It is now practically taken for granted that PS5 Pro really exists and that its arrival could already take place by the end of this year, while the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 (or whatever the new console from the Kyoto company will be called) has perhaps been postponed at the beginning of 2025 but still expected a year from now. In this general picture, the missing element is Microsoft, considering that not many have emerged information about a possible new Xboxbut it is difficult to think that there isn't a countermove of some kind to the changes that will soon hit the gaming hardware market, considering also how the Redmond house needs to recover ground and risks instead of losing even more with an inertia extended well beyond the deadlines decided by the opponents.
The only news in this sense emerged in recent days with the registration of the identification code of what appears to be a new Xbox devkit, which would suggest the introduction of new hardware on the Microsoft front, but it is still a clue rather vague compared to what emerged from the other parts. However, even some official communications seem to leave open a glimmer of possible news in this sense: shortly after the famous podcast with updates from Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond and Matt Booty, the president of Xbox had clearly confirmed a next-gen console and new hardware, with news arriving by the end of 2024. At the time, the communication seemed above all to be aimed at stemming the growing rumors and fears about an abandonment of the console hardware market by the company, but looking at it from the current perspective it could be an update is necessary on the new devices front also to counteract the moves of direct competitors.
Mid-gen or directly next gen?
Some news will probably come out by the end of 2024, but it is difficult to predict what it could be because, also based on the information that had leaked in recent months as a result of the spread of documents during the notorious trial with the FTC for the acquisition of Activision Blizzard (which in any case may now be too dated compared to current plans), essentially two main possibilities seemed to emerge: a mid-generation update but based on minor technical upgrades, such as form factor, consumption and functionality, or a planning for a real generational leap that could arrive sooner than expected, at least according to the timing we have seen in the last few generations, i.e. a completely new Xbox before 2027.
It is not excluded that both things could happen, and if the mid-gen revision was really very limited as it seems from the aforementioned documents, an accelerated generational transition could be quite probable shortly thereafter, but these seem to be the guidelines for Microsoft's plans , at least based on what has emerged so far among leaked documents and rumors. Some time ago, Phil Spencer seemed to have ruled out the desire to proceed with a mid-generation revision, arguing that the policy of the two different consoles on the market already covered this need, but years after the launch and with the competition moving actively in this direction, abandoning the battleground may not be indicated, also considering the situation that Xbox currently finds itself in compared to other consoles, in terms of sales.
The move to aim directly at the new generation and launch it ahead of the competition could instead be very interesting: it was one of the elements that led to the success of the Xbox 360 and could prove effective in this case too, considering that the sales of the Xbox Series |S continue to decline especially in Europe and a shock is more likely from a real generation change rather than a simple intermediate evolution, as also demonstrated by the results of Xbox One
This is an editorial written by a member of the editorial team and is not necessarily representative of the editorial line of Multiplayer.it.
#PS5 #Pro #Nintendo #Switch #Xbox
