Though the next generation of consoles are likely to bring with them a massive leap in performance and technical ability allowing developers to take full advantage of new technologies, there have been fears that the rumoured Xbox Lockhart could hold back all other next-gen systems. According to some developers however, this won't be the case due to next-gen being less about teraflops, and more about CPUs and SSDs.
Tom Warren, who is the Senior Editor at The Verge, appears to be privy to some developers’ exclusive thoughts on the next generation hardware. According to Warren, “I’ve been saying for a year that CPU and SSD are key to next-gen consoles, not teraflops. Developers are saying the same thing. I’ve also been saying Lockhart won’t undermine next-gen games…”
Though teraflops were used as a big point of comparison between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (and in particular the enhanced versions of both consoles), it seems as though the discussion is shifting away from these terms when it comes to the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
While the Xbox Series X features a greater number of teraflops when compared to the PS5, the comparison is no longer applicable, as exclusive hardware developments such as the PS5’s SSD has meant that other factors need to be taken into account, rendering the teraflop discussion moot.
This means that the much-rumoured Xbox Lockhart, which is said to be a lower-end console, won’t limit the PS5 and Series X in the same way that the PS4 and Xbox One would. Lockhart is rumoured to have 4 teraflops of GPU power, compared to the PS5’s 10.28 and the Series X’s 12 teraflops.
If what Warren says is true, that CPU and SSD speeds will be “key” to next-gen systems, then it is encouraging to know that even though Microsoft may release a lower-end system, the PS5 and Series X should still offer no compromises, and won’t be limited by Lockhart’s GPU capabilities.
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KitGuru says: Do you think Xbox Lockhart is real? Do you still think that teraflops are relevant in current gaming discussions? Which next-gen console are you planning to pick up? Let us know down below.