PlayStation 5 uncovered: the Mark Cerny tech deep dive

DF: "It's been a couple of weeks now since Mark Cerny delivered his 'Road to PlayStation 5' presentation. Rich had a chance to talk to the man himself and to pose some follow-up questions, and we'll gain some new information and insights on the some of the system's new features."

[mrsolidsteel20]

I'm reading it now, one part that stuck out to me was this quote:

"That's what AMD calls SmartShift. There's enough power that both CPU and GPU can potentially run at their limits of 3.5GHz and 2.23GHz, it isn't the case that the developer has to choose to run one of them slower."

[NewMonday]

the cap for developers is power consumption

this is what I understand from Cerny. if devs modify code to use less power they get more performance.

that is the Sony plan to control heat. there is a cap on power so a cap on maximum heat generation from within the system. developers can get 100% of system performance as long as the code stays under the power consumption limit.

[Tech5]

https://youtu.be/KfM_nTTxft...
The clock speeds are tided to power draw. if that be the case (which it is) the console will be accustom to operating at higher thermals. (should the power draw increase) which is also AMD's design norm for some odd 20 years.

[bishup25]

@ tech
i take it then the console will be hotter or louder?

[Tech5]

depends on the power draw. if it's water cooled neither. but also water cooling is a more pricier solution.

[Stanjara]

And that is the problem. You can't reach to max without increasing heat.
What I understand from this is learn how to use downclocked APU.

[NewMonday]

@Stanjara
so you know the PS5 heat threshold and the average power consumption of the code used by the majority of game developers?

[Niv]

Its a beast! Race to idle, just in time processing will take for Devs to optimize

[mrsolidsteel20]

After reading this, I'm even more confused. That 'race to idle' term is really confusing to me.

[RazzerRedux]

I read that as simply meaning the GPU won't increase frequency unless it is needed. Kind of like a pendulum that pulls back the GPU at extremes. GPUs can throttle back when it reaches temperature limit. Too much power causing too much heat so frequency is reigned back. But if little power is being used does it make sense to increase frequency? No, o frequency is lowered when too much power is used or too little.

[gravedigger]

It has nothing to do with thermals. Cerny said that at GDC.

It’s not thermal bound in a traditional sense, it’s bound by the electric draw. Anyway, sure will see what cooling solution PS5 has.

[RazzerRedux]

Yes, I was using thermals as an example. Power limits work the same way as far as throttling the GPU.

Regardless, I think the example Mr_Writer85 copied is a better explanation.

[gravedigger]

Well, in some cases car analogy works. Anyway, like Matt said on ERA :

"Workloads and clock speeds are not the same thing. You can have a workload that means having to run the CPU at a lower speed in order to maintain the top GPU clock, just like you can have a workload that allows you to keep both the CPU and GPU at max."

https://www.resetera.com/th...

Anyway, like Cerny stated at GDC, if something happens if some scene goes wild, a couple of percentages ( in tech breakdowns that is around 2 or 3% ) is needed to drop power, but what that means is 10% drop in power can be achieved by around 2% drop in clock speed. That's not 10% drop in performance.

[RazzerRedux]

Agreed. I fully expect PS5's GPU to operate at or close to 2.23 GHz as Cerny stated.

[Mr_Writer85]

Someone in the comments posted this...

"Imagine frame rendering (30 per second) as a street with a traffic lights every 100 meters that goes green at set intervals (v-sync). Instead of racing to the next light to stop and wait over and over (race to idle) you try to adjust the clock frequency (speed of the car) to turn it into a smooth ride."

[Stanjara]

That is good analogy but the question is what is making all the red lights.
Heat is the answer.

[Mr_Writer85]

@stanjara

Thats why if it doesn't go as quick it won't heat up as quickly.

[jerethdagryphon]

Let me explain it.
You have two employees each has a part time secretary. If ther job you give them is split between guy and secretary they finish in half the time. And spend the rest sitting around doing nothing
If the other guy doesn't use his secretary he will finish the job in time for the next

Race to idle is a bad thing. Idle time in cpu and gpu is wasted time and power.

Running low workload at high speed results in more idle time.

You want to match workload to frequency or power for max efficiency which is what ps5 does

[VariantAEC]

Traditionally a desktop computer will run its components at a predefined clock rate and vary the power needed to run software.

Mobile hardware does the opposite it operates with highly variable clock speeds and draws only the power it needs for battery efficiency.

PS5 doesn't have to worry about power limitations because you're plugged into the wall like a desktop, but to maintain relative quiet and effective thermal dissipation in a tiny form-factor the device will limit clock speeds like a mobile chip does to keep heat low.

This shouldn't impact performance in games because most software even game software doesn't typically eat up all the CPU and GPU resources at the same time. PS5 is playing a delicate balancing act and will likely be the smaller device. XSX is brute force all the way. Which will actually do best? Well with mobile architectures being considered more efficient and more and more developers aiming for efficiency in a world where CPU and GPU manufacturing limits are basically being maxed out thanks to physics... I see PS5 having an edge, but I could be wrong.

[Nyxus]

I'm glad Sony still believes in console generations, I like the idea of the bar being raised for all users.

[MrVux000]

Hopefully they will still believe in that even after Playstation 5.

P.S. Hope you are staying safe Nyx!

[Nyxus]

So far yes, and you too!

Yeah each new console generation you hear that it's going to be the last, we'll see how it goes.

[rlow1]

Well thats true but usually the first couple years of a consoles life the games are cross generational. Supporting the original base and the early adopters. Sonys not going to burn the bridge on over a hundred million players.

[Nick_515]

It's not up to Sony. that's what they're saying. if a developer wants to develop only for PS5 and not PS4, because they can only achieve what they want on PS5, Sony isn't stopping them.

It's also the opposite of Microsoft's approach. They want their users feeling like they're not missing out on games because they didn't want to upgrade.

[NeoGamer232]

The argument of the next generation is really a marketing and consumer clarity. PCs do not have generations yet, there are games that will run on some PCs but not others. It is a developer choice whether they target multiple platforms and a lowest common denominator hardware configuration.

If Sony was to say the PS5 was the PS4 2020, it would be pretty much be the same as calling it PS5. The only reason they are calling it PS5 is that they are essentially saying "some or all of the new games won't run on PS4 anymore". They could've released the new device as PS4 and said some or all games won't run on the previous PS4's but this just makes it easier for consumers that aren't technical to distinguish it.

That is all console generations are is marketing and consumer clarity for the non-technical people. It is nice for sure, but, don't let any of the console vendors fool you into thinking that a generation is something it is not.

[MrVux000]

Time for my dose of Richards hand motions. :)

[waverider]

what i would like to know is more about the tempest engine. Even DF is baffled with it. Thats the exotic part of the machine.

[OB1Biker]

Yea, about those who think they know better than Cerny and insist its actually 9TF. Oh I see. Moving the goalposts now to say that it's the CPU that's not what, Cerny said it is.

[mrsolidsteel20]

@OB1Biker

It’s never ending, like clockwork they will find something else to downplay.

It’s no surprise, that it comes from the usual idiots on here that praise anything MS.

[Chris12]

As opposed to the greater number of idiots on here that praise everything Sony?

[i3eyond the Circle]

What really stands out is that the PlayStation has no answer to DXR, Patented Variable Rate Shading, Machine Learning, DX12 Ultimate, SDR to HDR Conversion, 1000+ less shaders.. that creates the multitude of features that are supposed to be on full fledged RDNA 2 hardware missing from theirs. This is why RDNA 1.5 was said in the beginning and it’s very much so.

This very much sounds like gaming laptop vs gaming PC and the drawbacks on the clocks will be it’s Achilles heel when it comes to demanding titles maintaining stable FPS and a native 4k resolution. This has “dynamic” written all over it again...

[Mad_Draklor]

You do know that Khronos is already working on VRS on Vulkan and already supports RT. And considering that it's open-source, Sony can incorporate what Khronos has done with Vulkan into GNMx along with what their software engineers have concocted.

[mrsolidsteel20]

Don't bother bro, Echo is a troll, not to mention an incredibly immature fool.

[i3eyond the Circle]

That’s seems like something that will take time and puts an even larger advantage in the Series X corner

[i3eyond the Circle]

And the VRS from Microsoft is actually quite different from the VRS found elsewhere... bundled with SFS and Velocity Architecture will create visuals that are absolutely crazy.. rivaling top end PC crazy just from a trick and really puts the whole 8K gaming into perspective... time will tell.

@echo folks are taking this real personal but it’s the meat and potatoes... hardware is only as good as its software that helps it communicate.

[Mad_Draklor]

Nothing is taken personally. I'm just stating a fact that VRS is already under Khronos's roadmap: https://www.phoronix.net/im... . VRS isn't some secret sauce feature that you're making it out to be. Saying that it's different if you don't name those specific differences doesn't help with your credibility either.

And you do know that Velocity Architecture only addresses decompression and coherency. You need to also remove the bottlenecks of memory mapping, file I/O, and check-in in order for the system to actually take advantage of the boosts from decompression and SFS (MS's coherency solution).

[sinspirit]

If it's a feature of RDNA 2.. Then it obviously works on the PS5. They are custom RDNA 2 chips. Not custom RDNA 1 chips with a few RDNA 2 features. RDNA *2*. It's in the product name.

Sony hasn't spoken about tech as much as MS because MS has been on that hype train hardcore since the One X. They push and push technical terms to try and seem exciting. None of those features are exclusive to MS. It doesn't matter if Sony has officially confirmed them or not. If it's an RDNA 2 feature, then they have it. And, anything else. Sony will clearly have it due to having far more talented game developers.

Microsoft didn't invent VRS. They don't own VRS. They have patents on applications for VRS. Not the tech itself. If you keep peddling misinformation then you're just spam. It's the same if a developer patented a specific application for AA. Not a big deal. If you want to talk patented engine tech advantages then you're at a huge disadvantage compared to Sony's developers.

[i3eyond the Circle]

Struck a nerve eh? If it was there trust me... they would’ve talked about it... these features at hand are very much Microsoft collaborations and you’re expecting us to believe the Ps5 will just “have it” ? Stop. That’s not how it works.

Building your own narrative is the go to play nowadays packaged with a whole lot of opinion and no data.... I don’t think I said Microsoft owns VRS once lol calm down. But the DXR, VRS and API the creators of RDNA 2 are using in their optimized RDNA 2 line...Is very much owned by Microsoft.

Are y’all going to use the “Sony has better developers” line to fill the void in every instance? We could be talking about power supplies and your answer would be “well Sony’s developers are the best they don’t even need that much electricity” tf lmaooo

[throne]

I recall, the fanboys saying time and time again that MS invented RDNA2 with AMDs assistant and its exclusive to series x, now the features that come with it dont apply to ps5 now, if Cerny confirms VRS, they'll find something else to downplay

[sinspirit]

@Echo_

That's a rumor. Just like the 9TF PS5 rumors. Come back with solid evidence and stop constantly regurgitating a lack of information as confirmation of nothing.

Features are of course able to be added, and probably will. However, at this moment AMD literally said that those are all features of RDNA 2 and share the same architecture between the consoles. The console GPU's are custom but are still full fledged RDNA 2 chips with all the current features, because that's part of what makes them RDNA 2 chips. And, of course they will technically be custom chips so that they will be embedded on the motherboard, maintain a tighter integrated system with lower power draw, and because the physical cards aren't being produced yet. Any implementation into hardware like this is obviously custom. Not custom because they have to specifically request a *CORE* RDNA2 feature. You can't spin them having custom chips on me. I'm not stupid. To push what you're peddling you have to ignore the obvious truth that RDNA 2 is RDNA 2.

[Mad_Draklor]

@i3eyond the Circle

This is assuming Sony didn't work on VRS at all, which is a rather dubious claim. And as I already stated, since Khronos is already working on VRS (they already got RT to Vulkan), I doubt GNMx won't have VRS.

[sinspirit]

@i3eyond the Circle

Microsoft makes DirectX. Obviously, DXR is exclusive. But, it's just an implementation. The creators of RDNA 2 are not using Microsoft's VRS or API as a core technology. RDNA 2 is hardware and driver related. Microsoft's DirectX, VRS, or API's are not baked into RDNA 2 in any way. They are only methods and products that take advantage of what is already there with RDNA 2. Any demonstrations using any Microsoft developed product with RDNA 2 are just that. Demonstrations. Obviously, RDNA 2 benefits from partnerships with companies, especially the one that has DirectX and the largest advertisement budget, in order to market, provide optimization on the PC side, and challenge NVidia who has always had the edge in this game.

When you stated DXR as a feature, it was stated again when you said DX12 Ultimate. That is a feature of DX12 Ultimate. RayTracing is a part of RDNA 2 hardware. DX12 Ultimate is the application that takes advantage of what is already implemented on the hardware side.

You're taking Sony's lack of spilling all the information as a lack of features. They don't care about Microsoft's advertisement budget, their reliance on constant use of buzzwords and technical terms, and distracting from the core problems of their platforms. They even rebranded DX 12 as DX Ultimate. It's all advertisement and PR. Sony doesn't play this game.

You do know that DirectX is just software right? Microsoft has done nothing hardware related for AMD. Sony confirmed accelerated Ray-Tracing months ago. Other API's will take advantage of the features of RDNA 2.

I don't think you understand how GPU architecture works, the difference between hardware and software implementations, or how important it is that RDNA 2 is consistent between both consoles(AKA a common architecture as AMD stated). A common architecture means the same level of hardware functionality which means PC support will be far better implemented for these features, and it's extremely important for the major box to support this for the developers to take advantage and adopt it more often on PC. AMD isn't holding out on the PS5. That's a ridiculous lie and nothing but spinning and ignoring what makes RDNA 2 what it is.

It's hilarious how Microsoft's desperation to push advertisement for Direct X, calling it Ultimate, pushing to hype up all the features that RDNA 2 has allowed it to have, and getting it into your minds has been so easy. They're pushing all this information not because it's exclusive to them in any way. It's because Vulkan has been getting more and more popular and is simply better and more approachable to console development API. Vulkan is more similar to what PS5's API would be. They're trying to get developers attracted to DX to prevent Vulkan's popular growth, which will hamper XBox slightly and improve PS5 software development(even though it doesn't use Vulkan as far as we know, the language is much more similar and not proprietary like DX). Calling it "Ultimate" is a joke in the PC space. You're just showing your lack of knowledge of the subject.

[i3eyond the Circle]

Nice wall. But I’m betting in its entirety there was no answer besides you comparing DX to Vulkan which automatically means PlayStation will have it (when Sony themselves have given no inclination) so that’s poof gone.

If it was optimized AMD would’ve demonstrated with such or at least ya know... said something about it at least once in an interview or slide..

Instead you have them showcasing their RDNA2 utilizing Microsoft’s platforms because they know that’s where it will work best. It’s been in the making for years and there’s a paper trail that shows that. From patents to interviews. DX12 and the techniques Microsoft have made are what AM

I mean what are we talking about here... do you believe that Microsoft’s use of RDNA2 hardware won’t actually be better since they are working so close with AMD? You think Vulkans RT will be more optimized than DXR?

Everything you’re saying is out of “hopefully it’s true because it can be if they do it” and that can apply to anything... yet you really don’t know if they will or if it will be as good.

Take a break Rainslacker.

[timotim]

Weren't you the one saying that the higher clocks of the PS5 would prove the superior GPU??? Even in DF's own test when they overclocked an RTX5700 and compared it with a 5700 TX of the same clocks as PS5 vs SX, they higher clocks not only lost, but was only able to manage a few more frames...nothing noticeable.

[Mad_Draklor]

@i3eyond the Circle

You're making a lot of assumptions of Sony's inaction and ignoring what Khronos is doing, and now just repeating what you already said as if repetition magically makes your point stronger. Spoiler: It doesn't.

DirectX is an API, not hardware. The only part of VRS that is "exclusive" on the XSX is Microsoft's implementation of it. However, Khronos is doing theirs and Sony may be doing theirs, as well. Heck, it is possible that 3rd party devs prefer to go with Vulkan over DirectX considering that it is a cross-platform and cross-vendor API.

[sinspirit]

@timotim

You claim to understand GPU hardware, but don't even understand TDP.. While maxing out the cards potential on a far less optimized system. Rewatch the video. In several scenes the high overclock increased performance directly in line with the clock speed increase, until it reached tougher scenes. But, the obvious tell that it was bottlenecked by TDP was, well that the card couldn't be overclock any further. Which means they won't get a consistent performance increase when the card is no longer receiving appropriate power for what it's trying to do. lesser improvement when pushed to the max speed they could get. This becomes an easy tell when the heavy scenes come into play. The card was at its limit. The PS5 GPU is designed to do what it does. It's not an accurate comparison. Ah, and where are the full benchmark FPS average comparisons?

We don't know how far the PS5 GPU core clock is from being maxed out. If you're so close to the max TDP of the card and can't overclock further then it's not fully utilizing the entire hardware with the amount of power it's able to provide, until you push it to draw too much and not function properly at all. You might want to rewatch the PS5 conference. It's designed to run at that speed. It's not bottlenecked. In the case that it requires more resources such as power, it has access to it. The Smartshift feature. The clock speed it is designed for will have direct impact and accurate performance increase. It's not like the 5700 in the video where it can't possibly be pushed any further. Until we get the hardware in our hands, we can't say that it doesn't do what it's designed to do. No one on these comments is sitting here telling you the XBox can't do something that it's confirmed to do or should be able to do. But, we have the opposite happening for PS5. All these accounts pummeling the same story into each comment section. The PS5 has RDNA 2. It has these features. AMD confirmed these are a part of the RDNA 2 architecture.

I'm not saying the PS5 will be a better GPU. I'm saying it will not really matter at the end of the day. They will basically be the same because the GPU does have its way to catch up on performance in a direct method, and will be simpler for developers to code for. While XBox's GPU design directly improves TFlop numbers, it's going to perform basically the same for gaming as the PS5. Then we have the entire audio processed separately and allowing the PS5 GPU full freedom to focus on the graphics. There will be no difference between the two platforms, at least in multiplatform titles.

They didn't show the same clock speeds in the comparison. They were well under the PS5 clock speed while maxing the cards TDP giving it diminished returns, and had the XT clock speed slightly higher than the Series X. Also, not the comparable amount of CU's.

[sinspirit]

@i3eyond the Circle

- "But I’m betting in its entirety there was no answer besides you comparing DX to Vulkan which automatically means PlayStation will have it (when Sony themselves have given no inclination) so that’s poof gone."

Hmm. Nope. I stated myself that PS5 does not have Vulkan as far as we know. Don't bother talking if you won't bother reading. It's a place of discussion. If you want to report then create your own articles or blog. Oh, and it's quite obvious that you skimmed a few words and then decided to write your comment. That's quite pathetic. This is the same logic that made you grasp a few keywords and make false claims and state misinformation previously.

- "RDNA2 utilizing Microsoft’s platforms because they know that’s where it will work best."
What platform should they prioritize RDNA 2 for? Apple? Linux? Should they not compete against NVidia by fixing their issues with poor software support while developing the hardware for their console? How do you know that RDNA 2 will work best with DirectX? Oh, because the vastly larger company, one of the top companies in the world, with one of the biggest advertisement budgets in the world, showed a demonstration first. They have such a large budget. They must make everything perfect and unbeatable. But, wait.. Why does Vulkan, an open source, royalty free, and made from a non-profit group, beat DirectX in every game that it's implemented in? Huh.. So strange. Oh, wait. Look at the pretty slides

- "You think Vulkans RT will be more optimized than DXR?"
I don't know what to think. I understand that neither product is out, but that both are good, and that Vulkan defeats DX in basically every product it's implemented in. It generally is far more optimized than DX so why would that change now? You do know that RayTracing isn't rocket science, right? DXR isn't magic and it's merely providing RayTracing capability from the DX API. I also stated PS5 doesn't use Vulkan as far as we know. I simply brought up Vulkan to mention that DirectX hasn't even outperformed it despite being Microsoft developed on a Microsoft developed Operating System. Other API's are at least as equal to Direct X, and better in many ways because of how convoluted DX has gotten. At the end of the day. DirectX doesn't matter in a console comparison, never has, never will. The techniques are available on all platforms. They aren't needed from any specific provider.

[timotim]

Yeah thats you! The same guy that was bragging about not having to wait until the fall to play a AAA exclusive on his platform of choice...you were wrong about that, and you're wrong about the GPU...it is weaker.

[sinspirit]

@timotim

"you were wrong about that, and you're wrong about the GPU...it is weaker."

Hmm. In TFlops it sure is. We don't know about real-world performance. Even Digital Foundry has a video on TFlops and how they aren't accurate, yet suddenly you care for their terrible comparison on different SKU's without even matching the clock speeds of the consoles, and when one of the cards TDP is maxed out and unable to clock any higher, which means there are constraints on the card. Funny. When I mentioned that the only metric for gaming performance that XBox has before, and how we only know of the TFlops, you asked me where you ever mentioned TFlops. Like you didn't want to acknowledge that you were using a number that isn't accurate for real world application.

In our last conversation you said: "When did I mention TFs??? I said more power allows devs to push the box further. 100% true."

So, you pretend like we don't know what metric for power you were reading originally by asking when you had mentioned TFlops.. Are you hearing yourself? You're inconsistent. You tried to talk to me about technical GPU information but it was severely lacking clarity and equal comparison. You mention A and B, the easy things to read because you applied the console GPU specs that everyone's heard of, but refuse to look at C - Z. You try to sound smart by scratching at the surface but you're just pretending and exploiting basic knowledge and industry terms you've read in an article to hold up some sort of appearance you like to have, which makes sense since you appear everywhere on this site.

Notice I didn't say the PS5 GPU is better. But, it's going to be just as good realistically. One GPU has raw power, which can perform well in a console environment but won't deliver on all of its performance since the games likely will not require all the CU's it has. The other is straight up more efficient and slightly behind on raw performance. That also has all audio processed elsewhere which alone can make up for the difference in performance. XBox has a heavier OS and DirectX more than likely will not be a lower level API than Sony's. That's just how it is since DirectX is more convoluted.

Go ahead and disprove my GPU statements from before. I'll await specific statements explaining any inaccuracies I may have, rather than more rhetoric and glossing over information. Why don't you get technical anymore? Didn't have fun last time? When I entertained you and got deeper in depth you just ignored it like they don't exist and murmured the same half truth again, like I won't fact check you and explore the reasons behind it. It wasn't CU's improving the performance that much. It helped, but was easily the GPU core count. If you want another technicality. The performance scaling wasn't linear with the CU core count. Now, since GPU core count and speeds are absolutely linear with few exception, it's easy to tell the CU's on the card were diminishing returns. Do you understand what I mean by linear? In real world performance, every 5% increase in clock speed and GPU core count will basically give the equivalent 5% performance increase in I know that when I start commenting on this site that I can comment quite a lot. But, they aren't randomly selected. I'm not going to reply if my words don't hold water. If you respond and show me where I'm wrong than I'll be glad to have learned something. But, I just see too much squabbling.

[i3eyond the Circle]

https://segmentnext.com/202...

Here you go.

[_LarZen_]

SmartShift sounds like a rather big compromise compared to more power available all the time. Sure it's more efficient in the way of consuming power. But for the end consumer it at least dont sound like it's any beneficial at all. A compromise, a laptop solution to manage heat and power vs more power available all the time....

[sinspirit]

The chips will always be able to run at max clock. But, allowing power to channel through to the GPU from another location will provide more stability and immediate productivity. So, basically less hiccups for the system resources to catch up with the requested information, which makes sense if the SSD will be taken advantage of.

It does benefit the consumer because they are allowed to run full power all the time. And, when code is more efficient, the system will automatically scale the clocks down when it's not necessary to be at max clock to keep the image quality at the locked frame rate. Why push max clock when that power is being wasted if the specific title only needs 20% less clocks to render that consistent image and framerate. What this also means is that it pushes for more efficient coding, and when that happens we will get better products that will max out the system and take advantage of it. We also have the separate audio processing which frees up a lot of GPU resources since GPU's have been rendering audio for some time.

[Stanjara]

No power is ever wasted. It results in a higher framerates.
How do you think 60fps came to be. It was because systems became so powerful that they could render the image in less time.

They outperform data access so faster ssd is needed.
With all components in place, high APU, ddr6 and ssd...what is the bottleneck? You would assume putting more assets on screen so that APU doesn't do 200fps for no reason. To give it more damanding task.

But all of this is to downcloak Apu so that is a smooth ride with green lights?

Heat!
Heat is the problem, and that's why we haven't seen anything but the logo.

Heat I tell you.

[CaptainHenry916]

This console is sounding more like a $399 to $450 console. This will be the perfect price.

[ToxicSushi]

Possibly. I’d like to know why you think so. I figured with all the R&D and custom components both systems have they may be similarly priced.

[CaptainHenry916]

As it stands, the Xbox Series X has a more powerful CPU, GPU, faster Ram which will make it a higher price. Not to mention it has more storage on the Series X 1TB. Microsoft went the traditional way like a high end PC desktop whereas Sony approach was a little different and unique and is trying to keep the cost down with price to performance for budget gamers. They know the price will be a huge factor as well.

[pabadamus1]

Exciting times. I understand much of what was said but as a layman much still eludes me. The PS5's architecture is a bit more exotic than what MSFT is looking to implement with the SX but they both appear to be competent, true generational iterations of the respective platforms. MSFT's approach is a bit more straight forward and does hold a spec advantage in certain aspects whereas Sony is looking to do more with less through more innovative means. Whether it is a sustained 12 Tflops or a variable 10, I believe games will look and play magnificent on either. This is probably the first time these things have been so close spec wise. The real battle will be fought on the exclusive software front.

[CaptainHenry916]

The Series X GPU teraflops will still make it more expensive. It has more teraflops than a RTX 2080 super lol. I don't see the series X at $399

[pabadamus1]

That indeed may be the case but don't forget that Sony has some potentially costly custom tech under the hood as well. With that being said the disparity in price may be as little as $50 or as great as $100 in favor of the PS5. We don't have any official numbers as of yet. I only posit that with what is known and the close nature of specs so far the determinant factor over the long run will be software. Price does indeed play the biggest role but if the gap isn't so wide, Xbox has a good chance to regain some lost ground if they can indeed bolster their software offering. Playstation has been my platform of choice for many generations but not because of power or price. The software thus far has been the compelling factor for me.

[OB1Biker]

I dont know why people are quick to downplay the ps5 but fail to see its strength. Its like they see them as PCs with here a GPU, there a CPU etc the SSD is much more of a revolution than they think because consoles arent PCs at all. They are more than the sum of their parts.

[victorMaje]

The more I read & the more I’m thinking PS5 exclusives are going to be something to behold!
Can’t wait!

[UltimateRacer]

I’m very excited about PS5, there’s still so much to learn and we’ve only scratched the surface.