The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are over a year old, but many customers still can’t get their hands on the consoles. The ongoing chip shortage is a big reason for the lack of PS5 and Xbox Series supply, and it’s unlikely to get solved in the near future.The PS5 and Xbox Series X are still hard to find in stores, and users have to wait for months for stock to replenish. The new stock gets sold out almost instantly, leaving many customers without a current-generation system. As customers wait for a new console, a tech company claims that Sony and Microsoft plan on releasing upgraded versions of the PS5 and Xbox Series X relatively soon.In a press conference, TCL Technology states that more powerful PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles will release in 2023/2024. The press conference featured an image showing generation eight and nine consoles and their targeted render output. Following the PS4 and Xbox One generation, another column called Gen 8.5 highlighted the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. The image then mentioned that PS5 and Xbox Series X will have a mid-generation upgrade with support for up to 8K resolution.
An upgraded PS5 will presumably be called PS5 Pro, but Microsoft’s naming choice is harder to predict, so the image refers to the upgraded Xbox consoles as New Xbox Series S/X. It states that a supposed PS5 Pro and New Xbox Series X could have an output of up to 8k at 60-120 FPS and compares them to AMD’s RX 7700 XT GPU. PS5 and Xbox Series X already run some games at native 4K at 60 FPS, but the resolution drops whenever the frame rate targets 120 FPS.
Both Microsoft and Sony are likely working on mid-generation upgrades for PS5 and Xbox Series X. The PS4 Pro and Xbox One X seemed reasonably popular, perhaps due to the base systems struggling with more demanding games in the final years of the generation. However, PS5 and Xbox Series X will probably not suffer from the same fate as they don’t have the same hardware drawbacks, such as a weak CPU, that crippled previous generation systems.
Announcing upgraded consoles, while a large part of the consumer base still can’t get a PS5 or Xbox Series X, will probably not be received well. Additionally, the industry is still in a cross-generation phase, with several marquee games releasing on PS4 and Xbox One. Hopefully, the supply situation will improve by next year, and users can easily find a console of their choice.
Source: PPE