Hogwarts Legacy - DF Tech Review - PS5 vs Xbox Series X/S - 21 Mode Variations Tested

Fully taking into account the latest patch, the DF Hogwarts Legacy report accommodates testing from a gargantuan total of 21 different performance modes across three different consoles, along with an overview and critique of Avalanche's technological achievements.

[darkrider]

It's not the first time this happend and won't be the last time. The ps5 is great piece of tech build for speed.

[babadivad]

First time in a while. Used to be a time these comparisons were up several times a week. Not so much since xbox started winning most head to heads.

I was hoping these stupid comparisons were a thing of the past, guess not.

[TheEnigma313]

Lol

[darkrider]

Nope, not really. If that was the reality this would be full of those...

Think of the past.... Not really. Never was. The reality is that the majority of games got parity or the diference are short. Here not really.

The problem is about another console that keeps running games at rez or frames of og consoles of last gen....

[Orchard]

“The problem is about another console that keeps running games at rez or frames of og consoles of last gen....”

I guess he’s talking about the PS5 running Forspoken at 720p…

But it’s just one game, not that big of a deal. Plenty of other games look and run fine on PS5.

[Nacho_Z]

"Used to be a time these comparisons were up several times a week. Not so much since xbox started winning most head to heads"

Right so when Xbox wins the head to head it's hushed up and there's no article, it's still a fact it happened though. You guys are funny.

[Eonjay]

No one should be surprised. It's happens so much we only get articles for these bigger games.

[jwillj2k4]

Xbox wins at rhythm fighting. Games with complex physics usually show PS having the upper hand. It’s common knowledge now everyone knows all things considered…

[SullysCigar]

The truth is Microsoft went bigger and Sony went better. Xbox has more flops, which we've come to expect in time-honoured tradition, and PlayStation made specific decisions to make their console run at optimal efficiency and with the developers' input.

That's why PS5 almost always wins in the head to heads. When it wins, it wins big, like with Hogwarts and when it loses it's marginal and infrequent. Happy for you to point out a game where this hasn't been the case, that perhaps I'm unaware of.

You can bet your bottom dolar that Digital Foundry would pipe up if the xbox came out on top in any meaningful way, but they're not, because it hasn't.

[S2Killinit]

MS has been losing more head to heads.

[neutralgamer1992]

PS5 custom built with developers feedback and mark Cerny "a gaming legend at the helm"

VS

Raw power numbers but mostly built off the shelf

And for those who think only TF matter should try to see more technical things matter than just TF

I have a XSX and like it and really looking forward to playing starfield but so far most of my play time is for games from last generation and 360

[zidane1341]

Well obviously TF aren’t the only thing that matters, an unoptimized game can come out for any system. That doesn’t change raw specs though.

[VenomUK]

PlayStationLifestyle is sharing the story of the Digital Foundry review of Hogwarts Legacy. There's a little story behind all this... The DF staff refused to review it so its editor Richard Leadbetter stepped in. Whilst he made clear he strongly disagrees with 'the creator' he explained that a journalist's job is to review.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

However the review will not be shown on sister website Eurogamer- which now has an outright ban on it. And perhaps wisely, DF has not even tweeted the link to its review which means it avoids any campaigning from people who weren't interested in the review anyway but would've given them abuse.

Well done to Richard Leadbetter for being a professional and well done to PlayStation Lifestyle that is profiting from sharing the story.

[Gunstar75]

Hahahahah!

"Off the shelf"

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

Orchard to Digital Foundry: "... Avada Kedavra!!!"

https://youtu.be/kUwwFNmwhl... (Half-Blood Prince Spoilers)

[Father__Merrin]

YET another win for the world's most powerful console. I've a feeling people are going to hide behind the bike shed on here...

[zidane1341]

it’s not more powerful then the series x. The PlayStation has 10.28 teraflops of computing power, the Xbox has 12. Do some research before you spout BS.

[TheEnigma313]

Cry more

[darkrider]

Teraflops is a marketing tool. You can just think of one part... And it didn't work that well.... Gaming wise...

[Rude-ro]

Have not read this marketing cry for a couple years it seems like.

Teraflops does not do what you think it does.

[ironmonkey]

Doesn't matter it was tool to convince you it's better. PS5 was built to have leverage. Series is just raw power like an amd bulldozer chips and they were the worst. Good luck.

[Crows90]

Yes finally!!!!
So the one X is more powerful than the series S!
Thanks @zidane. Series s is 4 tflops. The one x is 6.

These fanboys give me so much joy!

[Silly Mammo]

"The flops, man! Don't forget about the flops!!" lol That takes me back a few years when that seemed really important.

[zidane1341]

@theenigma:Who’s crying? I have all 3 systems.

[DarXyde]

zidane1341,

Different design philosophies. It also needs to be said that teraflops are both a marketing tool and reality. It refers to maximum theoretical performance. Don't assume that any game is using a full 10.28 or 12TF. What it means is Xbox has a higher performance ceiling. That would mean a Series X game needs 85% hardware efficiency to meet 10.28TF performance. I don't know about PlayStation, but they're quite efficient and do some pretty stunning work with what they have. Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us Part II are still stunning to me, and I only had a base PS4 (not a Pro). If I had to guess, it's easier to get [closer to the] maximum theoretical performance out of PlayStation, especially when you have two distinct configurations of the Xbox.

For comparison, Stadia was 11TF and didn't outperform One X (6TF).

Flops aren't the end all-be all. Power matters, but if it's easier to get the most out of your platform, that might show up in the comparisons.

[zidane1341]

@darxyde, I agree with everything you said.

[GamingSinceForever]

Honestly can you think of any game that was so incredible that it could only run on XBOX One X or Series X?

They have in fact had the power advantage from a specs standpoint for the last 5 years but what have they done with the advantage?

Defending them is blind foolishness because they have done zilch to support your argument.

Maybe Starfield will be the greatest graphical showcase ever. 🤷🏾‍♂️

[QuantumMechanic]

I may be mistaken but I don't think teraflop calculations take into account memory bandwidth, only cores and clockspeeds. So, if in a real-world situation, you don't simply perform computations on processor-cached data; you also frequently have to transfer data across the memory bus, which delays computation and therefore reduces the effective teraflop rating.

[SierraGuy]

And there it lies ...the series x memory is split... meaning half of it's available memory is SLOW while the other half is fast

PS5 doesn't have this issue as it's memory is unified. Full speed all of it's memory available at all times...no bottleneck paired with higher CPU clocks...

Bandwidth ftw

[SullysCigar]

^ You're not mistaken @QuantumMechanic, you're spot on. zidane1341, on the other hand is way off course and comparing straight numbers without understanding how to apply them to explain why PS5 often out performs series XS. Technology isn't Top Trumps.

Gotta be said, it's not a great look when you're in here telling people to "do some research before spouting BS"!

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

To be fair, I don't think 1.7 teraflops difference is significant enough to make a noticeable difference between the two consoles, their specs are fairly similar.

[randomvoice]

All that power and still ending up with a worse running game...

[SeTTriP]

Triggered

[CPTN MITCHELL]

Zidane1341 the Xbox one x had more teraflops than the PS4 and you know how that turn out

[Godmars290]

Given that the PS5 gets its own games - if that the system you mean by "most powerful" - would think it wins by default.

Not that power should be any factor, aide from how its used.

[Om4ever]

Just decided to switch to beefy PC recently ... Because the current gen consoles are soooo close from their previous gen. Of course it has a Price but what a difference... Will never go back to consoles

[QuantumMechanic]

This is just patently false: the CPUs, memory architectures, and storage speeds are leaps above last gen systems.

[Flakegriffin]

Nice! I’ve had zero issues with it on PS5 besides the super minor frame drops here and there.

[TheColbertinator]

Oh no. Going to sell my Xbox Series X now and cry

/s

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

Go take a 5 minute video capture :)

[porkChop]

Is that supposed to mean something?

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

To some, but not all.

[porkChop]

You do realize you can record up to an hour on Xbox, right? Straight to a USB, which makes it far easier to access on your PC and edit your clips.

[CBaoth]

@ pork you do realize that woosh you hear was his joke flying right past your head?

[SullysCigar]

^ Oh wow, this part of the thread is golden lol

[Rhythmattic]

Never go full Chop...
Just a good cut, well grilled.....

[porkChop]

Telling someone to go take a video capture is a joke to you people? Christ, if that's what kids find funny these days no wonder the world is the way it is.

[PureBlood]

I'm not sure what's funnier; completely missing the point, managing to be outraged by something so trivial or the shameless white knighting. Either way, thank you Porkster!

[MIDGETonSTILTS17]

@porkchop

Sooooo my XsX needs to plug in a flash drive, and have a separate platform for video editing to do what my ps5 can do out of the box?

Sooo cutting edge ;)

For comparison, I can edit out and render 3-5 minute R6 round from a 15 minute clip in under a minute, just enough time in between rounds :))

[porkChop]

If you're just uploading straight gameplay then sure, that works. But speaking as someone who edits YouTube videos pretty much daily I'd recommend taking a look at DaVinci Resolve. It's free, easy to use, and extremely powerful. You can make much more interesting clips with very little effort, and the community has made tons of free effects/presets.

[P_Bomb]

I own two Xbox Series. Their video capture and edit options are abhorrent af. Can’t even upload my minute capped clip to YouTube. I’m not jumping through additional hoops.

[senorfartcushion]

N4G: the article

[Anunnaki]

Not a surprise. The PS5 runs at a higher clock speed which leads to large advantages in certain situations.

[Eonjay]

This is all it really is. Its so simple it gets looked over again and again.

[Miacosa]

Makes sense since Sony spent money with them as a partner. We also see the inverse when MS partners with someone on a game promotion.

[CantThinkOfAUsername]

When Xbox SX is better: detailed dissection and analysis of the video to make the difference seem insignificant.

When PS5 is better: ALL HAIL OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR!

[Masterchief_thegoat]

Ps5 best system to play at.

[GamesAsAService]

good to know.

However I can definitely see the title of this article causing unnecessary unrest in console war land...

[RaiderNation]

Shocker. PS5 is simply a better engineered machine. Live with it X-tots.

[Crows90]

They'll bring up teraflops but dig themselves q hole since the argument is that tflops don't determine everything and yet they'll now claim it does while going against that claim when comparing the one x vs series s.

They don't realize how much Microsoft is playing these guys lol

[Destiny1080]

PS5 is the only console with 8k gaming, and 8k is not 2x 4k, its actually the same as running four 4k screens at the same time

xbox gamers always ignore the slow gpu, the broken ram setup, the slow SSD, the last gen controller & audio

[Orchard]

“ PS5 is the only console with 8k gaming”

Just because Sony printed it on the box doesn’t make it true lol.

These current gen consoles are barely doing 4K native never mind 8k. But if you want to list me the huge list of 8K PS5 games, I’ll wait.

Also it’s hard to say PS5 has next gen audio when it still does not support Atmos.

[DazaMc]

The Touryst runs at 8K 60 fps.

https://www.psu.com/news/al...

[Orchard]

So 1 game out of 500+… it’s a true 8K gaming machine guys! /s

There’s 1 game running at 720p too, so by that logic above, PS5 is a 720p box.

8K gaming only truly exists on PC today, and even then it’ll be expensive and include visual sacrifices. PS5 and XSX have no chance.

[PureBlood]

^ Orchard, you asked him for an example of 8k on PS5! you even, kindly, offered to wait...,

He came straight back with a link, showing you one such game and your response is "8K gaming only truly exists on PC today"??

That's the equivalent of a toddler putting his fingers in his ears and saying, "La la lalalalala can't here you lalalala"!

[Orchard]

@PureBlood Actually, I didn't ask for an example, I asked for the "huge list of 8K games" - turns out there is only 1.

1 indie game out of 500+ games isn't enough to declare it an 8K box.

[SierraGuy]

Uh actually if it plays even one game at 8k and 60fps it IS an 8k box...even says it in the packaging... you know right in your face orchard.

Also you keep bringing up that forspoken in one scene drops to 720p...I can give you numerous comparisons where series x dips below PS5 resolution in the same scene. You do realize that same scene in forspoken in PS5 momentarily at 720p would be even LESS on series x right?

[Orchard]

@Sierra "Uh actually if it plays even one game at 8k and 60fps it IS an 8k box"

So it's a 720p box then... there is one game at 720p.

I personally wouldn't say that about the console, but you set that bar not me.

[Dandalandan117]

I'm about 17 hours in the PS5 using Fidelity with Ray Tracing. It's been a consistent 30fps experience so far with no major drops whatsoever.

[GhostScholar]

I have definitely see cases where games did run better on ps5 but I played both versions just to
Test it out and it was identical for me on a high end lg oled.

[masterfox]

well what you expect Playstation console has been always the superior gaming device in this game industry since decades. :D

[Destiny1080]

the x version runs so bad people thought it was footage from a last-gen console

[Orchard]

Meanwhile, back in the real world, that didn’t actually happen and was only in your head 🙄

[IamFrasierCrane]

Prime example of the pot calling the kettle black, brought to you by Orchard.

[Jericho1337]

I have the Series X version - it plays great and haven’t noticed any performance issues. I guess if I had my magnifying glass out though…

[Workshyskiver]

Seems a small difference that will be patched out once the game is out of Beta like so many new releases do.

[navi87]

LOL...so you guys have 60 or 30 fps modes available for this game and everyone is proclaiming how great the PS5 is. Hilarious :D

Oh sorry...nearly 60 fps! LMAO

[thecodingart]

And the pc version averages between 45-61 fps at max settings with ray tracing on a $1000 3090 Ti (with stutters). Your point is?

[navi87]

Well, thats what happens when developers have to focus on the weaker hardware and sadly more popular hardware. This isnt the first game to have this issue and wont be the last from what ive seen.

Do you really think the PS5 version is equivalent to the PC max settings one? I highly doubt it. What resolution is the PS5 version running at as well? Im genuinely curious. 1080p? 1440p? If its only 1080p then damn...Sony has been marketing their consoles at 1080p for well over a decade now

[thecodingart]

@navi87 Right… maybe you should stick to your day job rather try to play game dev.

[Pocahontas]

PC can’t even run this game properly

[Viljong]

Yes and series x run always higher resolution when its dynamic. And xbox support 120hz mode always so it actually feel better and run crispier. Have both ps5 and series x. Always when clickbaited that ps5 run like 1 fps better but fail to mention series x higher dynamic resolution. Both may have the same scale but xbox run most of the time higher resolution if both are dynamic 2160p

[TheTony316]

According to DF, SX and PS5 run at the same resolution on all modes. The difference is in the performance. The PS5 has a 3-4 fps advantage in fidelity/RT mode.

[Viljong]

Both may have the same scale like 1600p to 2160p but xbox run more ofter the higher end than ps5. This is true for most game. For all cross games i have. Far cry 6 higher resolution series x. Destiny 2 higher resolution series x. Becouse of this ps5 version may run 1-3fps higher. But becouse xbox run always in 120hz mode without loosing rgb signal unlike 30gb/sec ps5 hdmi gimped 2.1 port. With xbox you can always choose 120hz mode unlike ps5 when it need to be specially supported. And then ps5 go to yuv422 mode becouse it wont have full hdmi 2.1 bandwhich. Xbox feel smoother with 120hz mode and amd freesync premium.it also have better PQ becouse it stays in rgb signal. And support dolby atmos so its better for hometheatre. Even if you want gimmick 3d audio for your headphones you can choose dolby atmos or Dts:x. No need for so called tempest audio which only mean sony was too cheap to get the license.

I love the ps5 and its games and accesories but the overmarketing and clickbaiting is crazy. I get it ps5 is very popular and best playstation gen even witnessed. But these one sinded "playstation run better" articles are only misleading. For all the games i have xbox run crispier and feel smoother with 120hz mode. Sound is also better covered.

Nowdays its really hard to judge the performance becouse of dynamic 4k resolution with pc and consoles. All have the same scale and target but it doesmt mean thw actual outcome is the same. For every game ive studied you learn xbox run crispier when you really look into details.

[shinoff2183]

Viljong

You must not of been around here the first little bit during ps3/360 us ps3 users had to hear about it for years. Suck it up

[Hypertension140]

If what you're saying its true than why haven't more people brought it up? The difference must not be noticable at all, where did you get that information

[XxINFERNUSxX]

"Fidelity ET modes achieve a consistent 30 FPS" On either system is not next gen to me at all, even with RT on. What gen are they going to finally let go of 30fps, 5yrs, 10yrs? smh...

[Kornholic]

This is the norm rather than exception, at least if Digital Foundry's findings on games are any indication.

[BrainSyphoned]

Probably in part because the devs know who is going to be buying the most copies of the game so they put more resources towards making sure it is in great shape on PS.

[MrNinosan]

Those comparisons are so meaningless, and normal gamers can't ever make the difference.
Men DF needs to use tools to calculate drops and zoom in 10 times to see the difference on a pixel, it's just for the stats and nerds.

I play many of my games on both PS5 and Series X, and I rarely ever see any difference except that I get achievements on Xbox and Trophies on PlayStation.

The Series X and PlayStation 5 is equally amazing, and the Series S less so.
The Switch however should die.

[Aussiesummer]

They said this would be the case before it was even released, Sony know their shit real well.

[anast]

Of course it does. The Series X is 2nd or 3rd best in gaming and first in subservices.

[PaleMoonDeath]

Can someone explain how that's possible..? I thought the Series X had slightly more power? technology is so confusing haha!

[PureBlood]

Clock speed is PS5 main advantage. It greatly diminishes the teraflops differential.

[Destiny1080]

its a bit like feeding a mouth, to constantly keep feeding a mouth you would use two hands working in perfect harmony, but what happens when you introduce a melon that needs to be chopped up first, are smaller bits of food like a grape things will not go so smoothly, it wont be long before your perfect harmony falls apart either by your mouth not being able to process all that food are your two slow chopping up the melon and your mouth sits idle

all these potential bottlenecks, were addressed by mark cerny in the making of the PS5, it would be like having an extra person helping you chop the melon and separate the grapes and according to mark cerny there is even some extra sauce available to the PS5 because the sound chip used, is actually more powerful then a PS4 and in the future may be even used to help the PS5 for certain things

[arminukxbox]

Of course another games Sony marketing runs better on ps5 no surprises

[darkrider]

Of course if the studio wasn't force to make two versions of the same game for two consoles of Microsoft.... And one it's a totally diferent and much wealer console... If the had only the versions of the series x....

[Gamer_Dude]

This is flame bait, not gaming news.

[BrainSyphoned]

Just the facts ma'am, just the facts. Old news maybe since the writing was on the wall long before the systems released. Still it is a fact that is reportable and informative- a.k.a NEWS. Enjoy your PC and ignore the console plz.

[Gamer_Dude]

All you really have to do is read the comments to see that I'm right.

[Aussieguy]

The only ones that push the consoles to its max are the first party devs. Think which console has the best first party developers 3ho have a history of pushing games to their limits. The Forza devs are probably the only ones who do this on Xbox and on Playstation their are many now and not just Naughty Dog.

Just think back to the Xbox one x and the ps4 pro. The Xb1x was a lot more powerful then the ps4 pro, but we all saw some of the best looking games last gen on Playstation. XB1X had a few but they should have had a lot more, but in the end, its up to the developers to get the most out of each one and 3rd party devs are not doing this on xbox. Whats their incentive to do this anyway? None at all.

[DaleCooper]

Bought it on Xbox and the performance mode was not smooth at all, very choppy. I switched to fidelity mode and I'm now playing at a stable 30 fps. I wish the 60 fps mode was stable, but it does look really good on fidelity mode. If you have both systems, I'd recommend getting the ps5 version over Xbox.

[S2Killinit]

most often its the PS5 with the advantage. The margins are small usually anyway and when they are significant, its the PS5 outperforming the series.

[cloganart]

bro what happened to all those teraflops? 😭

[bleedsoe9mm]

CMA should be looking if this is a new under handed clause in Sony marketing deals

[darkrider]

That's an excuse. Accept the reality. It runs better. The ps5 is easier to work with.

[bleedsoe9mm]

Last 2 big co marketing deal games had gimped Xbox versions. I wouldn't say Sony wouldn't do that cause we all know they would.

[isarai]

Are they going to file this as "broken" rather than give the ps5 this one like when they released the "score" between the two a few months back?

[sagapo]

I think the faster SSD gives PS5 the edge here but not all games depend on the speed of SSD’s. Open world games do however. I wouldn’t be suprised if games like GTA6 would run better on PS5 as well but others might run better/equal on SeriesX I guess. I’m playing this game on SeriesX, no complaints so far in terms of framedrops tho (thanks to VRR on my monitor). Noticed a few little graphical glitches, not sure they are the same on PS5.

[jznrpg]

Can never discount good engineering. Why MS chooses split ram and/ or Esram last 2 gen makes no sense to me . PS made sure there were no bottlenecks but MS seems to choose one last couple gens