Xbox Series X: New hardware advantage with AMD FSR 4.1 compared to PS5?

Thanks to 48,6 TOPS and improved SDK support, the Xbox Series X could significantly outperform the PS5 with AMD FSR 4.1. All the details on the technology and its implications.

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By
Mark Tomson
Managing Director of PlayFront. Mark Tomson shapes the vision of independent PlayStation reporting. His focus: technical analysis, hardware evolution, and the strategic positioning of the gaming industry. He stands for...

The Xbox Series X could achieve a significant performance advantage over the PlayStation 5 through the implementation of AMD FSR 4.1, as its hardware architecture offers significantly higher performance reserves for AI-assisted upscaling.

While the PS5 Pro with PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) is currently at the top, the Xbox Series X, with 48,6 TOPS in INT8 performance, is far ahead of the standard PS5, which achieves 20,6 TOPS.

Focus on raw hardware performance

According to the industry expert, the decisive factor is... Moore's Law is Dead For the efficient use of FSR 4.1, computing power for integer operations (INT8) is essential, as it is crucial for modern upscaling algorithms. The Xbox Series X has more than double the capacity of the base PS5 in this regard. In practice, this means that the Microsoft console will be able to calculate higher-quality FSR modes at more stable frame rates.

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A comparison of performance metrics illustrates the hierarchy:

  • PS5 Pro: 300,0 TOPS
  • Xbox Series X: 48,6 TOPS
  • PlayStation 5: 20,6 TOPS (via FP16 fallback)
  • Xbox Series S: 16,0 TOPS
  • Steam Deck: 6,4 TOPS

Since even the Steam Deck already benefits from FSR advantages, the leap for the Xbox Series X is significant. It can be assumed that developers will be able to offer rendering modes on the Xbox Series X that would simply require too much processing power on the standard PS5.

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SDK support as a strategic hurdle

Besides the hardware, the software environment plays a critical role. Reports from developer circles indicate that the Xbox SDK already contains optimized plugins for current FSR versions. Sony, on the other hand, seems to have frozen native FSR support in the SDK at version 2.2 in order to focus entirely on PSSR for the PS5 Pro.

For third-party developers, this means that integrating FSR 4.1 on Xbox is a routine process via existing interfaces. On PS5, developers would have to expend additional resources to manually implement newer FSR iterations, as the system is not natively equipped for this.

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Given the anticipated long cross-gen phase – even after the release of successor consoles like "Xbox Project Helix" – the efficiency of upscaling technologies is becoming increasingly important. FSR 4.1 acts as a life-extending measure for current hardware. Xbox Series X players are expected to benefit from image quality that comes closer to the level of the PS5 Pro than the base PS5 could ever achieve.

For Xbox Series X owners, AMD FSR 4.1 represents a significant turning point. The console can now finally translate its theoretical performance advantage over the PS5 into noticeable image quality and more stable frame rates. Those wavering between the two consoles will find this a compelling argument for the Microsoft system, as the PS5, due to its technical limitations, reaches its limits more quickly with modern AI upscalers.

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42 Comments
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Ted Strange
17. May 2026 18: 27

Personally, I couldn't care less... ultimately, the games are what's important.

MZoomer Gamer
16. May 2026 14: 45

I have a PS5 Pro and an Xbox Series X. I think both are great for gaming.

Andreas Muller
16. May 2026 11: 29

Xbox hardware has always been better… But the masses remain mainstream and think it's cool to play around on the Playstation 🤷

Tobias Tröber
16. May 2026 15: 14
Reply to  Andreas Muller

Andreas Müller Playstation so awful because of the cooling
Xbox worlds better

The PS5 has overheating problems.
The Xbox is also worlds better than the PS5 for disassembly and cleaning.

The PS5 is only really worth it for exclusive titles.

Xbox controllers are better, and so on.

I already had a PS5, but unfortunately it was rubbish in my opinion.

Andreas Muller
16. May 2026 15: 46
Reply to  Tobias Tröber

Tobias Tröber: What you're saying is the truth. I don't want to spoil anyone's fun with their PS5, but one should remain neutral and stick to the truth. Some PS5 owners are really awful.

Tobias Tröber
16. May 2026 19: 27
Reply to  Tobias Tröber

Andreas Müller had a PS5
But I'm no longer interested

I currently have an Xbox Series X, Switch 2, and PC.

The PS5 is plastic junk, but it sells well 😂😂

Chrisly Rengaw
17. May 2026 06: 33
Reply to  Tobias Tröber

Tobias Tröber, I own both consoles and I can't agree with your criticism of the PS5. I've had absolutely no problems with the fan and never have; I've had it since release.

Tobias Tröber
17. May 2026 20: 18
Reply to  Tobias Tröber

Chrisly Rengaw, mine to clean

The Xbox is much better

アンドレアス ダックス
15. May 2026 21: 51

I think that's great... hopefully, we'll finally be able to play games in quality mode at 60fps. Or like Dragon's Dogma with ray tracing at 60fps.
But I'm happy with my Series X too. 🙂

Christian Weber
15. May 2026 21: 50

I thought both were only capable of FSR 1.0 hardware-wise… 😮

Robin Stehr
16. May 2026 12: 45

Christian Weber: No, even for the Cyberpunk rework there was already FSR2, for example.

Christian Weber
16. May 2026 13: 09
Reply to  Robin Stehr

Robin Stehr: Ah, thanks for the info. Then my information is really very outdated.

Robin Stehr
16. May 2026 13: 51
Reply to  Robin Stehr

Christian Weber, you're very welcome.

Tobias Ströll
15. May 2026 20: 57

PSSR2 is really good.

EU Gen
16. May 2026 17: 00
Reply to  Tobias Ströll

Tobias Ströll dlss is better 🥱

Tobias Ströll
16. May 2026 19: 30
Reply to  EU Gen

EU Gen has already been improved several times.

Jürgen Grasser
15. May 2026 19: 44

I have the PS5 Pro and the Xbox Series X and I think they're both absolutely awesome. The UI, especially the party system on the Xbox Series X, is worlds better than the PS5's!

Robert Hamann
15. May 2026 20: 47

Jürgen Grasser: Both consoles are great! 👌

Ramón Huston
16. May 2026 04: 10

Jürgen Grasser, the UI is one of the things that has annoyed me since the Xbox One. I just can't get used to it.

Angelo Merte
16. May 2026 17: 59

Jürgen Grasser, which games do you play on the Xbox?

Jürgen Grasser
16. May 2026 18: 27
Reply to  Angelo Merte

Angelo Merte – a real mixed bag! I play pretty much everything.

Emir Çetin
15. May 2026 19: 43

Series X already has %38 better GPU than ps5

Tobias Dettmering
16. May 2026 01: 38
Reply to  Emir Çetin

Emir Çetin yeah sure 🤣🤣

Bob Melcher
16. May 2026 12: 37
Reply to  Emir Çetin

Emir Çetin no 18% more tflops

Emir Çetin
16. May 2026 13: 22
Reply to  Bob Melcher

Bob Melcher PS5's gpu scales down itself 10% which means it runs at 9tf so if Series X's gpu is 12.2tf difference between is %35

Marcel De Kohlmann
15. May 2026 17: 28

I wonder what truly groundbreaking innovation is supposed to come next. The only thing that still makes sense is 120Hz, but very few people who use such TVs actually benefit from that 😃. The Series X does an excellent job compared to my 5070.

Florian Hilliger
15. May 2026 20: 06

Marcel De Kohlmann, the text sounds like the XSX is better than the 5070.
Well, my 5070ti is better than my xsx.

Christoph Schellig
16. May 2026 04: 21

Florian Hilliger, the 5070 is simply better than the x.

Florian Hilliger
16. May 2026 05: 45

Then you write the text differently.
That's just how the sentence sounds.
Then you need to work on your wording.
Very easily.
There's no need to get snappy about it.

Marcel De Kohlmann
16. May 2026 06: 32

Florian Hilliger: When you look at the price-performance ratio, the Series X simply does a good job compared to the 5070; the differences are marginal or only noticeable in terms of FPS/Hz.

Florian Hilliger
16. May 2026 06: 41

Oh, I see. Sorry, I thought the other guy was you. Ugh, that's what happens when you only read comments half-awake. 🤣🤦🏻‍♂️

Well, hardly any difference? I wouldn't say that. Games simply run more smoothly on PC.
Of course, there are exceptions with games where it runs better on the console.
Infinity Slash, for example, doesn't run smoothly on PC. I constantly experience short freezes in the game, which are extremely annoying; it runs flawlessly on Xbox.
But usually, the games are better on the PC.

Christian Weber
15. May 2026 21: 51

Marcel De Kohlmann: You can use PC monitors with 120Hz on the consoles, but very few games on the PS5/Xbox Series X consoles have 120 FPS output.

Christian Weber
15. May 2026 21: 55

Marcel De Kohlmann: I think it's a shame that 3D, which was occasionally available on the PS3 back then, wasn't pursued further with the 3D TVs that were available at the time. That would have been the next big thing after HDR/Dolby Vision, Atmos, and 120+ Hz.

Christian Weber
16. May 2026 01: 12

@Skill Mike, you can't see in three dimensions, can you? My condolences. It's rare, but it does happen occasionally.

Sebastian Wagner
18. May 2026 04: 13

Christian Weber, what do you want with 3D? VR is for that. The technology is developing quite rapidly, and at some point you certainly won't feel like you have 100kg on your head anymore, and you won't look like a complete idiot either.

Marcel Kotowicz
15. May 2026 16: 20

The funny thing is that Xbox and Playstation are setting their course for the new devices next year.

Carlito Ice
17. May 2026 08: 55

Marcel Kotowicz But not many will buy them because of the high prices…

Marcel Kotowicz
17. May 2026 09: 28
Reply to  Carlito Ice

Carlito Ice, let's wait and see. The prices of the old devices are still rising, too.