Since then, Xbox and PlayStation worked closely with AMD and managed to pull off Zen 2-based consoles early in the technology race with the launch of the PS5 and the Xbox Series S and X. The decision seemed to pay off well for all parties involved. But now, both consoles are approaching the third year of their lifecycle, and you know what that means? A mid-gen console release! Since the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X became a thing, it won’t be surprising if PlayStation and Xbox launch a mid-gen refresh to their consoles. Will we get a new Xbox and PlayStation this early in the generation?
New Xbox And PlayStation in the works?
Although the performance potential of the consoles has still remained untapped, evidence suggests that the companies are planning revisions for both smaller and powerful variants. There’s been news lingering that both Microsoft and Sony are aiming at new revisions for the current generation. To back this information up, a new job listing popped up for Pre Silicon Verification Engineer over at AMD. This hints at a new refresh for current gaming consoles The pre-silicon verification engineer is required to explicitly work for AMD’s semi-custom business unit that focuses on custom SoC designs for gaming consoles. As you can see above, the job listing states that the business unit features a strong team of engineers who have design wins in all major game consoles. The business unit features exceptional specialists in graphics and compute processing. The PlayStation 4 from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, and the Xbox One from Microsoft are some examples of AMD’s Semi-Customs solutions. This job post is particularly interesting as AMD mostly works across various computers and doesn’t limit itself to consoles except for this one department and job listing that specifically mentions the PS4 and Xbox one as examples. This means that the job listing is looking for specialists to work on future game consoles. Taking into account all of this information, it seems pretty obvious that AMD is preparing APUs and SOCs, particularly for future consoles. Now, if we were talking about a PS5 Slim or a series X slim, they wouldn’t need to hire new chip engineers, would they? They’d need to improve the thermals and the wattage without needing to meddle or create a new SOC. But the need for new hands on deck over at their SOC department suggests that AMD is working on new consoles or mid-generation refreshes of the PS5 and the Series X, to be precise. It’s a matter of time before Sony designs a PS5 slim because of the criticism surrounding its size. It’s also needed to take into consideration that a process node shrink has been observed within every console iteration. With that said, Sony and Microsoft could be looking at a 5nm AMD-based SoC or APU featuring an enhanced base clock with much higher memory bandwidth. In addition, we should hope for a potential Pro model that seems to be a possibility considering the last generation trend. While both consoles promised 4K with 60 FPS, they don’t quite meet the standards and expectations set with their marketing, and it’s possible they might achieve this with new APUs and SoCs on the way. Powerful hardware is the go-to brute force route to achieve the golden 4K 60 FPS Standard. This all sounds pretty exciting as the future of technology and console gaming will always have an upward trajectory. The current generation consoles have been considerably more powerful compared to their previous-gen counterparts. Both companies are adamant about improving their hardware. It’s only a matter of time before Sony, AMD, and Microsoft achieve new heights. Both of the consoles have announced an extensive list of exclusive titles for 2023, so it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to see new console designs being released in conjunction with the upcoming titles. But then comes the question of availability and pricing. We hope the consoles are competitively priced and are widely available for customers. In addition, there need to be measures taken to reduce scalping across the board. That’s pretty much all the current information we got regarding the rumored PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X Slim. Will we get a new Xbox and PlayStation this early into the generation?
