28 December 2023 , 17:00
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Microsoft may be skipping a 'pro' version of the Xbox Series X entirely, and moving onto the next Xbox – which could arrive as early as 2026 according to rumours.
Speculation over a PS5 Pro and more powerful version of the Xbox Series X have been rampant since before the consoles even came out. However, recent rumours are suggesting that Microsoft is planning on skipping an upgraded Xbox Series X entirely in an attempt to beat Sony to the punch on the next console generation. On the Game Mess Decides YouTube show, hosted by Jeff Grubb and Mike Minotti, Grubb corroborated new PS5 Pro release date and spec rumours from a poster on ResetEra earlier this month, which is pegged to launch in September 2024, and set to feature a Sony-created version of Nvidia's DLSS tech.
Grubb then goes on to mention that Twitter user @Kelper_L2 (with a handy roundup of their Xbox-related tweets posted on ResetEra) who had previously leaked PS5 Pro details had also mentioned that Microsoft will instead be jumping straight to the next generation of Xbox as opposed to an upgraded version – something Grubb once again corroborates.
This new follow-up could arrive in 2026 according to these rumours, while the previously leaked all-digital Xbox Series X may be cancelled in favour of this new console (which is backed up by Phil Spencer saying a lot of the leaked plans had changed). This would give Microsoft a head start on the next generation of consoles – something that worked for it back when the Xbox 360 released over a year before the PS3.
Early bird
While releasing ahead of the competition worked out really well for the Xbox 360, that isn't exactly a guarantee for success. The biggest factor in the Xbox 360's success early on compared to the PS3 was that the Xbox 360 actually had games worth playing. Games like Dead Rising, Halo 3, Gears of War, and Blue Dragon made the Xbox 360 the platform de jour, while the PS3 didn't really get going until the second half of the generation.
Why Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's six week delay is a good thing
However, the Microsoft of the mid-2000's isn't the Microsoft of today. While the exclusive game lineup in the 360 generation was extremely refreshing, the wet fart that has been first party Xbox titles over the past few years hardly has the same allure. The Xbox Series X launched without an exclusive title to call its own, outside of the current-gen version of Yakuza: Like a Dragon – a game that was already available on PS4.
And 2023 for Xbox Series X|S has consisted of the excellent but niche Hi-Fi Rush, and then the two most disappointing games of the year in the form of Redfall and Starfield. So if Microsoft fully intends to get the jump on PlayStation for the next generation, it better have the games to back it up.