All of this changed in 2016 when Sony came out with the PS4 Pro, which Microsoft followed in 2017. Now, the question on everyone’s mind is, will Sony and Microsoft come out with another mid-generation upgrade for the Xbox Series S/X and the PS5? Although neither has made any announcement, TCL appears to have leaked sensitive information. As per Polish outlet, PPE, TCL Technology “revealed” in a recent conference that a new Xbox Series S/X and PS5 Pro are coming in 2023/2024. In its presentation, TCL showed a timeline of both gaming consoles, starting with the Xbox One and the PS4 in 2013 followed by the PS4 Pro and Xbox One then the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. The last part of the slide lists the new Xbox Series S/X and the PS5 Pro, which will reportedly support up to 120FPS resolution 4K with 8K display capabilities via AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT technology. Of course, just because TCL said it, this doesn’t mean it’s coming out. Most likely, TCL is just making an educated guess based on the last-gen. The 3-4 year gap fits with how Sony and Microsoft handled the transition from the PS4 to the PS4 Pro. Seeing as consoles are a huge factor in TV sales, TCL is in the right to try and future-proof its products. The only problem is that the timeline shown on the slide is optimistic. TCL failed to take into account the supply issue and chip shortage that might force Sony and Microsoft to drag this generation out much longer than initially expected. So, even if Microsoft and Sony intend to come out with mid-generation console upgrades, we might not see the new consoles until 2025 if not 2026. We previously touched on why Sony shouldn’t release a PS5 Pro in 2023, and we haven’t changed our stance since. A mid-cycle refresh is excessive and unnecessary if it comes out in the next two years. In other news, Microsoft is holding a video game showcase on June 12. Meanwhile, Sony just launched the new PS Plus in Asia.
