According to Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, Xbox might not have a mid-generation console upgrade. Speaking to Bloomberg, Spencer commented that the company doesn’t feel the ‘imperative’ to increase the power of the Xbox Series consoles.
That’s not the feedback we’re getting right now. Right now, we’re pretty set on the hardware we have.
While it is not a definitive closure, it does seem like the possibility of an Xbox Series Pro X isn’t currently in the cards. This would be a change from the previous generation when Microsoft released the Xbox One X four years after the original Xbox One launch.
Granted, in that case, Microsoft also felt the need to win back some of the mindshare lost due to the Xbox One being demonstrably inferior to the PlayStation 4. The Xbox One X, released one year after PlayStation 4 Pro, was a lot more powerful than Sony’s mid-gen upgrade and allowed several games to run at native 4K and 60 frames per second, whereas PS4 Pro often had to compromise with the resolution.
There’s no such need with the Xbox Series X, which has proven itself as good as or even better than the PlayStation 5 in some areas. Still, according to credible insider Tom Henderson, Sony is planning to release a PlayStation 5 Pro in late 2024, with development kits supposedly shipping out soon to developers and publishers. If that turned out to be the case, Microsoft might find itself in a weak position to respond, given that they seem to be lacking a plan for a mid-generation console refresh.
Meanwhile, during yesterday’s showcase, Microsoft announced a new version of the Xbox Series S with doubled storage capacity. The Xbox Series S – 1TB is set to launch on September 1st, just in time for Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield, and can already be pre-ordered at $349.99.
