Some people still haven’t been able to get their hands on a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X. With the global semiconductor shortage expected to last through 2023, the last thing most people were expecting is now seemingly about to come to fruition: the PS5 Pro and a new and improved version of the Xbox Series X are very much in the works. Both of these new consoles could be hitting the market as early as 2023 if some new intel is to be believed.
According to the Polish gaming website PPE, Chinese consumer electronics company TCL Technology announced the new consoles during a recent conference. A representative mentioned that half-gen consoles would be released sometime between 2023 and 2024.
Confirming earlier rumors that Sony was busy working on a next-gen PS5 console, the slide shown during the presentation notes that both upgraded consoles will feature vastly improved performance boosts, such as 4K graphics being rendered at between 60 and 120fps. Both consoles will include native 8K support, and both are intended to be powered by Radeon’s RX7700XT GPU which has not yet been released and was only recently featured in a leak. The GPU will likely launch late in 2022.
Despite these promises, it’s unclear how Sony and Microsoft intend to release new consoles when their current lineup is still struggling under the weight of the chip shortage. In the past, Sony has claimed that it would solve the problem by making its own chip foundry. Even if they do take that route, however, the current chip shortage wouldn’t see any major improvements until 2024.
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X were both released in November 2020. Due to the global semiconductor shortage and heightened demand for gaming consoles as a result of the pandemic, many have still been unable to acquire either console. This problem has only been exacerbated by scalpers, who have been selling both consoles for incredible markups– sometimes well over $1,000. Both consoles retail for $499.