PS5 Pro is, of course, yet to be announced by Sony. There isn’t even a whisper on an Xbox Series X ‘Pro’. Based solely on the historical precedent of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, which launched around three years into their generation, PS5 Pro and its Xbox counterpart is due in 2023 or 2024. It is entirely possible that we’ll see the mid-generation upgrade sometime in the near future.
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Additionally, leaks have suggested that PS5 Pro will release in late 2024. The unit will, according to the leaks, come with upgraded GPU and RAM to make 8K console gaming possible. FTC documents from Microsoft suggest a PS5 Slim could also be in the works.
The Case for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X
When PlayStation 4 and Xbox One launched in 2013, the days of 4K HDR were looming but were believed to still a few years away. Both Microsoft and Sony bet that 4K, and to a lesser extent HDR, wouldn’t hit critical mass until their eight-gen. systems were nestled into tens of millions of home.
And they were almost right. However, 4K and HDR TVs exploded in popularity in the years following the release of PS4 and Xbox One. By half-time of that generation, that critical mass of consumers were demanding 4K and HDR content. The timing of PS4 Pro and Xbox One X was perfect in this respect.
PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X Pro May Not be Necessary
There is no similar pressure from consumers for 8K or 120Hz/144Hz gaming. While both technologies may yet fill those tens of millions of home needed to reach critical mass, we’re still a long way from those days. 8K may never actually take off unless the public embraces televisions so large they require planning the entire house around it.
It’s worth reiterating that Sony has not yet confirmed any plans for a PS5 Pro or Slim model, so it’s difficult to say for certain whether or not they will be released, never mind when. But based on the success of the PS4 Pro, Sony will surely be tempted to.
There May Still Be Room
However, there is still a case to be made for a mid-gen. upgrade beyond the expectation raised by PS4 Pro/Xbox One X. PC gaming has seen higher framerates embraced by the masses. Monitors shooting far beyond 120Hz are inexpensive. PC gamers with a little more to spend don’t have to choose ray-tracing or 60fps.
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There is a hunger for smoother games, and premium TVs that handle those framerates are becoming more common. Ray-tracing has only appeared in patches of ninth-gen. games and many games have RT walled off in a 30fps ‘Fidelity Mode’. Perhaps there is room for a machine that can hit 60fps or 120fps while offering real-time ray tracing.
Additionally, many games fail to hit a locked standard 60fps and Bethesda’s poorly optimised Starfield only launched at 30fps.
Slim is the Priority
The provision of a Slim model is seen as a certainty by gamers. Sony has released slimline models for every one of its five generations of PlayStation so far. Xbox have done so with Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It could be argued that Xbox Series S is the slim Xbox Series. However, it’s more likely that a real Xbox Series X slim is on the way.
The case for mid-gen. resizes are as strong here as they were for PlayStation 3 and Xbox One respectively. Both were huge and expensive at launch. Cutting cost and bulk would end up helping each hugely.
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PS5 and Xbox Series X are in the same place. The consoles are bulky enough to sometimes make placing them awkward. Their prices have stayed at or near their substantial launch prices.
A cheaper, less bulky box makes sense right now. More powerful and more costly does not.
