The PlayStation 5 Pro’s official announcement is happening soon. After multiple leaks, rumors, and speculation, the entire video game industry will tune in to Mark Cenry geek out about the upcoming mid-cycle console refresh and tell everyone how great it is, even though most will only want to know if it can make games like Black Myth: Wukong prettier. But while most will pay close attention to the PS5 Pro’s reveal and launch later this year, it’s not the only device that’s coming out within the next six months.
First up, there’s Microsoft. We found out last year from legal documents that it plans to release its own version of an Xbox upgrade, code-named “Brooklin.” It isn’t a big step up compared to the PlayStation 5 Pro—Microsoft already confirmed that their flagship console is already the “upgraded” version for this generation—but the cylinder-shaped console will offer more storage, use less energy, and compete where PlayStation can’t: pricing.
After the most recent price hikes across the world, but especially in Japan, Xbox has the opportunity to capitalize on economically minded gamers looking for a more affordable way to enjoy the current generation of titles with the Xbox Series S and the Xbox Series X.
While Xbox understandably receives plenty of flack for not supporting developers who want to release their games on its bespoke platform enough, things are improving, and other companies, including Square Enix, are extending their olive branch.
Then there’s Nintendo. The Nintendo Switch is a major success, which is probably why Nintendo is holding on to it for as long as it can. It doesn’t hurt that the Switch keeps on selling well, with nearly 140 million units sold worldwide and consistently still topping the sales charts despite being technically two generations behind both PS5 and Xbox Series S/X in terms of performance. However, Nintendo can’t keep on relying on its marvelous optimization team if it wants to at least keep up with the competition, which is where the next Nintendo Switch comes in.
Aside from the obvious backward compatibility requirement, the Nintendo Switch 2 will feature beefed-up hardware, reportedly comparable to, if not slightly ahead of, the PlayStation 4 Pro.
If the Switch 2 is at least as powerful as the PS4 Pro, you’d best expect Nintendo to work its magic on it. Given the rumors that Final Fantasy 16 could make its way to the Switch 2, we might finally see Grand Theft Auto 5 on a Nintendo platform, or maybe even Grand Theft Auto 6.
While Nintendo and Xbox have yet to confirm their upcoming schedule, unlike Sony, which intends to outshine everyone for its 30th-anniversary celebration, even going as far as to bring in Ken Kutaragi, the “father of PlayStation,” to speak at the Tokyo Game Show on September 26, it’s only a matter of time before we hear from them.
The last we heard, Xbox will have a significant presence at the Tokyo Game Show with Square Enix by its figurative side, and Nintendo is certain to have something up its sleeves. It’s already preparing to give the Switch OLED its final sales push ahead of the presumed release of the Switch 2 earlier next year.
With Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation all releasing new consoles within six months of each other, the console wars, which “ended” after Microsoft conceded last year, will heat up just in time as the current console generation enters its midway point.
