It feels like the current generation of consoles only at the beginning, and yet one corner of the internet spent much of this week mull over the next iteration, the putative mid-gen hardware refreshes for Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S. The excitement is all thanks to an event hosted by TV maker TCL, as first reported by Polish news site PPE
This current generation of consoles officially kicked off in November 2020 with the release of not one, but two next-gen machines by Microsoft. The Xbox Series X is the flagship capable of rendering games at 4K resolution and running them at frame rates of 60fps. Alongside the Series X came the smaller Xbox Series S (despite not being able to hit 4K, it still is reliable little Game Pass machine). Two days later, Sony released two models of its next-gen console. the PS5. Both machines have identical specs and are capable of hitting the 4K60 goal of the Series X. only difference? One has a drive, the other doesn’t.
Sorry, sorry, slow down a second. Why are we talking about even newer next-gen consoles? Impossible to get the ones coming out today!
You’re right! Thanks to a number of variables— including bots, an ongoing semiconductor shortage, and the general production woes that come with capitalism in a pandemic — buying a next-gen console remains an increase. Although the Xbox Series S regularly shows up at major retailers, the Xbox Series X has only recently become available and in unpredictable moments. Both models of PS5 are still elusive.
Yes, and the timing itself seems premature.
It is and it is not. Last time, the “mid-generation refresh” came about three or four years into the console generation. The generation itself began with the release of the PS4 and Xbox One in 2013. Sony released its mid-gen update, the PS4 Pro, in 2016. That same year, Microsoft released a newer Xbox model, the Xbox One S, and followed it up with the Xbox One X in 2017, calcifying a naming convention destined to serve Flummox gamers until the end of time.
I hate it too.
It is unnecessarily confusingYes indeed.
So, are we getting the PS5 Pro and whatever the next Xbox is called or what?
At the moment, the release of a PS5 Pro or a new model of the Xbox series consoles is completely unconfirmed. Sony and Microsoft did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. This week’s speculative tide was spurred in part by timing. If such machines come out in a year or two, based on the last-gen schedule, now (or now-ish
But much of the dialogue was fueled by a deck leaked from the TCL event.
photos from the conference, published by PPE, showed a slide titled “Generations of Gaming Consoles” to promote TCL’s “2022 Product Launch”. Under a subtitle labeled “Gen 9.5,” the slide allegedly included details on a “PS5 Pro” and a “new Xbox Series S/X.” (These photos served as the basis for a series from semi viral social media posts.) It has been claimed to output 8K resolution with frame rates up to 120 fps – technically possible with this current generation of consoles, by the way, If you have the right display.
There is no indication that TCL has any insight into Microsoft’s or Sony’s hardware plans. A company representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Did we at least get some good memes?
Oh yeah. The internet, as usual, was having a big day. non-morb Meme of the week goes to:
That’s very good.
Right? You really know that once memes go mega-viral like this, conjecture peaks. Of course, rumors of a mid-gen refresh have been around for almost as long as this gen has been around. The most significant round to date came in September 2021 when the YouTube channel Moore’s Law Is Dead recommended The PS5 Pro could land in 2023 (with a $700 sticker price). It didn’t stir up memes to the same extent.
But the timing really is undeniably hot right now. Beyond the mature marketing window and “evidence” from the TCL conference, there are few big-budget games to be excited about, whatsoever, these days the wave of recent delays. It’s fun to get excited about things. And when fans know there aren’t any major touchstone games on the immediate horizon, the potential of splashy new consoles – even if it’s just an announcement – is easy to see.
Personally, I’m in no rush, aside from the fact that – and this may sound crazy – console makers should probably make sure gamers get their hands on the current models before releasing a newer, presumably more expensive one. For me, there really is one indicator that it’s time to upgrade: when my PS5 begins by imitating a jet engine every time i try to boot The Last of Us Part 3.
Table of Contents
