The Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 have been out for a couple of weeks now and while Microsoft's console is ‘the world's most powerful' on paper, comparisons so far have given the performance edge to the PS5. The scales could start to tip though, as Microsoft has identified a series of bugs impacting performance.
As with any new console platform launch, there are going to be some early issues that need ironing out. In addition to that, it is going to take some time for developers to get familiar with each console and how to get the most out of them. So far, thanks to Digital Foundry, we've seen instances of Devil May Cry 5, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Assassin's Creed Valhalla performing slightly better on the PS5, particularly in games with 120Hz modes.
Speaking with The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson commented on this early trend, saying: “We are aware of performance issues in a handful of optimised titles on Xbox Series X|S and are actively 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.”
Developers are already working on patches for some early next-gen games. The message from Microsoft right now though seems to be that time will smooth things out. Next year's next-gen console games are likely to have a number of improvements compared to what's currently available, and those advantages should appear on both sides.
KitGuru Says: These consoles are still brand new, so I'm not too worried about performance comparisons. It will be interesting to see where things stand a year from now though, when developers have had longer to familiarise themselves with these new consoles.