The Xbox Series X was supposed to be the most powerful console of all time. A 12 teraflop monster that would wipe out the competition. Thus far we haven’t really seen that in action – from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, to Devil May Cry 5, to Dirt 5, numerous next-gen 3rd party games are actually running better on the PlayStation 5. More to the point, we’ve seen very few examples of games running dramatically better on the XSX than the PS5.

Why is this? Well, according to The Verge, Sony got PS5 dev kits out to studios far in advance of Microsoft. In fact, Microsoft only started to allow publishers to submit Xbox Series X/S games for certification back in June. Why were Microsoft so slow in getting tools to developers? It could have something to do with the company opting to include full RDNA 2 support in the XSX – in a recent interview Phil Spencer admitted manufacturing of the new console was pushed back as they waited for AMD’s new tech.

So, it seems the difference between PS5 and Xbox Series X at this point is mostly a question of optimization. According to Microsoft, they’ll be working hard with 3rd parties to bring their games up to snuff…

We are aware of performance issues in a handful of optimized titles on Xbox Series X/S and are working with our partners to identify and resolve the issues to ensure an optimal experience. As we begin a new console generation, our partners are just now scratching the surface of what next-gen consoles can do and minor bug fixes are expected as they learn how to take full advantage of our new platform. We are eager to continue working with developers to further explore the capability of Xbox Series X/S in the future.

Will the Xbox Series X eventually harness those 12 teraflops of power and surpass the PS5 in terms of performance? It seems likely, but the PS5 is a somewhat mysterious piece of tech – who knows what devs might be able to pull out of it? Also, as we head deeper in the next generation, the ability to stream data quickly is going to be more and more important, and the PS5 has the edge there.

What do you think? How will the PS5 vs. Xbox Series X performance battle shake out in the end?