Both Sony and Microsoft have been slowly trickling out official details about the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett, but there have also been several major leaks in recent weeks that have potentially spoiled some unannounced surprises. Kotaku’s news editor Jason Schreier contributed a leak of his own this Wednesday, citing sources who believe that a cheaper, disc-less Xbox will arrive in 2020 alongside Scarlett. Then, shortly after his story was published, he shared even more details he’s heard about the next-gen consoles on Twitter.
According to Schreier, the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will both be “very powerful” and will have “similar specs.” This lines up with several other rumors which have suggested the hardware itself will be virtually interchangeable when it comes to the new consoles. He also says that Sony has been more communicative with developers than Microsoft has, and revealed in his article that PS5 devkits have been much easier to come by (which might explain all of the leaks). He also says that this probably won’t make any difference by the time the consoles are released:
A few more next-gen tidbits:
– MS has been well behind Sony w/r/t communication, but that probably won't matter next fall
– Whispers suggest PS5 and XB2 have similar specs (and both sound VERY powerful)
– PS5 strategy is to be as accessible as possible (hence "no load times")— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) December 4, 2019
He also says that Sony’s strategy is for the PS5 to be “as accessible as possible,” citing the lack of load times as one of the pillars of this strategy. It’s unclear if he’s suggesting that Microsoft is less concerned with accessibility, or if this is simply another case of Microsoft having failed to communicate its goals.
These aren’t bombshells from Schreier, nor are they very specific, but the dots are slowly being connected ahead of the inevitable reveal events next year. Although he doesn’t seem to think Microsoft’s lack of communication will be a problem in the long-term, it’s hard to ignore any red flags, even small ones, when the Xbox brand took such a huge step back for much of the last generation while PlayStation reigned supreme.
