In the years 2023 and 2024, according to a TCL presentation, new PlayStation 5 and Xbox models are on the way
If you can’t get your hands on a PS5 or an Xbox Series X, you may have to wait a few years for a PS5 Pro or Series X refresh. The Xbox Series X One would be a better name this time around to avoid any ambiguity.)
Many speculations have surfaced concerning console refreshes on the internet, but it’s rare to hear from a credible source like TCL. According to a new rumour from LG Electronics, the “Generation 9.5” of consoles will contain more powerful versions of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. To answer this question, we must determine whether or not the firm knows something we don’t.
According to PPE, a Polish technology magazine, the information was obtained via Google Translate. During a TCL press conference, PPE journalist Maciej Zabocki saw an intriguing slide on the presenter’s screen. “Game console generations” was written across the top, followed by an explanation of what made each generation different from the next.
To begin, a brief review of some basic terms. The first generation of consoles, the Magnavox Odyssey, was referred to as Gen 1 by gamers and pundits. We’re currently in the ninth generation, which includes the PS5, Xbox One X, and the Nintendo Switch to a lesser extent. It may be a Gen 8 console, but now we’re arguing over semantics.
As stated by TCL, Gen 9.5 is slated to arrive sometime around the years 2023-2024 and will include the “New Xbox Series S/X” and the “PS5 Pro,” both of which are expected to enable higher-resolution displays and frame rates than the current generation. To support 4K and 8K gameplay at 60 to 120 frames per second, TCL believes the console updates would require an AMD Radeon RX7700XT GPU.
Although console upgrades aren’t unprecedented, the timing is perfect. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launched in 2013 as Gen 8, and the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro followed in 2017.
When it comes to whether TCL is simply repeating information it has heard from Sony or Microsoft, we don’t know for certain. A TV manufacturer wanting to get ahead of Sony and Microsoft’s upcoming console announcements is totally understandable, but it’s a little more difficult to believe that the company actually did this.
It’s telling that a major TV manufacturer like TCL is planning a console refresh for 2023/2024, even if the company doesn’t have any inside information. I wonder if gamers should do the same, in the vain hope that a new system will be more accessible than the old ones in the future.