The PS5 won't be the most powerful console on the market according to Microsoft, which says on a dedicated site that the Xbox Series X won't really have competition on the performance side. Microsoft confirms in passing many points of its technical sheet.
Microsoft's Xbox Series X homepage / Credits: Phonandroid
Coronavirus is completely crippling activity in much of the world. So inevitably many major tech events had to be cancelled. This was particularly the case with the MWC 2020 that we had to go to. But alongside the smartphone industry, there is also the video game industry that is paying the price for the global pandemic and measures to contain it. Both Microsoft and Sony had planned an entire launch program that would span the year 2020.
But since a change of communication seems to have been acted, and the two giants are gradually lifting the veil on their console by disseminating clues on the web. Microsoft has, however, just moved to the next level by launching a dedicated microsite accompanied by a detailed blog post. Upon arrival on the page, Microsoft touts the console "the fastest. The most powerful". Microsoft explains: "Today players are asking for more and more games that run 60 frames for seconds with high visual fidelity and precise and responsive controls."
Read also: PS5 – what if it was less powerful than the Xbox Series X?
The firm added: "Developers have found creative solutions, such as dynamic definition staggering, to maintain high image quality without compromising on the number of frames per second, but this is often done by bypassing the limitations and constraints of the current hardware generation. All this is about to change with the Xbox Series X. It's not just about making more beautiful games, that being. But games that are played better too."
Monstrous technical sheet
Microsoft confirms that the Xbox Series X features a custom chipset with an AMD Zen 2 8-core CPU and an RDNA 2 GPU. The CPU is clocked at 3.8 GHz, and the GPU, which ships 52 Compute Units and has Ray Tracing, is clocked at 1.825 GHz. The set is held on a die of 360.45 mm2 and is engraved in 7nm Enhanced. It comes with 16GB of GDDR6 with a 320-bit bus. The bandwidth of the memory is 560 Gb/s for 10GB, and 336 Gbps for the remaining 6GB. In terms of internal storage, Microsoft reveals that there will be a 1TB NVME SSD with custom features for the console bandwidth of 2.4 Gb/s (gross) and 4.8 Gb/s (compressed).
Here is the details of his fact sheet:
- CPU: 8x Hearts – 3.8 GHz (3.6 GHz w/ SMT) Custom Zen 2
- GPU: 12 TFLOPS, 52 CUs – 1.825 GHz Custom RDNA 2
- Die size: 360.45 mm2
- Engraving process: 7nm Enhanced
- Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 w/ 320b bus
- Memory bandwidth: 10GB – 560 GB/s, 6GB – 336 GB/s
- Internal storage: 1 TB Custom NVME SSD
- I/O bandwidth: 2.4 GB/s (Raw), 4.8 GB/s (Compressed, with dedicated hardware decompression block)
- Storage Extension: 1 TB Expansion Card
- External storage: support usb 3.2 storage
- Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray
- Target performance: 4K – 60 FPS, up to 120 IPS
If this storage space wasn't enough, it can be extended with 1TB cards, but also with an external USB 3.2 hard drive. In addition, the console carries a Blu Ray 4K UHD disc player. This power is at the service of a single objective: deliver the real 4K at 60 frames per second, with even up to 120 frames per second in some games, and the possibility, later, to be able to play in 8K. Microsoft is also pouring out on its page about the device's particularly advanced and silent cooling system.
Finally, Microsoft also gives some info on the Xbox Wireless Controller which is designed around "sculpted surfaces and refined geometry for increased gaming comfort" as well as "a textured grip and a hybrid D-pad" to "capture and share content when you play and pair quickly, play and switch from a supported console to a PC and mobile devices. Microsoft is expected to unveil new details about the Xbox Series X on Mixer on Wednesday, March 18, 2020.