Poll: Do You Think The Xbox Series X Will Get A Mid-Gen Upgrade?

Oh hell yes we will. To be clear: I don't think they need to as much as they had to during the One generation, but Sony will undoubtedly feel some pressure due to lack of power and MS will have to be ready to countet a PS5 Pro ASAP. MS should not rush that, they should give themselves room just as they did with the X1X (that came almost a year after PS4) to make sure a XSX+ is always more powerful than a PS5Pro.

Of course, even if Sony never tries again with a Pro unit, MS will still try to release a smaller, cheaper to produce, unit 2 or 3 years down the line.

I almost expect the Series X to be MS last "generation", no more new drastic Gen lines. Instead, every 3-4 years we get a faster Series X. No more excuses for devs to sell their games twice but allowing them to say "this game requires Series X Gen 2" to run. Basically a super simplified min requirement label.

I see a cosmetic redesign down the road as that always happens in console generations.

I think we’ll get a refresh in about 3 to 4 years. With both a slim and a more powerful variant. This will be done to keep up with the advances in PC technology. The enhanced version will play the same games only better.

Apparently Sony have already said they plan to release for PlayStation 6 in five years and are moving to a tiled GPU which probably means backwards compatibility is a bit iffy. We will get a slim version we always do. I will be very surprised if we see a enhanced console from Sony. If you want PlayStation games that run better you’ll have to wait for PlayStation 6 in five or six years and buy PlayStation six games.

@Ryall when did Sony say that PS6 will be out in 5 years?

I was disappointed to find Series S won't have an optical drive.

No wonder Xbox X prices shot up, it's that or a $500+ Series X.

Sure, you could still get an Xbox S, but that will probably be next to go...

@Jacko11 This is the only source I could find and yes I know its thirdhand and unreliable. That’s pretty much the nature of speculation about something that won’t happen for another five years minimum.

https://www.t3.com/amp/news/sonys-ps5-console-life-cycle-will-be-shortest-ever

The tile GPU stuff was a patent. So the normal a patent is a patent not a product stuff applies.

With a pro and slim version set to launch it should be an easy answer of 'no'.

But here's the thing. Slim versions come out of smaller, better, cheaper hardware becoming available years after the initial launch. The X and S will both be 'unrefined' consoles, and there will be better ways to make them after a few years. I'm sure MS' approach to next gen has this in mind, and probably the whole reason for the 'series' naming. We will literally end up with xbox series S2 and xbox series X2 as time goes on. I expect they are trying to modify console gens in to a more normal hardware model, like laptops and phones. Hardware that also come in low and high end models.

It's more or less how we have the xbox one along side the xbox series. Eventually older models will drop out of support, as newer ones take over dominance.

I dont think this will be a traditional "generation." I wouldnt be surprised if they come out with a Xbox Series X2 in 3 or 4 years. Since they aren't forcing people in or out of any console they can just do smaller upgrades (similar to cell phones, tablets, TVs, etc) instead of a drastic new "generation" every 7 years.

Then PS fans will get their non-free PlayStation 6 ports/remasters in 5 years? 😂

I think it will depend on the situation in 3-4yrs - inc what the others do. It was clear that the current gen needed an upgrade or potentially may not of lasted the time it has with more and more people upgrading to 4k TV's. Upscaling from sub-HD visuals to 4k really does emphasise the lack of clarity and quality so it made sense for Sony and MS to offer a mid-gen upgrade that focussed heavily on upgrading the GPU to push out a high visual quality.

Its obvious that the new consoles will still not push a Native 4k, 60fps and with all the bells and whistles, but whether or not alternative methods of achieving 4k (Chequerboard, AI/ML upscaling) will be enough to see through a 5-7yr cycle, I don't know.

MS could of course retire the Series S after 3-4yrs and the Series X, assuming manufacturing prices drop, could become the 'base' level with a more powerful Series X-tra releasing - but again may depend on what Sony do - if they bring out a PS5 Pro, would MS bring out a more powerful console?

A lot of refreshes have occurred because we have seen the size of the chip drop and require less power. Its relatively easy to make a smaller 'Slim' console if you halve the Chip size because you are dropping from 90nm to 45nm which also means you can reduce the PSU, the cooling, the board etc. The OG XB1 APU was using 28nm process, which dropped to 16nm on the XB1S and X and now the Series X is on 7nm - BUT interestingly, the APU of the OG XB1, XB1X and Series X are all around the same size - 360mm2. I guess if they perfect a smaller process, then you could see a Slim. I don't think a 'Slim' has been released without a new process - one that enables a smaller APU...

I expect smaller models but not soon, especially the PS5 which is enormous. I'm still not sure if they will be more powerful, though.

@Richnj I wouldn't say "better" considering many hardware revisions are lower-quality: SNES revision, Mega Drive revision, Nintendo 64 PAL revision, GameCube revision, Wii Mini, PS3 revisions, Vita revision... Very few are technically better, e.g., Xbox 360 and Xbox One revision (S).

I definitely see a upgrade coming sooner or later..

I hope not, I plan on buying one next year or in 2022 and would hate to see a midgen upgrade after I purchased my series X.

It might, but I don't think they will be in to big a rush about it. Main reason for the X was to be the most powerful console on the market, but they've already got that with the XSX anyway.

@Ryall doesn’t seem like much to go on honestly but it should be interesting regardless.

@BlueOcean Sony is pretty good at convincing its diehards that everything they do is new/worth it. I'm sure they won't mind forking over for PS6 in 2025.

Onto the topic of the article, I do think we'll see a "mid-gen" upgrade. Of course, that assumes there will be a traditional next generation of consoles. That might not happen. For once, I actually believe that speculation.

With so many sure of a console upgrade mid gen it's making me question my decision to buy one near launch....
With the next year at least looking slim pickings on both consoles I'm beginning to think I'm better off waiting a year and seeing if they announce a new gen refresh and jumping in then...
To buy a console at launch this year, with all that's happened and the possibility of a mid gen refresh again is not something I think I can stomach.

Talk about thinking ahead, huh? I think it's inevitable for all consoles, really. And I think it's good overall. I have a base PS4 and I never felt left out because of PS4 Pro's existence. I would've bought it if I had money to spare.

@pip_muzz You don't have to worry so much. Like @Porridge2215 said, Series X is the most powerful console, it's a monster and future-proof unlike Xbox One that had a dated CPU (like PS4) and wasn't too ambitious with specifications (weak GPU). Xbox One X was a necessary middle ground before Series X but you won't see a more powerful Series X anytime soon. Remember, Xbox One was TV, sports, TV, TV, TV, sports, TV... 😂

@AJDarkstar Right, especially Microsoft, they're always working on better hardware and software and the combination of both.

@AJDarkstar I didn't say it was coming soon.. early planning usually starts 3-4 years before launch.

Xbox Series X development started in 2016. 4 years sounds about right for a mid gen upgrade. Whether anything comes out of the planning or not is a TBD situation.

I think its going to depends on what sony dose. If they "leap frog" the XSX then MS will have to respond but if they just match the XSX then a new XSX-X(?) might not be needed.

The primary hardware advantage Sony has ATM is the SSD, with the XSX's expansion slot, MS could make an "optional" upgraded SSD, then include that as standard on any future models.

Yes isn't that the whole point of the Series name and no generations any more, that this is now Xbox (from what Spencer said about it actually called Xbox now), and we might see a Series S less power but more affordable, a Series XD which is a Digital only Series X and so on like a iPhone.

@masofdas I don't know why I didn't think of an XD. But that's a good call. Might come out sooner than later to compete with Sony. Xmas 2021.

Yup. That seems to be a normal thing for consoles anymore. Just like after a year, the price will start to go down and the games won't remain $70 anymore. I remember when Mortal Kombat 2 came out on Super NES and Genesis and they tried the $70 mark...didn't work too well for them and that was it. I also remember the Atari Jaguar trying to charge $100 per game...system flopped and games didn't sell, and that was early 90's. For 2020, the prices seem a little steep for many people who are out of work or cramped with bills, so I'm really thinking that (even though Sony and Microsoft both will sell well), something will happen...especially when they come out and you can get a Switch for $200 or a little more. Going to be interesting this holiday to see how everything goes and I wish all 3 luck, as I'll grab the PS5 next year and save up for X-box...yup, I'll have them both eventually, just like now!!!

Phil said they don't want an x1x situation this time around.

Given that whatever Phil says he later says the opposite, i assume that's confirmation they're already working on it.

I'd rather have a shorter generation with backward compatibility

They need to get some games that are actually worth investing in the existing "next-gen" model first. When you take into consideration the time between the XBox One X's release and the upcoming launch of the Series X, especially when put alongside the actual number of major first-party titles that took advantage of the former's features, I imagine that a lot of the folks who bought one feel a bit gypped right now. That makes two $400 or $500 investments in what, two or three years, give or take? Maybe good for M$ if enough people are gullible enough to fork over that kind of money that often, but most consumers can't afford that, especially in a COVID-ravaged economy.

I already planned to wait until more games I care about playing are released before plunking down that kind of cash, and I'm sure the Halo Infinite delay will add a lot more people to that category. I also am waiting to see how Microsoft's backward-compatibility promises develop before taking them at face value, let alone getting rid of my XBox One.

This generation could have gone on another 5 years... The tech doesn't really change much anymore like it used to. The only reason they needed the mid gen was the move to 4k on the tv side (remember 360 had a silent refresh early to add hdmi, which or originally lacked until the hdtv mandate.)

And the only need for the new gen is less about the fact that tech advanced, and more about the fact that every gen is sold at a loss, using bleeding edge hardware at a fraction of the price until the current gen even everyone decided not to sell at a loss. As such they only barely upgraded from the prior gen and gimped the cpu with a garbage tablet cpu. And then instead if waiting for the "next gen tech" to be sold at cost again, theyre forcing a new generation by returning to subsidizing insanely expensive hardware, starting the economically rediculous graphics arms race all over again.

I expect they'll push "mid gen" upgrades from now on purely to use the whales that will buy it. .

I still say ms missed a golden opportunity to move to a tick tock release/support cycle starting with x1x. That would have been their schtick and kept them apart from whatever Sony is doing. I'm not sure why they keep insisting on returning to the same model they keep failing at by imitating Sony instead of letting XBox do it's own thing. I assume it's about obeying the demands of ea/2k/ubi/acti more than anything.

I think we’ll receive a mid gen upgrade before we see the Series X and PS5 prices.

Ofcourse, MS will just keep updating it every few years. XSX basically is an updated XBOX ONE.

I don't see an upgrade but more of a revision 3 years roughly down the line.. Smaller console and cost savings made to produce the console cheaper being a top priority...

Where is the option for "it better not!"