DICE Dev: Xbox One Isn’t As Powerful As PS4, DX12 Won’t Help Reduce Difference, Talks Development

Much has been made about the power differences between the Xbox One and PS4, and with Windows 10, there have been discussions about DirectX 12 possibly improving the visuals of Xbox One titles when it finally arrives on the console.

However, DICE gameplay designer Alan Kertz doesn’t quite believe that. Speaking on Twitter, Kertz said, “No amount of consumer trust can change that it’s just an inferior horse in the horsepower category.”

It’s not all about power though. Kertz further explained that, “But just like last gen, when enough exclusives pile up and the price drops it’ll be a worthy purchase.”

Kertz also said (after an initial typo) that, “As I meant to say: Xbone will always be behind the PS4 this generation because it isn’t as powerful. Stupid typo.”

Contrasting the current state of the Xbox One and PS4 with that of the Xbox 360 and PS3, Kertz said that, “The PS3 was more difficult to get power out of, but it wasn’t significantly less powerful. It took more investment.”

When asked if DirectX 12 could even the odds for Microsoft, Kertz said, “I don’t think so, it’s not going to be able to reduce overhead enough to make up the margin.”

That being said, with the rise of exclusives like Halo 5: Guardians, Kertz didn’t deny that the Xbox One had several things for it.

When told that devs would focus on the minimum configuration at the end of the day, Kertz replied that, “It’s not that simple. If you can push more on another system for the same dev cost, you will. And PC is the gold standard still.”

Kertz was also asked about Battlefield 4 and whether it ran better on PS4 versus Xbox One. “The frame rate and resolution is higher. That’s just a fact.” However, it is interesting to note how shooters using DICE’s Frostbite engine haven’t really increased their resolution since Battlefield 4 came out in 2013. Battlefield: Hardline used Frostbite and was still 900p on PS4 and 720p on Xbox One. Star Wars: Battlefront has a higher frame rate but still the same resolution.

Regardless, it’s interesting to see how a developer like DICE views both consoles in their current stage. What are your thoughts on the differences between both consoles, especially with DirectX 12 coming to Xbox One? Let us know in the comments.