According to insiders Moore’s Law is Dead and Kepler_L2, both consoles are being created in collaboration with AMD. They are based on a CPU with Zen 6 architecture and RDNA 5 graphics. At the same time, Xbox, according to rumors, will have a 192-bit memory bus, while the PS6 will have a 160-bit one. This may provide the Microsoft system with higher bandwidth.
There are also differences in processors. Project Helix is credited with three high-performance Zen 6 cores and eight energy-efficient Zen 6c cores. PS6, according to rumors, will mainly use Zen 6c cores and additional low-power blocks.
Differences are also noticeable in graphics. Xbox may receive up to 68 RDNA 5 compute units, while PS6 will receive about 54. But such comparisons do not always reflect real performance. In the current generation, the PS5 with 36 CUs confidently competes with the Xbox Series X, which has 52 CUs.
Microsoft is also allegedly betting on a powerful NPU for artificial intelligence tasks – about 110 TOPS. Sony, according to available data, uses machine learning acceleration through the GPU. Both systems will be able to use image reconstruction technologies such as PSSR and FSR, which Sony and AMD are developing as part of the Amethyst project.
Digital Foundry notes that even if the Xbox turns out to be approximately 20% more productive, the difference in games will be almost imperceptible. In the era of dynamic resolution and ML upscaling, additional power is often reduced to only a slightly higher internal resolution.
Analysts also suggest that Sony and Microsoft will choose different strategies. PS6 will remain a classic console with an emphasis on price and new gaming experiences. Project Helix, on the contrary, may resemble a “console PC” and combine the Xbox and Windows ecosystems.
If the leaks are confirmed, the next generation of consoles will be very different from the usual PlayStation and Xbox confrontation.
