Sea of Thieves Looks Better on PS5 Than Xbox Series X

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Abdullah Waseem

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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As Microsoft releases more of its games on PS5, the Sea of Thieves port is the latest being compared to its Xbox Series S|X counterpart. According to testing, Xbox ports seem to be better on the PS5 than Microsoft’s own consoles.

This trend has been observed multiple times during the recent releases.

Why it matters: PlayStation is slowly becoming the best platform to play such Xbox games. However, since these are developed by first-party teams, this is an odd outcome. One would expect these developers to maximize Microsoft’s hardware first.

According to Digital Foundry’s testing, Sea of Thieves is the latest culprit that looks better on the PS5. Compared to the Xbox versions, the PS5 version has better shadows, superior foliage, and higher-quality visuals overall. 

When compared to the PC version, the PS5 port falls in line with the max quality, while Xbox falls behind in most scenarios. It should be noted that Sea of Thieves is currently in beta on PS5, and the final version might be even better.

On the brighter side, the performance on both consoles is quite similar, and both manage a mostly consistent 60FPS. There is also support for 120FPS at 1080p, but it takes a notable dip in quality and isn’t consistent.

A game like Hi-Fi Rush showed similar results in Digital Foundry’s testing. Pentiment also showed superior visuals on the PS5, making the outcomes quite surprising.

Needless to say, this is not a great look for Microsoft. Despite its role as a publisher, the gaming giant is somehow unable to provide a better version of its in-house developed games on the world’s most powerful console.

Once the PS5 Pro arrives, this divide might grow further.

Sea of Thieves just recently exited its closed beta.

This test received such a huge flux of players that it broke down the game servers. Recent Xbox ports are certainly making a name for themselves on the platform, and they might lead to several more multiplatform titles.

While the difference in quality is a bit surprising, it might not have been a poor decision to make the best possible PS5 version since Sea of Thieves seems to be a hit on the platform.

Abdullah Waseem

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