A big gaming rumor floating around today (via Insider Gaming) is that Sony plans to release a mid-gen PS5 update, with a “tentative release date” of late 2024.
If such a device exists and was released at this time, it would put a Sony “PS5 Pro” console in line with when Xbox released its mid-gen Xbox One X in 2017, four years into the cycle. life of the Xbox One. .
Again, we have to point out that this PlayStation news is just one rumor at the moment, and we haven’t seen any official move from Microsoft or Sony on a new console. But, And turns out to be true (and that’s a big if), should Xbox do the same?
That’s a tough question to answer, to be honest, especially with how weird this generation has been so far. The Xbox Series X has proven to be quite difficult to find for the first two years of its life, with stock shortages affecting both Sony and Microsoft in 2021 and 2022.
Luckily that is fading away and these consoles are fairly easy to find in 2023. However, it seems that this release period has almost “slowed down” the start of the generation, with cross-gen games still being prevalent in industry. In fact, Xbox doesn’t have in reality released a good next-gen AAA game yet (apart from Microsoft Flight Simulator), with Arkane’s Redfall being the first to arrive in May.
Image: Redfall will launch on May 2 on Xbox Series X and S.
That being the case, the Xbox Series X has yet to be put to the test. Most of what we’ve seen so far in the system offering has been based on cutting-edge technology, so why would we need an upgrade in 2024?
Honestly, we don’t think an Xbox upgrade are needed, but that won’t necessarily stop Microsoft from creating one. Chances are Xbox just wants to compete with PlayStation on cutting-edge console tech, and if the PS5 Pro is real, we could definitely see another “Xbox Series” console come out to compete. Anyway, if Sony are build this thing, you can bet your bottom dollar that Microsoft already knows that.
Microsoft’s “Xbox Series” branding also lends itself quite well to the idea of developing “back-up” options rather than super-powered boxes. Yes, that removes the “compete with Sony” angle, but the Xbox Series S has proven to be very popular this generation and there’s always a chance that Microsoft wants to build on that success.
With all of that in mind, where do you think Xbox should go next? Do you see them competing with PlayStation at the top end, or could they produce another cheap system? Will they release anything before next-gen?
Leave your thoughts on this in the comments below!