of the Xbox Project Helix's performance advantage not being that meaningful (though it will still be a considerable improvement over the Series X's performance)
With the current lack of confirmed details on the specifications of both PlayStation 6 and Xbox Project Helix, all that's possible right now is only some informed speculation, but there's a good chance we won't have to wait much longer to learn more about the next-generation systems from Sony and Microsoft. With both systems still targeting a 2027 release (as delaying the PlayStation 6, in particular, would cost more than paying extra for RAM), it should not take much longer to learn more about what the next generation of console gaming has in store for us.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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