Key Highlights:
- The next gen Xbox is expected to be more expensive than the PS6.
- However, the Xbox is quite a bit more powerful in comparison.
- None of this matters unless Xbox can keep up with its competitors.
The next generation of consoles is almost upon us, and both PlayStation and Xbox seem to be raring to go. Specs for both consoles have been discussed online before, and the latest leak seems to suggest that the PlayStation 6 might be a tad bit weaker than the next gen Xbox ‘Magnus’.
Even if this does prove to be the case though, Xbox’s lead here is marginal at best, and it might not be appealing enough for players to switch over, or even retain themselves to the platform.
The Next-Gen Xbox Is Very Likely to Be Quite a Bit More Powerful Than the PS6
Xbox’s Magnus hardware isn’t particularly new, and has been discussed previously. It’s noted as being perhaps the most powerful APU in existence, powered by a whopping 68 RDNA 5 Compute Units, 11 CPU cores and (up to) 48 GB of GDDR7 VRAM.
Compare this to the PS6 equivalent, and Xbox has a very clear lead here. The PS6 is noted to have only 48 RDNA 5 Compute Units, and 8 CPU cores to go along with it.
The next gen Xbox will most certainly outperform the PS6 by a fairly wide margin, if we consider its higher raw compute power.
However, at 4K resolutions (which happens to be the target resolution for these consoles) the gap should be considerably smaller. This should make both consoles roughly close to each other in terms of performance, even if the Xbox should be able to maintain a slightly higher average frame rate.
None of This Matters if Xbox Keeps Fumbling System Sellers
That being said, there is little reason to get an Xbox currently, let alone in the future. The gaming giant has managed to lay off a fair chunk of its studios, all while raising the price of its Xbox Game Pass subscription service by nearly 50%.
To make matters worse, most of Xbox’s games aren’t really doing well financially either. While the sustainability of Xbox Game Pass is a discussion best left for another day, what is true is that a lot of folks aren’t particularly pleased with Microsoft/Xbox’s model.
These games aren’t shaping out to be the system sellers Xbox wanted them to be, and fewer and fewer people are showing an interest in the Xbox ecosystem. Speaking of system sellers, exclusivity – which happens to be the sole reason why anyone would buy a particular brand of console in the first place, appears to be a thing of the past now.
In an attempt to push for multiplatform releases, Xbox is removing the sole reason to buy their consoles, as opposed to the competition, who refuse to do the same.
System sellers like Forza have made their way to the competitor’s consoles, with leaks suggesting that the same could happen to Halo, the series that practically defined the Xbox.
Also Read: Steam Reaches a Record High, but This Could Be Troubling for the Future of PC Gaming
Halo was also notoriously mishandheld by Xbox, turning what was a system seller into a series of mediocre, disappointing sequels.
As it stands right now, there practically is no good reason to buy an Xbox console over a PlayStation or even Nintendo system. This, combined with the fact that the Xbox Magnus is rumored to be a lot more expensive (compared to the PS6) makes it a tough pill to swallow for most consumers, who cannot justify the cost at all.
PlayStation has already won the console war, and the future looks bleak with no real competition to keep it in check.
