Grand Theft Auto Publisher Take-Two Interactive has weighed in on recent rumors of a Pro variant PlayStation 5 and the possibility of a new mid-generation Xbox console. This industry information follows another wave of insiders claims that the PS5 Pro is in active development.
Rumors of an updated PS5 model have been circulating for years, and one of the latest reports is about it claiming that PS5 Pro dev kits will start arriving to developers in the second half of 2023. Claims that Microsoft is preparing a similar mid-generation refresh for the Xbox Series X/S have not been as widespread, though they have still surfaced over the past year.
For preliminary instruction, call ahead Take-Two’s latest earnings report, CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked if he expects to see another round of iterative hardware in the vein of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X during this console generation. The chief executive said it would “probably” be the case, adding that Grand Theft Auto The publisher does not expect the PS5 Pro or the mid-generation Xbox console to have a significant impact on its earnings. Not least because neither the PS4 Pro nor the Xbox One X affected Take-Two’s business “very much,” he explained.
Even if Zelnick’s hunch turns out to be correct, it’s debatable whether a mid-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X/S refresh is really on the horizon. Not least because the industry has only recently begun to move away from its cross-generational phase, as evidenced by the fact that even early Sony titles such as Gran Turismo 7 and God of War Ragnarok until this year, they were mostly produced between generations. The company’s decision to continue supporting the PS4 is believed to have been influenced by the pandemic-induced semiconductor shortage, which has held back PS5 sales for years, preventing Sony from meeting consumer demand for the system.
The Microsoft ecosystem is in a similar situation as most upcoming Xbox Series X/S games also planned for an Xbox One release, with Starfield being the loudest exception. It’s doubtful that Sony and Microsoft will be able to justify the short-term investment in new production lines for the updated consoles, given that their latest systems have almost no exclusive titles that push their hardware to the limit in the first place.
Additionally, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X enticed consumers with the promise of 4K gaming, which is what their successors offer by default. A hypothetical mid-generation upgrade to any PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X will not have a comparatively significant technical advantage. And while the Xbox Series S is limited to 1440p in most games, the Series X already fulfills the role of its “professional” counterpart. So it remains to be seen what benefits Sony and Microsoft intend to offer this time around, if Zelnyk is right in thinking that both companies plan to overhaul their systems during the current console generation.