Compare hardware and software capabilities across consoles, PC, and mobile.
When developing a cross-platform game, you need to know which features each platform supports. Can the Switch do ray tracing? Does Xbox have gyroscope input? This matrix gives you a quick, colour-coded answer for15 features across 11 platforms.
| Feature | PS5 | Xbox Series X | Xbox Series S | Nintendo Switch | Steam Deck | PC (High) | PC (Mid) | iOS (Flagship) | iOS (Budget) | Android (Flagship) | Android (Budget) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display and Graphics (4) | |||||||||||
| Ray Tracingⓘ | ✓ | ✓ | ●Limited | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ●Limited | ✓A17+ | ✗ | ●Limited | ✗ |
| HDRⓘ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Variable Refresh Rateⓘ | ✓120Hz | ✓120Hz | ✓120Hz | ✗ | ✓90Hz | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ProMotion | ✗ | ✓LTPO | ✗ |
| Max Resolution | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Input and Controls (5) | |||||||||||
| Haptics (Advanced)ⓘ | ✓DualSense | ✓Impulse | ✓Impulse | ✓HD Rumble | ✓Basic | ✗ | ✗ | ✓Taptic | ✓Taptic | ●Limited | ✗ |
| Gyroscopeⓘ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ●Limited |
| Touchscreen | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Keyboard/Mouse | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Local Multiplayerⓘ | ✓4 | ✓4 | ✓4 | ✓8 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Platform Services (4) | |||||||||||
| Cloud Savesⓘ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓NSO | ✓Steam | ✓ | ✓ | ✓iCloud | ✓ | ✓Play | ✓ |
| Achievementsⓘ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓Steam | ✓ | ✓ | ✓Game Center | ✓ | ✓Play Games | ✓ |
| Background Audioⓘ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ●Limited | ●Limited | ✓ | ✓ |
| Suspend/Resumeⓘ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hardware Specs (2) | |||||||||||
| Typical RAM for Gamesⓘ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Storage Speedⓘ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Click a feature row to see detailed notes. Use group buttons to show/hide platform categories. Toggle transpose to switch between features and platforms as rows. Use compare mode to focus on specific platforms.
Every capability in the matrix above, with platform-specific notes and the practical implications for game development.
Xbox Series S supports ray tracing but at reduced quality. PC (Mid) depends on GPU generation. iOS requires A17 Pro or later. Android support varies by GPU (Adreno 740+).
Requires HDR-capable display. Most modern PC monitors and flagship phones support HDR10. Steam Deck LCD does not support HDR.
Console VRR requires HDMI 2.1 display. ProMotion on iPad Pro and iPhone Pro models. LTPO on flagship Android for 1-120Hz adaptive.
PS5 DualSense has adaptive triggers and precise haptics. Switch HD Rumble is very capable but underused. Android haptics quality varies wildly between manufacturers.
Xbox controllers do not have gyroscope. PC can use gyro via Steam Input with compatible controllers (DualSense, Switch Pro, Steam Deck).
Switch supports up to 8 Joy-Con for local multiplayer. Console games typically support 2-4 controllers. PC via Steam supports up to 16 controllers.
Switch cloud saves require Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Some Switch games do not support cloud saves (e.g. Animal Crossing).
Nintendo Switch has no system-level achievement system. Some games implement their own. Game Center achievements are underused but still available on iOS.
PS5 pauses game audio when switching apps. iOS allows background audio but games must explicitly enable it and it may be interrupted by system sounds.
PC has no system-level suspend. Mobile apps can be killed by the OS under memory pressure, so save state frequently.
PS5 has 16 GB total, with ~12 GB available for games. Xbox Series X has 16 GB split between fast (10 GB) and slow (6 GB) pools. Mobile RAM is shared with the OS.
PS5 SSD is exceptionally fast and used as a design feature (near-instant loading). Switch flash storage is slow; load times are a known pain point. UFS 4.0 on flagship Android approaches NVMe speeds.
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