PlayStation 5 vs Xbox Project Scarlett: Gaming performance is apparently better on Sony's next-generation console

Microsoft and Sony's next-generation consoles are still around a year away from being released, but their respective dev kits are throwing up some performance insights. According to a respected member of the ResetEra forums who has been posting plenty of information about the two consoles, the game performance of the Xbox Project Scarlett is some way behind that of the PlayStation 5. Their statement is as follows:

Right now, game performance is better on PS5. I believe that is probably because PS5 development hardware and software are in a more advanced state. I fully expect Scarlett to close that gap once they ship more mature dev kits and software.

It must be said, since software, not hardware, is a traditional Microsoft area of expertise, it's very possible that they could ultimately deliver more advanced Direc[t]X development software in the end allowing games to run better on Scarlett even if the hardware is less capable.

Having read through the subsequent posts in the thread, the opinions of the original poster are trusted among the ResetEra forums community. While it would be simple to jump on the idea that the PlayStation 5 will offer better in-game performance than Microsoft's effort will, the statement above deals with the stage of development that the two consoles are at. As leaked specifications have suggested, the gap between the next-generation consoles will likely be slim, and potentially intangible.

The notion that Sony is further along its development timeline than Microsoft implies that the former is closer to realising a finished product than the latter, though. If correct, then this links nicely with the idea that Sony will demonstrate the performance of the PlayStation 5 next month at a PlayStation Experience event. Regardless, choosing between the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Project Scarlett will likely depend on which platform exclusives you want to play more, rather than raw gaming performance. Undoubtedly, some people will buy both consoles, though.