I doubt MS not doing it if Sony do a PS5 Pro. For context he said it during QA with shareholder and investor.
Do you think there will be a mid gen refresh console from Sony and Microsoft?
- Thread starter invictis
- Start date
I doubt MS not doing it if Sony do a PS5 Pro. For context he said it during QA with shareholder and investor.
It takes years of planning. They either come to the same conclusion or did not. Judging by the way the hot chips presentation went, and the development of series S, I think MS is basically saying, No.
But it’s possible that they were aiming for a mobile series S in some weird form factor. That may be doable if significant shrinking.
davis.anthony
Veteran
snc
Veteran
higher than ps5
davis.anthony
Veteran
snc
Veteran
Not sure its possible to get around double performance with keeping same tdp and imo without 2x perf. there is no point in new console.
It takes years of planning so from a strategic standpoint both Sony and MS are probably exploring the option as well as going as far as working on designs. Neither wants to be caught with their pants down if the other were to release a premium SKU with upgraded performance. They both would want the ability to counter with their own device and not be held back by a 2 to 3-year delay.
It may end up wasting millions but given how fragile market positions are in the console world, one misstep can have huge implications (Xbox One's ESRAM and lack of GDDR, PS3's Bluray and split memory, N64's cartridges).
What's to say that a premium console can't operate within the same range of a high-end PC in terms of power consumption? I doubt many who are running high-end cpus and gpus are doing so only under the excuse that their PC is multipurpose.
I believe there are regulations in various jurisdictions that explicitly target consumer console electronics. I don't know if that only impacts sleep and idle or if it goes beyond that.
It is for idle mode.
Flappy Pannus
Veteran
Placement and size have to be factored in, consoles are often stored in TV cabinets with limited space and poor circulation. The PS5/SX were already pushing it.
I find it unlikely that a mid-gen console on one side only will skew the balance of power. They mainly sell to existing base-console owners, no? So you'll get some pass-down freebie or resale growth of the base consoles, but there's no particular USP to drive mass-adoption of a mid-gen refresh.
Market disruption is more likely to come from something innately disruptive, like perhaps a handheld that plays your existing library . An XBSM(obile) could gain handheld users without console, propagate consoles for synergy, and sell to existing console users wanting some real mobile gaming. A PSV integrated PS5 VR headset will sell to those wanting PS5 VR without the console, sort of thing.
Tkumpathenurpahl
Veteran
Given RDNA3's chiplet design being pretty much exclusively for Infinity Cache, I anticipate that factoring into mid-gen refreshes for both the PS5 and XSX. Keep the same 40CU design, but don't deactivate any for redundancy: those which fall short of all 40 are put into server farms for base PS5 streaming; perfect chips go on to be packaged with IC.
VOPD coupled with the clockspeed uplift from moving to 5nm should do plenty to move the needle in terms of power. Infinity Cache and 18gbps GDDR6 should be able to grant the additional bandwidth to keep up. Any RT architectural improvements would be welcome, but I expect we'll see RDNA3 level RT at the very least.
I'd love to see a vapour chamber on the PS5Pro, as it did wonders for allowing MS to push clocks with the X1X while keeping it small and quiet, but I'm less confident on this particular element of prediction.
VOPD coupled with the clockspeed uplift from moving to 5nm should do plenty to move the needle in terms of power. Infinity Cache and 18gbps GDDR6 should be able to grant the additional bandwidth to keep up. Any RT architectural improvements would be welcome, but I expect we'll see RDNA3 level RT at the very least.
I'd love to see a vapour chamber on the PS5Pro, as it did wonders for allowing MS to push clocks with the X1X while keeping it small and quiet, but I'm less confident on this particular element of prediction.
Vapour chamber was not needed on PS5 due to the size and shape of their cooling system according to them. MS cooling solution is quite more expensive overall so Sony will likely keep using their cheaper cooling (liquid cooling + big heatsink but actually lighter than XSX heatsink).
Tkumpathenurpahl
Veteran
I don't really know any details of the XSX's cooling system so I couldn't really comment there.
But in reference to the PS5, I recall several instances of Sony executives making mention of wanting to keep the manufacturing cost low - it seems they were successful given how quickly they reached the break even point - and the method of cooling was chosen to facilitate this.
So I anticipate the same method of cooling on a slim model, but I'm not so sure whether Sony would deem an improved cooling method worth the additional cost for a Pro. But hopefully they do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
IMO, currently MS needs to just focus on making great games, because it doesn't matter how powerful your console is when you're releasing mediocre games that nobody wants to buy.
Speaking further out, and I might get hate for this, but I truly think that they should just stop building dedicated consoles, and instead release a "high end" model and a "low end" model of Xbox branded small form factor PCs as their "future consoles". Consolidate all efforts on improving development environment/tools for the PC, build a good gaming frontend UI for Windows that works great on TVs.. and go from there. Developers are already building PC versions of all these games anyway... The two "console" SKUs they release could just be "presets" automatically set by the game after detecting which device it's running on. Of course the user would still have full control just as any PC, if they chose.
The Xbox was born from the idea of the PC in the living room... and it's only right that it comes full circle
Speaking further out, and I might get hate for this, but I truly think that they should just stop building dedicated consoles, and instead release a "high end" model and a "low end" model of Xbox branded small form factor PCs as their "future consoles". Consolidate all efforts on improving development environment/tools for the PC, build a good gaming frontend UI for Windows that works great on TVs.. and go from there. Developers are already building PC versions of all these games anyway... The two "console" SKUs they release could just be "presets" automatically set by the game after detecting which device it's running on. Of course the user would still have full control just as any PC, if they chose.
The Xbox was born from the idea of the PC in the living room... and it's only right that it comes full circle
That's probably not enough to swing the console market much. It's like Coke, Pepsi, and Virgin Cola...there are already two popular brands of cola and no reason for people to switch. MS would need a crazy amount of killer titles to take the eyes off PS and NSW now. Their chance to compete on games and library and experience was XBO, off the back of 360. Now if they want to compete on consoles with a view to being number one of a balanced competition, I think they need a USP. I dare say MS feel that way too given recent comments - consoles just aren't important to them now.
The value of a mid-gen refresh would be to offer a USP. MS can either create a niche target, like the Elite Controller, a product just to drive brand and high-end profit margins, or go for a Switch/Kinect unique experience to attract new XB customers.
For Sony, there's no obvious business need for a higher-tier PS5, and the move would be just to sell at margins to enthusiasts for prestige and a little extra cash. Unless they too have an opportunity for a 'disruptive' refresh, but I've no idea what could be other than, like MS, a Switch knockoff*
* The tablet/hybrid being my idea for PS4, remember.
Yes. But the hardware department is very different from the game development department. Smashing more people into the kitchen doesn’t mean you’re going to get Michelin star food suddenly.
So the hardware teams can do their thing (and they are quite good at it) and the OS and platform teams can do their thing (also good at it) but their studios need guidance or support in a way they are not currently receiving.
That may be true. But the issue is if that turns out not to be the case. Motion was a very temporary feature for consoles but it drove the early success of the Wii (while Kinect drove late-gen success for the 360) but it took MS and Sony almost 4-5 years to respond. Now motion is relatively unimportant in gaming. You can't forsee what differentiator will actually be a difference maker for a platform. And what works for one gen may not work for another.
To me, the PS4 Pro and One X did little to change the landscape of the market. Logic tells me they won't do much for this gen either. But in a new gen where RT performance is underwhelming on base consoles, a Pro version may attract a ton of sales. There is no way of knowing.
I don't see the need for a Pro console but I do understand the investment into them as the investment allows for a more nimble response, if a product is launched and the market gravitates towards it.
Similar threads
