The new Xbox Series X and its rival, the PlayStation 5, are set to launch by the end of 2020. Video Game Chronicle suggests that the PS5 is on track to launch in November 2020 although there has been no confirmation by PlayStation. The Xbox series X is announced to drop in November as well.
Microsoft hopes to release its new console before PlayStation to get ahead of them in sales unlike last year in which the PS4 dropped before the Xbox One. Due to the thought that Sony wants to get out in front of PlayStation, it may be released in early November. If it’s the week of the 13th it will be released alongside games like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
Some people have complained about the size of the new Xbox Series X. The dimensions are 15.1cm x 15.1cm x 30.1cm making it look more like a PC standing vertically.
“I’m not sure where I would put it if I got one,” Julian Espana a senior at Athens Drive, said.
However, the big size means Microsoft can put some top shelf tech in there. The Xbox series X is built around a 3.8GHZ octa-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and a 52-core GPU which is able to process 12 teraflops. The Xbox Series X also features 16GB of GDDR6. In terms of power and space, this console is like a PC many ways. With all this computing power Microsoft claims its new console can display 4k graphics at 60 frames per second, and lower resolution at 120fps.
Microsoft has also upgraded its quick resume technology which will now hold a suspended state in multiple games, so that the game doesn’t have to reload the game every time someone starts it. This makes it a lot easier for people who like to play several different games.
“I have a few games that I like to go back and forth on but it takes awhile to load,” said Espana.
Backwards compatibility will also be much better, which is when older games can run on a newer console.
As for the PlayStation, it is built around an octa-core AMD Zen 2 CPU with a custom Radeon GPU. This is very similar to the Xbox Series X making it capable of nearly everything the new Xbox is. The PS5 is also featuring an SSD instead of a hard drive for storage, which should boost performance by making the load times near instant.
One Canadian retailer reportedly priced the console at $410 U.S. dollars. The cost to manufacture a PS5 is reportedly $450, said a Bloomberg report in mid February. A big contributor to the cost is the low supply of DRAM and NAND flash memory used in smartphones. Although Sony may further lower the price to compete with Microsoft. These new consoles have a lot of people excited.
“I have all the other PlayStation consoles and i’m very excited for the new one to come out ,” said Eric Luffman, civics teacher at Athens Drive.
