I predict the PS5 Pro and Nintendo Switch 2 will wage a console war this Christmas. But the Xbox won’t be in the fight
Is the Xbox experiencing an identity crisis?
We’ve been begging Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo to give us just a crumb of information about their next-gen consoles. However, much to our disappointment, the three gaming giants have kept their cards close to their chest when it comes to the PS5, Switch and Xbox successor. But that’s all changed.
On 7 May, Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo, made a statement. On Twitter/X, the official Nintendo account casually dropped a bombshell, stating: “We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015.” Furukawa went on to say that “[Nintendo] will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”
It’s safe to say that Ninty fans across the world are rejoicing at this news, and for good reason. By our estimation, “the latter half of 2024” could point to a Christmas release. So too, might the PS5 Pro. There are strong rumours to suggest that Sony are aiming for a Q4 2024 release for the PS5 Pro, conveniently several months before the planned 2025 release of Grand Theft Auto VI. This will pit console against console in a war for our hard earned Christmas bonus.
But while we’re eagerly awaiting the PS5 Pro and Nintendo Switch 2, where is the Xbox 2.0 in this conversation?
Identity crisis
We have a rough idea of what the PS5 Pro and Nintendo Switch 2 will offer, but news has been light on an upgraded Xbox. We’ve had a few reported leaks, including news of a redesigned, discless Xbox Series X and a new controller setup. We also might be getting a white Xbox later this year. But compared to its console counterparts, the enthusiasm for a new Xbox console isn’t quite there in the same way.
Why is that? Well, it’s hard to deny that Xbox is suffering something of an identity crisis. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that a number of its former-Xbox exclusive titles would be going to PS5 and the Nintendo Switch. This included Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, the medieval adventure game Pentiment, and Grounded. Then, there was the Xbox streaming device debacle. Rumours surrounding an dedicated streaming console for the Xbox had been doing the rounds for a few years, only further fuelled by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer himself in a much discussed 2022 Tweet. Now, it seems like the Xbox dongle dream is dead.
With so much uncertainty around Microsoft’s future plans, it’s hard for me to get excited about a future Xbox. Sony has its many flaws, but the company’s sheer, unwavering greed reassures me that its exclusives will never be available elsewhere. The same is true for Nintendo, who would rather put a mafia hit on Mario than have him appear on a different gaming platform. To me, Xbox is a more fickle beast, one that I can’t quite trust with me money.
Jack Needham
