author: Bart Swiatek
No SSD Revolution in PS5; Xbox Series X Loads Games Faster
Tests conducted by internet users and industry journalists show that, contrary to expectations, Xbox Series X handles the loading of games better than PlayStation 5 - despite the theoretically slower SSD used in Microsoft's console.
IN A NUTSHELL:
- Xbox Series X loads games faster than PlayStation 5;
- In some situations, the difference can be as long as ten seconds;
- This can be caused by a faster processor;
- Before the launch, Sony insisted on a very fast drive for its console - the performance of this medium was expected to be up to twice as good as that of the new Xbox;
- Tests were conducted only in current-gen games.
As you know, one of the features of PlayStation 5, which Sony most often talked about after the console's announcement (and even before), was the SSD. Before the launch, many people were wondering how much faster the PS5 will be in practice than Xbox Series X (in theory, its performance is even twice as good). It turns out that... it isn't. If anything, it is Microsoft's hardware that has the advantage when loading some games. This is summarized well by a short film published on Twitter by Greg Miller.
Other tests confirm - Xbox's drive is faster
The results of the test are consistent with the results achieved by GameSpot editors. In the table below you will find a comparison of loading times of several games on Xbox Series X and PS5.
Game | Xbox Series X (load menu / save) | PlayStation 5 (load menu / save) |
00:40:35 / 00:11:68 | 00:41:39 / 00:17:30 | |
00:34:26 / 00:37:27 | 00:50:14 / 00:46:58 | |
00:33:12 / 00:10:11 | 00:39:06 / 00:25:09 | |
00:23:17 / 00:06:21 | 00:31:39 / 00:13:08 | |
00:26:24 / 00:36:26 | 00:30:16 / 00:34:35 |
Possible causes and matter of new games
As you can see, in some titles the Xbox Series X has a significant advantage, reaching several seconds. This may be due to Microsoft console's faster CPU (3.8GHz vs. 3.5GHz for the PS5), which makes it better at loading data, despite a theoretically slower drive.
However, it is also possible that the real reason lies in the backwards compatibility implementation used by both companies - it is worth remembering that in the above tests only eighth generation games were tested (for obvious reasons). The example of Spider-Man: Miles Morales shows that new games are able to take advantage of the potential of PS5's SSD - Insomniac Studios' game loads very quickly.
Therefore, although the test results are now somewhat disappointing for PlayStation fans, it's possible that the updates planned by some developers will improve the situation.