Lunatic_Gamer
Member
We are far enough into this console generation where, like last console generation, the idea of a mid-gen PlayStation and Xbox upgrade is starting to be a topic of conversation.
PS4 and Xbox One were both released in 2013. The PS4 Pro arrived in 2016, three years later. The Xbox One X arrive in 2017, four years later.
The PS5 was released in 2020, and in early 2023, we are approaching that three year mark. The Xbox Series X/S was released in 2020 as well, so by the same metric, perhaps November 2024.
But this generation feels different than last generation, with different considerations on both sides. And for me, who buys every console ever, I would probably have a hard time shelling out another $400-500 for an upgraded system which would be…how upgraded, exactly?
PlayStation
It’s pretty obvious why PlayStation isn’t launching a PS5 Pro this coming fall, given that supply of PS5s only just started to come close to matching demand. The current PS5 is starting to blow past the PS4 now that people can actually get one, and it would feel odd to launch a PS5 Pro in that climate.There is a rumor that PlayStation is working on a PS5 Pro all the same. This generation, they seem to have a slight power disparity to Xbox Series X, when it was the other way around last time. Though if you look at a game like Horizon Forbidden West, you probably wouldn’t know it. It does seem like Sony will indeed eventually release a PS5 Pro, but it may be a lot more delayed than the three year window we got last time around. I just hope it can sit sideways less awkwardly.
Xbox
Xbox is in a different place than PlayStation, and also in a different place than it was in the Xbox One era. That system launched with the narrative that it was underpowered compared the base PS4 (even if I’d argue that was pretty overblown) and therefore felt the need to prove itself with a very powerful Xbox One X a year after the PS4 Pro launched so they could declare they’d “won” the power race. Of course that didn’t exactly result in some massive sales surge to catch PlayStation, but that was the schedule last time around.
Now, things are different. Microsoft seems resigned to the fact they are not going to catch Sony in console sales, and try to say they don’t really care about that, and instead are focused on getting Xbox Game Pass on as many devices as possible. So the rumor about a new Xbox Series console is not a supercharged version of the X to try to pass PS5 in power (the Series X already technically has the power edge, a bit), but instead the idea of an even smaller, cheaper Xbox that may serve as some sort of streaming box only for Microsoft’s Game Pass/Cloud Gaming ambitions.
Also, the problem with Xbox right now is not power. It has all the power you could ask for for most console games, but the problem ends up being the games themselves sometimes, like what we’ve seen with Redfall launching only at 30 FPS. That’s on the game, not on the Xbox hardware.
For me personally, I just…can’t see myself buying a new PlayStation or Xbox variant any time soon that is not a fully new generation. First, because it’s hard to imagine a system with enough significant upgrades to make that worth it, given current tech. We’re not exactly going to see Cyberpunk Overdrive path tracing on console anytime soon. Second, because I’ve gotten much deeper into PC gaming as of later, and have been playing everything possible on PC. My main game Destiny 2, most third party games. I will probably pick up Redfall on PC instead of Xbox to avoid the 30 FPS issue. So I’m personally less motivated by slight console upgrades for $500 right now. But we’ll see if the larger public disagrees. We may, however, only end up seeing one from Sony rather than both this time around.
Would You Pay For A Mid-Gen PS5 Pro Or Xbox Series Y Upgrade?
We are far enough into this console generation where, like last console generation, the idea of a mid-gen PlayStation and Xbox upgrade is starting to be a topic of conversation.
www.forbes.com
