PlayStation 5 vs Xbox Series X: Digital Foundry compares Devil May Cry V Special Edition

The comparisons between the rival platforms have begun! Digital Foundry analyzed Devil May Cry V Special Edition on both consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X). The game offers several modes: normal mode, high frame rate mode, performance mode with Ray Tracing and quality mode with Ray Tracing.

Normal mode – (the default) both consoles run at 4K/60FPS, but there are drops, mainly in cutscenes (non-interactive scenes, i.e. the game’s movies). In this mode, according to Digital Foundry, the Xbox Series X is consistently faster than the PlayStation 5, but the difference is around 8%.

High frame rate mode – This mode uses dynamic resolution, meaning that at times it runs at native 4K and at other times at a lower resolution to keep performance more consistent. In this mode both consoles reach 100FPS. In parts of the gameplay and mainly in the non-interactive scenes, the Xbox Series X does better, while the PS5 does better in most of the areas tested, being significantly faster and more consistent than the Xbox Series X. Digital Foundry thinks this difference comes from the Capcom team’s lack of familiarity with the Xbox API.

Performance mode with Ray Tracing – this mode runs at Full HD (1080p) on both consoles and brings ray tracing. Performance on both consoles is similar.

Ray Tracing quality mode – This mode uses dynamic resolution, which can reach up to native 4K. According to Digital Foundry, in this mode the impact of Ray Tracing is very large visually, but for much of the game the consoles run below 60FPS. In this mode the Xbox Series X has the advantage, but most of the time the difference is small, around 2FPS or 3FPS.

Conclusion (according to Digital Foundry) – The PS5 has a big Achilles’ heel: its 120Hz output is locked by Sony (even though it supports it). When Devil May Cry V Special Edition is played on a 120Hz screen, it runs at 1440p or 1080p depending on the mode chosen, and the user simply has no control over this. On the Xbox Series X the user can configure the resolution output however they see fit. Finally, the DF folks end the analysis with the following words:

“Meanwhile, the results seen here in the platform comparison are fascinating. In terms of correlating the specs on paper with the real on-screen experience, the PlayStation 5 is punching above its weight, or the Xbox Series X is not delivering the full potential promised by a larger silicon investment and a much more substantial memory interface. It will be interesting to see how far the results seen here extend to other titles, and we will report on that as soon as more games are available.”