Video game console life cycles tend to be lengthy, with most consoles lasting up to seven years of constant support. This has been the way things go for a while now. The Xbox 360 received a mid-generation upgrade, allowing a sleeker design alongside some new UI. With the Xbox One, partway through the console generation there was another upgrade to the console, the Xbox One X, which was slightly more powerful. Now, rumors are circling that the Xbox Series X might have a mid-generation console upgrade of its own.
Xbox Series X Might Receive Mid-Generation Upgrade
The rumors about this mid-generation upgrade come from the CEO of Take-Two Interactive. During an earnings call with gameindustry.biz, possibility of mid-generation console refreshes was mentioned briefly:
“We probably will.” CEO Strauss Zelnick says, “and they did not affect the business very much.”
Now, this isn’t definitive proof that Microsoft is going to put out another console refresh for the Xbox Series X. This is only speculation from one CEO. They didn’t mention that they were getting development kits for these refreshes, nor were they informed about these console refreshes either.
Still, it’s interesting to think about. With the new console generation not kicking into full gear until 2022, there were two years of lifespan for both the Xbox Series X|S and the PS5 where nothing of true note happened. To drop a console refresh in the middle of the console’s life cycle right now could be considered a bad business decision. That’s especially true now that the consoles are finally and properly kicking off. Big-name games like Modern Warfare 2 are still released as playable for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
This could very well be the first console generation without a console refresh. However, only time will tell what’s going to become of this console generation. Perhaps the console’s generation could be lengthened past seven years since it got to a late start, then this would benefit a console refresh a few years down the line. However, at this point in time, rumors like these should be taken with a grain of salt.