PS6 vs Xbox Helix: What the leaked 40 vs 56 TFLOPS specs mean
Sony’s PlayStation 6 and Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox are still some time away, but new hardware leaks are already offering clues about what could power the two consoles. The graphics chips for both consoles have allegedly progressed to the tape-out phase, with the PS6 chip capable of 40 TFLOPS and Microsoft’s next Xbox, codenamed Helix, up to 56 TFLOPS, according to the hardware leaker, Kepler_L2.
The numbers indicate Xbox Helix might offer around a 40% edge in theoretical compute power over PS6. The above figures are, however, not confirmed and are not final specifications. The information was reported by TechSpot, which attributed the claims to Kepler_L2. Sony and Microsoft have yet to officially reveal the specs of their next-generation consoles.
PS6 and Xbox Helix GPUs reportedly reach tape-out
Kepler_L2 said it was reported that Sony and MSFT have already taped out the graphics chips for their next-generation consoles. The alleged PS6 chip is said to use AMD’s RDNA 5 architecture and deliver around 40 TFLOPS.
The next Xbox, on the other hand, will have a similar RDNA 5 GPU. According to the leaked information, its theoretical compute performance is 56 TFLOPS. The Xbox would be 16-TFLOP ahead on paper if the numbers are correct. The result is about 40% higher theoretical computing power than the claimed PS6.
TFLOPS alone cannot predict gaming performance
Just because the TFLOPS is higher doesn’t necessarily mean improved gaming performance. TFLOPS is a measure of floating-point performance, but other factors affect real-world performance.
These include GPU architecture, GPU clock speeds, memory bandwidth, ray-tracing performance, CPU capabilities, upscaling technology, and thermal limits. Differences in how each architecture handles workloads can also make direct TFLOPS comparisons misleading.
The Xbox Series X can be compared with the PS5, which has a rating of 10.28 TFLOPS. The PS5 Pro is supposed to have a peak figure of approximately 18.05 TFLOPS.
What else is expected from PS6 and Helix?
The CPUs for the PS6 were rumoured to have 40-48 RDNA 5 compute units and a 160W TDP. Kepler_L2 has also said it could support up to 30GB of GDDR7 memory with a 160-bit interface and 640GB/s bandwidth.
Details regarding Xbox Helix’s memory configuration have yet to be disclosed. Reportedly, it supports up to 10 Zen 6 CPU cores with 20 threads, but the actual number of compute units has yet to be revealed. For now, the specifications remain part of the rumour cycle. Sony and Microsoft have not yet officially announced details about the hardware of their next-generation consoles, pricing, or launch dates.
