Console Graphical Power Ranking

[curl-6]

Which system is the lead platform for development can have a big impact on game performance.

Early in the 7th gen, 360 was the lead for most games, leading to games struggling on the PS3 as its complicated hardware had to be specifically coded for to get good results. Later that gen, devs realized you got closer to parity if you focused on PS3 first then ported to 360, and this became the norm in the later years leading to better PS3 performance in multiplatform titles.

This gen, PS5 has nearly double the install base of the Xbox Series, so it makes commercial sense for PS5 to be the lead platform and be prioritized higher when it comes to optimization efforts.

This is also why you also sometimes see the Xbox One X carry over lower graphics setting from the base Xbox One despite being mutliple times more powerful, even as recently as Hogwarts Legacy this year; there are just not that many One Xs out there so often devs will decide it doesn't make commercial sense to put a lot of time and resources into optimizing for it.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 20 October 2023