On paper, Sony's PlayStation 4 looks like it has more powerful hardware compared to Microsoft's Xbox One. The point has also been made that games developed for both next-generation game consoles will likely look the same in terms of graphics for at least the first few years of each console's lifespan.

This week, Microsoft Xbox marketing head Albert Penello, who has defended the Xbox One's hardware specs in the past, posted a message on the NeoGAF forums with what he claims are more even-handed comparisons between Microsoft's console and the PS4.

Penello said the idea that just because the PS4 has 18 control units to the Xbox One's 12 CUs, doesn't make the PS4 more powerful. He wrote, "Multi-core processors have inherent inefficiency with more CU's, so it's simply incorrect to say 50% more GPU." He also said that each of Microsoft's CUs runs six percent faster than the CUs in the PS4.

Additionally, Penello claims that the Xbox One, with its DDR3 memory, has more bandwidth than the PS4, which has GDDR5 memory. He wrote, "176gb/sec is peak on paper for GDDR5. Our peak on paper is 272gb/sec. (68gb/sec DDR3 + 204gb/sec on ESRAM). ESRAM can do read/write cycles simultaneously so I see this number mis-quoted."

The Xbox One also has 10 percent more CPU than the PS4, according to Penello, adding, "Not only a faster processor, but a better audio chip also offloading CPU cycles." Finally, he stated Microsoft has "3X the coherent bandwidth for GPGPU at 30gb/sec which significantly improves our ability for the CPU to efficiently read data generated by the GPU."

Penello did say that while he was not trying to disparage the PS4's hardware specs, he did feel that some people who have tried to compare the two systems were using inaccurate methods. He also said Microsoft's senior graphics and hardware engineers will offer even more information on the Xbox One's hardware features.

"They will be more credible then I am, and can talk in detail about some of the benchmarking we've done and how we balanced our system," Penello wrote.

Posted: Sep 11, 2013 1:08 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-exec-offers-up-some-more-xbox-one-vs-ps4-hardware-comparisons