Valve's Gabe Newell 'would definitely go with' Xbox Series X over PlayStation 5

Xbox Series X
Xbox Series X (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • The Xbox Series X is Microsoft's upcoming next-generation console.
  • It should launch in Holiday 2020.
  • Valve's Gabe Newell was recently asked which upcoming next-generation console was better.
  • He said that the Xbox Series X was better, probably due to its specifications advantage over the PlayStation 5.

Gabe Newell is the President of Valve Corporation, the company behind acclaimed games and technology like Half-Life and Steam, respectively. He has been in New Zealand for the past several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. He went there on vacation with his family, but due to the severe situation in the United States, decided to stay in the country to stay safe rather than risk exposure during prolonged international travel.

In order to thank the country and its people for their hospitality, he's putting on a show with lots of artists and other forms of technology. While discussing his decision to stay in New Zealand and the event, the hosts of a local show called The Project asked Newell which upcoming next-generation console was better, the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 (PS5). He immediately said that the "Xbox" was better. You can take a look at the interview below, with the next-generation console discussion at the 3-minute mark.

The Xbox... because it is... As you know, I don't have a stake in that race so, obviously, we do most of our development on personal computers so... but of the two, I would definitely go with an Xbox.

While Newell didn't provide further clarification, his reasoning seems to stem from the specifications of both devices. You can take a look at them below.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
CategoryXbox Series XPS5
Processor8 cores @ 3.8 GHz Custom Zen 2 CPUVariable 8 cores @ 3.5 GHz Custom Zen 2 CPU
Graphics12.155 TFLOPS, 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz Custom RDNA 2Variable 10.28 TFLOPS, 36 CUs @ 2.23 GHz Custom RDNA 2
Memory16 GB GDDR616 GB GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth10 GB @ 560 GB/s, 6GB @ 336 GB/s448 GB/s
Internal Storage1 TB Custom NVME SSD825GB Custom NVME SSD
I/O Throughput2.4 GB/s (Raw), 4.8 GB/s (Compressed)5.5 GB/s (Raw), 8-9 GB/s (Compressed)
Expandable Storage1 TB Custom SSD expansion cardNVMe SSD slot

What do you think of his comments? Let us know.

Xbox Series X/S

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Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.