Console Refreshes Are Pointless Right Now

Rumours are that new higher-tier consoles will be released next year. The PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X-2 will offer up a higher graphical fidelity and no doubt other bells and whistles too. But what’s the point where there aren’t any games?

Neither console has got to the point where it deserves an upgrade. It’s as simple as that. The PS Pro and One X were desperately needed. 4K televisions had become more popular. Graphics had increased, but processing power hadn’t. There was a clear and dedicated reason to offer up something with a little bit more oomph before the Xbox Series X and PS5 were ready to reveal.

Now they are here and out, for those that are lucky enough to find them. And there are few games on them that can’t also run on the last generation consoles. So what exactly are we wanting from a new mid-gen upgrade?

Sale for Sale’s Sake

If there had been a bunch of games running at sub-1080p already, or if there were some exciting new feature that would revolutionise gaming, then maybe it would be worth the upgrade. But a guaranteed 4K instead of 1990p? Save your money. Especially considering that the price to upgrade to either console is going to be sky high.

And far be it from me to tell anybody how to spend their money. But the concern here is that just as the regular consoles are going to be hitting retail with a little more frequency, both manufacturers are going to be suddenly adding a new item to their product list. In Microsoft’s case, that might be two products, with further rumours of a TV stick.

People will buy them because they’re available and new, not because there’s any real case for them. And at this point, neither Sony nor Microsoft need these guaranteed sales. They get guaranteed sales just by putting boxes in stores.

These products are not filling a gap in the market, but appealing to the Faster Horses crowd. And if they’re genuinely announced, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of uptake they have. I got both the PS4 and Series X on the days they came out. I’ve had every major console released for the last twenty years, usually at launch. I would not be able to justify a console that offers just a little more p.

Console Warring

Of course, if one manufacturer releases a higher-spec console, the other has to as well. Unfortunately, that’s just how it is.

We saw it last generation. The PS4 was the better of the two consoles, and got all the third party attention at places like Digital Foundry. Then the One X came out.

If the PS5 Pro beat out the Xbox Series X every time, it becomes the new defacto place to play third parties. And, in the current and oddly sterile console cold war, there’s suddenly an obvious winner.

Hardcore gamers care about power. Trolls care about their bit of plastic being the best bit of plastic. One “pro” console would dominate the conversation. Two just cancel each other out.

As always, we’ll have to wait and see for the exact details before we make our minds up too much. But, man, it’s hard to see how these justify themselves.