The next-gen console hype circus continues: Rumor claims the PS5 offers 10-15% more performance than the Xbox Scarlett

Considering the widely expected hardware both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett consoles will sport, it would be fair to think that performance-wise the next-gen devices could be quite similar. AMD is providing the all-important custom CPUs and GPUs for Sony and Microsoft, and the currently known technical features of both devices are also on a similar level (e.g. ray-tracing capability).

However, this hasn’t stopped some making claim and counter-claim about which of the highly anticipated consoles is “better”. The Twitter account for PlayStation Latest has presented this claim recently that could raise more than a few eyebrows:

[…] the max performance of the PS5 outperforms Scarlett by 10-15% and has a faster SSD.

The poster of this comment has apparently based their conclusion on an alleged industry source with knowledge of PS5 and Xbox Scarlett devkits. The tweet does make the admission that the Xbox Scarlett is superior in terms of ray tracing, but this was possibly added to try to tone down the considerable 10-15% performance claim for the PlayStation 5.

Fortunately, an actual confirmed industry insider has also posted a tweet to remind people to take such claims very lightly indeed. Ed Boon, one of the key people behind the hugely successful Mortal Kombat series of games that have featured on both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, seems to be utterly bemused by how the general statement of “x is more powerful than y” (in regard to PS5 vs. Xbox Scarlett) can be taken at all seriously. As he rightly points out, someone would have had to have worked on both consoles in their final stage of hardware development to be able to make such a verifiable claim.

Still, every generation of consoles incites claims and counter-claims of which console is the best, most powerful, fastest, etc. and there is no reason why the upcoming PS5 vs. Xbox Scarlett circus would be any different. Perhaps Nintendo or another company can still swoop in and surprise us all with a superior next-gen gaming box that nobody expected.