Insider: "Xbox Anaconda aims to be the clearly better performing device" compared to PS5

[ryan299]

I don't think power is going to be as big of a factor next gen as it was this gen. It's funny but I think the biggest thing Sony announced in that article was backwards compat. This is why I think they're going to win next gen and why I think Google will struggle.

If a majority of your library is available to play on future systems why leave that ecosystem? Had Sony not gone through with that I think MS could've won a lot of people over and power would matter at that point.

 

[Hucast]

If I were to purchase a next gen console, I'd prefer the more powerful one.

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I never found the xbox one a very attractive platform but if they make a great next gen console, the fact it'll have all the BC games (hopefully) from day one is going to be huge for me. Lost odyssey, ninja gaiden. Fable. All day one

 

[Saint-14]

No I remember that as well, but even after the system reached price parity, the talk of power continued. Why try to pretend power and all the talk about resolution differences didn't command so much of the conversation? I was in all of those DF and looking down on the XBO just like plenty of other people.

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People talking about it doesn't mean it had the effect on sales that people think it did, Xbox sold the way it did for multiple reasons and power being one of them but never the only one or the most important.

 

[thuway]

It is amusing that in the span of a few days we have various groups of people seemingly both saying "wow, PS5 sounds like a beast, would gladly pay $499 for that" and "power doesn't really matter anyway if Xbox ends up having a little more power".

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It's true though and there's nothing wrong with thinking that way. If Nintendo was in the race expect the same.

I have a vested interest in Sony hardware because their first party puts out the software that appeals to me most.


I play my Xbox games on PC. But I want Microsoft to come out stronger so it forces Sony's hand in the future.

 

[Kaiser Swayze]

I don't doubt that MS is at least aiming to have the most powerful console. The 1X being touted as "the world's most powerful console" is something I think they're keen to keep going. As a consumer, I'm all in favor of a good old fashioned arms race. Let's see a real boost this coming gen.

 

[Yearsoflurking]

Power was the main reason all my friends went the PS4. I had over 100 plus friends on the 360 and I think 95% of them jumped ship because they knew PS4 was more powerful.

Same thing next gen, most of them have already said they will jump ship if the new Xbox is more powerful.

Being the most "powerful" has a lot more meaning then people in this thread are downplaying.

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Power always been important no need to downplay it , it was important last gen the gen before (ps2vs dreamcast) and since the beginning of times. Content is absolutely important but let's not downplay the importance of power.

 

[Hucast]

I don't think power is going to be as big of a factor next gen as it was this gen. It's funny but I think the biggest thing Sony announced in that article was backwards compat. This is why I think they're going to win next gen and why I think Google will struggle.

If a majority of your library is available to play on future systems why leave that ecosystem?

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I think 2 things are important here. Ps4 was capable of doing BC for ps1 and 2 yet the solution for ps2 ended up being bad. So how will the solution be?

Secondly is ps3. How will the ps5 emulate the ps3.

These 2 things should determine an actual race between the feature

 

[Cyanity]

I would be shocked if it wasn't. MS wants to be able to say it has the most powerful hardware next go-round, I'm sure they (correctly) see the Xbox One's technical weaknesses as a big part of what held them back this gen.

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The xbone's lack of power may have hurt it out of the starting gates, but microsoft's inability to clamp down a solid library of games is what hurt it the most. But we all know MS went on a dev studio shopping spree and probably have some games just waiting to be announced. We'll see if it's enough, but I think MS is aiming to release with both the stronger console AND stronger library this time around.

 

[Captain of Outer Space]

That's fine for them, but price is still the most important thing along with the execution of their promised features and that was their biggest issue last time around.

 

[Kaako]

To the people doubting Ainsley Bowden's credentials, let me offer some reassurance. Bowden is no less a figure than the founder and head editor of Seasoned Gaming -- a YouTube channel with recent output attracting an average of 23 views per video. And if that is not impressive enough, Google shows Bowden is most notable for the story we are discussing today. A mighty track record I'm sure you will disagree.

Yeah, why do I get the impression all these "insiders" are just the same ordinary Twitter people basing their claims on Phil Spencer's expressed desire to set the benchmark for console gaming, and the whole thing is a circular non story, fuelled by such impenetrable logic as "Microsoft got burnt last gen so they won't want to get burnt again."

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Haha well said. Feels like we're stuck in a time loop again with random twitter/youtube personalities coming out the woodworks with their "insider" infos.

 

[tzare]

No I remember that as well, but even after the system reached price parity, the talk of power continued. Why try to pretend power and all the talk about resolution differences didn't command so much of the conversation? I was in all of those DF and looking down on the XBO just like plenty of other people.

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Well, if there's price parity and one is more powerful than the other, seems logical to choose the most powerful one. Sure all the people here claiming they want the most powerful box chose ps4, didn't they.... Wait!

 

[MrPink]

At launch, not before launch, what were the problems? By the time both consoles launched, they essentially functioned in the same way e.g. the "switch" was flipped. At the time of launch, the x1 was known as the more expensive console. After several 3rd party games had dropped, the x1 was known as the weaker console and that was a huge topic. Every single game for the first few years of the gen was compared in terms of visuals. It was a huge deal.

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It's one thing to be 'underpowered', it's another to be $100 more expensive on top of that.

If the PS5 is less powerful than Anaconda but there's a price differential, then the value proposition is different and one I'll be interested to see in playing out. We'll get a better answer on what consumers are valuing these days.

 

[Absolute]

At launch, not before launch, what were the problems? By the time both consoles launched, they essentially functioned in the same way e.g. the "switch" was flipped. At the time of launch, the x1 was known as the more expensive console. After several 3rd party games had dropped, the x1 was known as the weaker console and that was a huge topic. Every single game for the first few years of the gen was compared in terms of visuals. It was a huge deal.

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Over the course of the previous gen it was similar with 360 winning all the "face-offs" and being cheaper and yet at the end both consoles sold a similar amount despite a year headstart. I think people are overplaying the importance of power.

 

[thuway]

What ultimately caused the catastrophe of Xbox One wasn't just power.

It was the inability to get a solid footing with third party deals and partnerships, lackluster first party software, critically ill received exclusives, and lastly a price point that caused a stigma from the jump.


The Xbox One X is the best example of power as an isolated variable doing nothing for sales volume.

 

[HighResTomato]

MS will need more than specs if they're going to get me to buy their new console. A lot more.

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Do you also require room service and a personal car with chauffeur?

Be more specific.

 

[ClarkusDarkus]

Bring back the snap feature, That was such a good thing to use.

 

[Gatti-man]

What ultimately caused the catastrophe of Xbox One wasn't just power.

It was the inability to get a solid footing with third party deals and partnerships, lackluster first party software, critically ill received exclusives, and lastly a price point that caused a stigma from the jump.


The Xbox One X is the best example of power as an isolated variable doing nothing for sales volume.

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The X came far too late to do anything and the software is still lacking. At launch the X would have made waves.

 

[Rex1157]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume Microsoft had the edge yet. Didn't the ps4 boost in ram catch even their own devs by surprise?

 

[StarErik]

I hope they're equally powerful as I will get both. Xbox is my main machine for third party games, PS for exclusives.

 

[thebishop]

I think both consoles will be very close in features. Likely both 3rd gen Ryzen, both Navi cores. MS's impressive progress on water cooling might allow them to squeeze more clocks from their box than PS5, but that's limited and adds to construction cost. Simply putting better chips inside means more cost, so competition limits how far either one can go.

MS might try to do the "power of the cloud" shit again, but honestly I think that's only viable via streaming. afaik nobody has successfully used asynchronous cloud-rendered jobs to boost performance on a native rendered game.

I basically think AMD's next generation of CPU/GPU will define next gen across most platforms. It'll be the new recommended standard for PC, it'll power both next-gen consoles, and AMD is at least partially in Stadia. With AMD + Vulkan, it's striking how consistent the base for AAA game development has become. One fairly consistent codebase could run games on almost every platform other than Xbox. And the port between Vulkan and DX12 doesn't seem so bad.

 

[Remeran]

At launch, not before launch, what were the problems? By the time both consoles launched, they essentially functioned in the same way e.g. the "switch" was flipped. At the time of launch, the x1 was known as the more expensive console. After several 3rd party games had dropped, the x1 was known as the weaker console and that was a huge topic. Every single game for the first few years of the gen was compared in terms of visuals. It was a huge deal.

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I'm not saying it wasn't a big deal, it was. At launch the xbox had plenty of issues...it was bundled with kinect for like a year, it was uglier than the ps4 (not a mean feat), and it was still spouting all this entertainment bullshit. I'm saying that by the time the issues were resolved many people had already gravitated toward playstation (I was at the time). I was gravitated toward playstation at launch becuase fo the myriad of issues I had with the xbox.

 

[Papacheeks]

What ultimately caused the catastrophe of Xbox One wasn't just power.

It was the inability to get a solid footing with third party deals and partnerships, lackluster first party software, critically ill received exclusives, and lastly a price point that caused a stigma from the jump.


The Xbox One X is the best example of power as an isolated variable doing nothing for sales volume.

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Agreed. It's a nice piece of tech, but when they showed it off all they had to show for was FORZA and a bunch of third party games touting how great they looked. And honestly it's been a weird situation when it comes to games running on both PS4PRO and xbox one x.

The thing to me that trumps Raw power is game design, art direction. Something Playstation IP's are in a league of their own with maybe a couple big studios like CDPROJECT, Ninja Theory coming close.

If Sony continues on with their recent output from this gen, then I feel power will just be that, a word/check point on list. Xbox needs to show amazing looking games that really show a change in direction for how they approach their software library.

 

[thuway]

The X came far too late to do anything and the software is still lacking. At launch the X would have made waves.

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The Xbox brand in 2019 is far less competitive than it was in 2013. Sony's dominance may have started with power but their first party software and exclusive games won countless nominations and GOTY awards.

Also - people have invested heavily into their digital libraries. You'd need something far more than teraflops to convince users to abandon everything.


And this is all assuming Cerny is drunk at the wheel and decided to throw together a Newegg list for PS5.

 

[TitlePending]

It is amusing that in the span of a few days we have various groups of people seemingly both saying "wow, PS5 sounds like a beast, would gladly pay $499 for that" and "power doesn't really matter anyway if Xbox ends up having a little more power".

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I believe those people are saying, "What's been announced is enough to get them on board for the PS5." So having a slightly more XBOX isn't enough to get them to jump ships. That could certainly change if XBOX has greater services or Sony really drops the ball

 

[Kage Maru]

Getting excited over your preferred platform getting more powerful is one thing. Caring about how much more powerful the competition will be, is another. You can care about the potential power of the system you plan to buy, but at the same time disregard any potential advantage in power the competitor may have, because you don't even have it on your radar.

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Not caring how powerful another system is one thing. Downplaying power in general is an entirely different matter after being happy that your platform of choice will also be powerful. That's like saying your happy that your Ford has a V8 but then saying a V8 in every other car is no big deal. Makes no sense to me.

 

[Perzeval]

I can see them sticking with their strategy of being the most powerful console next generation as well, seems to work for them.

 

[Xx 720]

Hard to imagine how much of a difference there could be?? Wouldn't they be limited by what is available - if Sony is using the latest gpu tech and the new rysen.. what more could xb do outside of ram or clock speed, meaning, it could be more powerful but it wouldn't be some night and day difference.

 

[Liliana]

The Nextbox rumours from months ago have been saying it will come with an NVMe SSD. We're talking months before the Sony Wired article so there must be some truth to it as it's way too much of a coincidence that MS is alleged to have this tech and Sony comes out officially confirming they have it months later.

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Precisely. I find it odd Sony doesn't seem as confident as they were during the last gen reveal. I mean, they pretty much announced baseline things that have all been heavily rumored from realiable insiders for the NextBox, right down to the SSD, and they did it on the day of an Inside Xbox titled "Road to E3." They have an idea of what is coming and clearly want to use PR to gain mindshare since they have no E3 and most likely plan to officially announce the PS5 afterwards. I mean, why else would they waste the BC annoucement, something many here heralded as a "megaton conference mic drop," on that same day? People pretending this has nothing to do with Microsoft are in clear denial.

Another thing that I find amusing are the people who accept this as a PR move but talk about how beneficial it was because now when things are shown and demonstrated at E3, Sony already mentioned it in official capacity first, so it will soften E3. As if the, again, heavy insider talk for months now leading up to the E3 extravaganza will somehow have less impact because a competitor vaguely mentioned what we already know is coming.

The revisionist history of what happened at the start of the gen is a fascinating thing to see. People pretend like CoD: Ghosts being 720p on the XBO wasn't some kind of huge controversy.

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This comment should be stickied. It's insane that the people who keep spouting that same revisionist history for years now all happen to be known Sony superfans. What a wierd coincidence. Power was HUGE at the start of this gen, and I saw it firsthand as someone who worked retail during that time. The FUD got so bad regarding it that casual parents would tell me things they heard that would leave me laughing, such as denying that the Xbox kiosk was running an actual Xbox One because their son told them it had Wii-like graphics.

Oh man, the stories I have.

 

[statham]

Your friends or literally decades of evidence of power not being some guaranteed win and the weaker, better priced system coming out on top far more often, tough to come to a conclusion on this one.

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If only Microsoft was launching a second cheaper console at the same time....

 

[grosbard]

What ultimately caused the catastrophe of Xbox One wasn't just power.

It was the inability to get a solid footing with third party deals and partnerships, lackluster first party software, critically ill received exclusives, and lastly a price point that caused a stigma from the jump.


The Xbox One X is the best example of power as an isolated variable doing nothing for sales volume.

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Yeah, there were a lot of issues with the x1. No one in their right mind can't say power wasn't a major topic of conversation though.

As far as the X goes, it's sold very well but obviously it didn't create a huge impact by swaying ps4 owners to switch over. It was a midgen console with a lack of first party exclusives. Casuals buy the cheaper more popular option (ps4 wins vs the x) and "gamers" are going to primarily stick with ecosystem system they are already in. Very few ps4 owners would buy an x solely based on power alone.

 

[thebishop]

It certainly helped that PS4 was more powerful. The surprise announcement of 8GB ram was a huge coup. Still, I don't think the power advantage mattered nearly as much as the cost advantage, Sony's incredible 1st party commitment in the 2nd half of PS3, and the clarity of their marketing as a streamlined, gamer-friendly platform. If PS4 had come in with Xbone's power disadvantage, I think they still could've "won" on the other factors.

 

[thuway]

Not caring how powerful another system is one thing. Downplaying power in general is an entirely different matter after being happy that your platform of choice will also be powerful. That's like saying your happy that your Ford has a V8 but then saying a V8 in every other car is no big deal. Makes no sense to me.

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People aren't down playing power in a vacuum. Power is one variable, an important one, but ultimately isn't as important as other factors like price, content, library, and legacy support.

Combining all those--you have a ton of PS4 owners looking to play Last of Us 2 in the highest possible fidelity. They can't do that on an Xbox. In that instance, power don't mean a damn thing

 

[Papacheeks]

I can see them sticking with their strategy of being the most powerful console next generation as well, seems to work for them.

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In what way has it worked for them? XBox one X is not flying off shelves. It had a good couple of launch months but then died out. Got to have games to show off your hardware, and if the thing you were touting was Forza/PUBG not super convincing honestly.

 

[Diablos]

Do you also require room service and a personal car with chauffeur?

Be more specific.

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Games worth buying it for.

Showing that they can actually do something worthwhile with those studios they're gobbling up.

 

[Perzeval]

In what way has it worked for them? XBox one X is not flying off shelves. It had a good couple of launch months but then died out. Got to have games to show off your hardware, and if the thing you were touting was Forza/PUBG not super convincing honestly.

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They're not beating the competition but they've improved their image quite a lot since the reveal/launch of the one. I thought it was selling better than last generation as well?

 

[thebishop]

People aren't down playing power in a vacuum. Power is one variable, an important one, but ultimately isn't as important as other factors like price, content, library, and legacy support.

Combining all those--you have a ton of PS4 owners looking to play Last of Us 2 in the highest possible fidelity. They can't do that on an Xbox. In that instance, power don't mean a damn thing

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It's gonna be weird if Stadia is actually the platform with the best graphics, but it's very possible. Buy PS5 for exclusives and stream 3rd party games?

 

[grady]

At the end of the day I don't personally care if there's a small power differential next gen, for the most part they'll be playing the same games anyway. The console that's gonna win in Europe, at least, is the console that gets the exclusive FIFA content. I think we overestimate how much people care about power, brand loyalty and friends tied to a system matters more than anything; I guess in some ways that's why Sony won't do CrossPlay, at least until they have a foothold in the next gen market.

 

[ManaByte]

This comment should be stickied. It's insane that the people who keep spouting that same revisionist history for years now all happen to be known Sony superfans. What a wierd coincidence. Power was HUGE at the start of this gen, and I saw it firsthand as someone who worked retail during that time. The FUD got so bad regarding it that casual parents would tell me things they heard that would leave me laughing, such as denying that the Xbox kiosk was running an actual Xbox One because their son told them it had Wii-like graphics.

Oh man, the stories I have.

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It seems to have begun at the midpoint of this generation with the mid-gen refreshes when suddenly the console power didn't mean anything. Can't seem to put a finger on why that opinion would change so quickly after the launch of the two systems though...

 

[Deleted member 27471]

I can see them sticking with their strategy of being the most powerful console next generation as well, seems to work for them.

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I've seen this said a lot on this thread. But I hope that people also realize that as much as you aim for that, or it's your strategy doesn't mean it will be the outcome.

You'll never hear a company say their aiming to be the least powerful.

The only take away here from the past is that we know how important and motivated Spencer is to have a strong product.

I'm sure Sony is also well aware of that. They're both out to make the best console.

 

[IIFloodyII]

If only Microsoft was launching a second cheaper console at the same time....

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Wow, just doing a cheaper system is guaranteed to instant win, console industry is a piece of piss.

Psst, cheaper isn't necessarily the one with a better price either, there is a balance, we have pretty much no clue about PS5 or XB whatever and whatever X specs or pricing, so pointless to even think about.

 

[LordofPwn]

I'd much rather Microsoft just straight up make a gaming PC in a box and sell it in mass. easy access to xbox games and it has steam? as a mac user, yes please.
I do think it's a way too early to be claiming power advantages. let's wait till specs are finalized and released.

 

[grosbard]

The Xbox brand in 2019 is far less competitive than it was in 2013.

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[statham]

People aren't down playing power in a vacuum. Power is one variable, an important one, but ultimately isn't as important as other factors like price, content, library, and legacy support.

Combining all those--you have a ton of PS4 owners looking to play Last of Us 2 in the highest possible fidelity. They can't do that on an Xbox. In that instance, power don't mean a damn thing

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says the guy, who helped push the power drama, that XBO was .9 TFs along with other stuff.

 

[Kage Maru]

People talking about it doesn't mean it had the effect on sales that people think it did, Xbox sold the way it did for multiple reasons and power being one of them but never the only one or the most important.

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It certainly effected sales to some degree and that's entirely my point. You're right that the Xbox sold the way it did for multiple reasons but neither you or I can say how much power played a part since different people have different priorities. So I don't agree that power wasn't the most important factor in some ways because to some people it was.

People aren't down playing power in a vacuum. Power is one variable, an important one, but ultimately isn't as important as other factors like price, content, library, and legacy support.

Combining all those--you have a ton of PS4 owners looking to play Last of Us 2 in the highest possible fidelity. They can't do that on an Xbox. In that instance, power don't mean a damn thing

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Then those people are entering a thread about a platform they clearly have no interest in to just shit it up. While everything you listed are logical reasons to be excited for a platform, none of them have anything to do with how powerful the next Xbox may be. I'm excited as all hell to play future playstation IPs but it makes no sense for me to come in here and say this rumor is irrelevant because I'm excited for Death Stranding on the PS5.

They're not beating the competition but they've improved their image quite a lot since the reveal/launch of the one. I thought it was selling better than last generation as well?

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The XBO started off stronger than the 360 at launch but has fallen behind in sales since then.

 

[Perzeval]

The XBO started off stronger than the 360 at launch but has fallen behind in sales since then.

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Ah I see, haven't kept up with current sales numbers.

 

[TheRulingRing]

It is amusing that in the span of a few days we have various groups of people seemingly both saying "wow, PS5 sounds like a beast, would gladly pay $499 for that" and "power doesn't really matter anyway if Xbox ends up having a little more power".

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Why are you people continuing to make this disingenuous argument?

Power matters when it's a massive generational jump, which is why people are excited. It doesn't matter (that much) when it's a minor difference. It's not that hard to understand, and I'm sure you figured that out before making this loaded post.

 

[P A Z]

Having a more powerful system never hurts unless it's a bad value I disagree here completely

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I dont see why you do but maybe I explained it poorly.

My point was that with more power obviously comes a greater price and the greater the price the fewer people there are that are willing to pay that price.

Whoever comes out on top out of the gates will likely be whoever balances power and price best and with MS seemingly going with a cheap but underpowered option and a more powerful but potentially too expensive option, it leaves Sony open to sneak in with something that is "good enough" in power and price for most early adopters. Early adopters have limits too.

If you still disagree, cool.

 

[Deleted member 34239]

Tbh, I'm not sure why this thread is still open. It solely exists to fuel platform warring, create animosity between forum users, and promote biases that are rooted in incomplete information and preconceived notions.

We have no specs for the machines that can be used as a point of comparison and, a next gen speculation thread already exists for unverified information such as the one seen in this thread. It seems to me that the existence of this thread is juxtaposed to the type of discussion era claims it tries to foster. I mean, just in this thread, we have seen complete madness. We have people making claims based on assumptions they've fabricated out of thin air. Ridiculous statements like "Sony's r&d is at another level" or "Xbox are going to be taking a larger loss on the device" etc are some of the many inflammatory statements not based in reality.

This whole thread and its contents from what I've read, is mostly tales from my ass. Apparently, there were some documents obtained and the user has chosen to interpret the documents in one fashion or another. A vast majority of people haven't seen the document and the document as we understand, provides no specifications that can be used to compare both consoles. Instead it contains company goals which all companies have and nothing more. Now we have a thread full of platform warring and next gen bickering. The more things change, the more they stay the same smh.

 

[Lorul2]

Just wanted to throw fuel on this dumpster fire.I was always a PS5 in March 2020 guy. So what if the PS5 comes out with Zen2 and then Six months later anaconda comes out with a Zen3. I don't really care either way but 37+ pages of posts on this topic is amazing!

 

[OmniOne]

The word ''aims'' is doing a lot of work here.