Aiming at a 2020 holiday release, Sony and Microsoft have their latest consoles chomping at the bit to get into our greedy hands. Both companies have a lot on the line: Sony wants to hold onto it's claim as the top-selling gaming console, while Microsoft is looking to rebound after the Xbox One's troublesome lifespan.

We're less than a year away, but what do we know about the PS5 and Xbox Series X, though?

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I Have the POWER!

For the next generation, Sony and Microsoft are both partnering with AMD to power their consoles. Power is measured and handled by the CPU (central processing unit) and the GPU (graphics processing unit). The CPU runs the calculations of the game program while the GPU handles the graphical output. They need to be working in complete harmony to give us a flawless experience.

AMD has created modified custom chipsets for both companies. The PS5 will run on the third-generation Ryzen chip, an eight-core CPU with AMD’s 7nm Zen Microarchitecture. Meanwhile, the GPU is a customized version of the AMD Radeon Navi. It can simulate 3D audio and supports ray-tracing. Microsoft, however, has been more tight-lipped about the Xbox Series X’s specs, yet we do know some details. They have been working closely with AMD to create a SOC (system-on-chip). In this case, the CPU and GPU are integrated. We don’t have exact details on the SOC platform but like the PS5 it is based on the Ryzen CPU and Navi GPU and will support ray-tracing.

Ray-tracing is the latest buzzword in gaming, but it's not necessarily new. The movie industry has been using ray-tracing for years for lighting and animation, but it does give some exciting possibilities for future games. Ray-tracing renders how light affects and simulates objects, something that used to be handled by rasterizing an image in a theoretical rather than precise way. Game developers will now be able to simulate how light reacts in real life, giving the illusion of reality unseen in games before. A light source off-screen will reflect off on-screen objects or cast shadows naturally.

Solid-state drives will speed up load times on both platforms. How big those drives will be has yet to be announced but if the PS4 Pro is any indicator, they’ll be in the terabyte ranges. And gamers who are also movie buffs will also be glad to hear that next-gen won't be purely digital. Both systems will have Blu-Ray drives, with 4K capability. If you want VR, though, then you need a PS5. Microsoft has decided not to offer VR support at this time but has not ruled out future inclusion.

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Can I Be of Service

Sony has fallen behind Microsoft in offering various services. Xbox offers Xbox Live, Play Anywhere, Games With Gold, Game Pass as well as support for third party services. Microsoft made a big late-game push with Game Pass for the Xbox One, bundling it with Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass for PC in an unprecedented value add for gamers.

PlayStation has the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Plus, as well as the recently launched PlayStation Now. A smaller library of older titles hasn't allowed Sony to see the same success as Microsoft did with Game Pass, but they are quickly gaining steam.

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Back to the Past

Backward compatibility has been the holy grail for over a decade now. Microsoft offered backward compatibility on select games with the New Xbox One Experience and with Series X has committed to offering support for the last three generations of Xbox games, including graphical improvements on the older games. Microsoft has also stated that all Xbox One accessories and peripherals will work on the new Xbox Series X. Even your game achievements and saves will transfer over.

Sony has announced that PS4 games will run on the PS5. No word yet on the compatibility of earlier generations of the system like Xbox. Sony has committed to what they’re calling "cross-generation" support allowing PS4 multi-players to play with those who have made the jump to PS5.

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It’s All About the Games, Innit?

Spider-Man PS4

Exclusives. It’s almost a tradition. While exclusives have been announced for the PS5, Microsoft has decided not to pursue exclusive content. Xbox’s executive vice president of gaming, Phil Spencer, has stated that they want developers to reach the widest audience they can.

Sony will have plenty of exclusives, with games like Spider-Man 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and the unnamed Elder Scrolls 6 game. At this point, there has only been one confirmed exclusive launch, Godfall. This is an interesting move on Microsoft's part, as we've already seen that it doesn't matter how powerful a console is, gamers won't buy in if you don't have the titles to support it.

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