The Digital Foundry website, which specializes in analyzing the technical performance of video games, has published a new report comparing the efficiency of ray tracing technology on the PS5 and PC platforms, and the results appear clearly in favor of the Japanese competitor.

Many of you may have seen the new technical video from Digital Foundry, which showed impressive results confirming that the PS5's ray tracing API is more efficient than Microsoft's DirectX API, which is also used on the Xbox Series. The platform can run games that support ray tracing technologies at a higher frame rate and higher resolution, while consuming less power.

Digital Foundry compared the PS5 platform's performance with some of the best graphics cards in the game Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty with ray tracing technology enabled, and the results showed that the Sony platform was able to run the game at a frame rate 10-15% higher than the company's RX 6700 card. AMD, which is priced at US$$ more than US$500, managed to get 45% higher when the same settings were simulated for the Sony platform.

The PS5 was also able to run the game at a higher resolution (1440p) while maintaining a similar frame rate to the aforementioned card at a resolution of (1080p), and it was found that the Sony platform consumed less power when running the game with ray tracing enabled, thanks to the architectural design of the PlayStation 5's graphics processing unit (GPU), in addition to software improvements made by Sony to the ray tracing API.

What does application programming interface (API) mean?

It is a set of rules and codes that allow applications to communicate with each other. It is considered a bridge between two applications, allowing the exchange of data and functions, whether in terms of calling or sending.

Why shouldn't Sony release PS5 games simultaneously with PC?

Sony is expected to maintain its current “flexible” strategy and not launch its exclusive games simultaneously on PS5 and PC, because it distinguishes itself from the computer by its effectiveness and high efficiency. How does this happen? Of course, thanks to the advanced application programming interface (API) that allows developers to get the most out of the device’s resources.

It is true that the personal computer is “much” more powerful, both in terms of technical specifications, if we talk about components that can reach more than 2000 dollars, but the dispersion of its hardware makes it less effective and integrated compared to the unified structure of “hardware and software” for PlayStation devices.

We have an example of this when Sony, in cooperation with specialized technical companies such as Toshiba and IBM, worked on the CELL B/E processor architecture that was used in the PlayStation 3, which allowed developers to achieve achievements that were not possible on the personal computer in many aspects.

Therefore, releasing games simultaneously on both platforms will hinder innovation in the gaming industry, lead to a decline in their quality, and developers will focus on producing games that are compatible with the weaker capabilities of the computer, which will lower the ceiling of technical ambition for video games.

My words may certainly upset some people, but PlayStation devices have now become the true engine of progress in the gaming industry, and releasing games exclusively on them is the main catalyst for innovation, and adopting a simultaneous release strategy will have negative consequences on the quality of games and the development of the industry as a whole.