Sony PS6, Microsoft neXt Series - 10th gen console speculation [2020]

[Nesh]

While it was often inferior graphically to the Xbox 360, which came a year earlier!

Well it was delayed due to BR diodes otherwise it would have been released only with a few months difference, but they did aim high. HDMI and HDD were standard, it had BR, Cell and XDR memory. GPU was somewhat behind. But yeah in terms of performance in total it wasnt much better than the 360. Both MS and Sony though tried to get something out that was state of the art

 

[function]

Well it was delayed due to BR diodes otherwise it would have been released only with a few months difference, but they did aim high. HDMI and HDD were standard, it had BR, Cell and XDR memory. GPU was somewhat behind. But yeah in terms of performance in total it wasnt much better than the 360. Both MS and Sony though tried to get something out that was state of the art

In terms of "total performance" (subjective, and I'm talking in terms of games only) I don't think PS3 ever did fully catch up with the 360. The GPU was, and always will be, worse. The 360 had a remarkably forward looking GPU (and a better memory architecture). Even with the delay, Sony had to downclock the GPU from 550 mhz to a 360 matching 500. At the time of the PS3 announcement I think Sony were more focused on disrupting a genuine threat then being honest about what was realistic for their machine. (Insert joke about Killzone CGI being stated as running on a PS3 here).

PS3 aimed high as a product, but not especially high as a modern efficient graphics workhorse. Under Cerny, Sony have targetted having a potent, cost efficient GPU (like the 360 did) and that's worked out for them just great. Unlike MS, who went from the 360 to ... Xbone. An expensive console with a weak GPU and BOM increasing features stuffed in everywhere for unrealistic Unicorn benefits for MS that the evaporating customer base was supposed to pay for ... for MS's benefit, not the customers'.

Note to MS: the 360 wasn't directly tied to matching exactly what was available and standard on the PC at the time of its launch, like Xbone and SeriesY. And the 360's software could have showcases that took advantage of the 360 and didn't have to launch simultaneously and identically on much older and competitor systems.

Whatever MS do with their next console - if they even do one - they need to give it the chance to succeed instead of dooming it by giving it almost none of the advantages of being console while having none of the advantages of being a PC.