Talking Point: Do You Think This Generation Will Be A Short One?

So, we’re almost at the four-year mark of the Xbox Series X|S generation, and if the last few console cycles are anything to go by, we should be around the halfway mark right now. Xbox 360 lasted eight years, Xbox One lasted seven, but what about Xbox Series X and S? Will they go the distance and turn in similar numbers?

Well, a couple of years ago we’d have said yes, absolutely – at least matching up to Xbox One. However, it’s been a turbulent old time for Xbox over the last year or two, and we’re getting the feeling that this gen could be shorter for Team Green – and maybe others as well.

For starters, Sarah Bond & co. have already begun mentioning the company’s next-generation system, which seems odd at this time. It still feels like 2024 could be before the halfway point for a console cycle if Microsoft decided to go the typical route – but with Sarah talking about building Xbox’s most-powerful console ever already, that doesn’t seem to be the plan this time around.

Then, there’s all these handheld rumours, speculating that Microsoft might disrupt the traditional console life cycle with a Steam Deck-like machine. This isn’t as concrete yet — nothing has been formally announced — but Xbox’s Phil Spencer has gotten pretty close to talking about such a device. We’re also seeing big moves in the cloud gaming space with Amazon Fire, and even rumours of Xbox cutting back on console marketing in certain regions, so yeah, there’s just a lot going on at the moment!

We also ask this question because, well, the other platform holders are being quite cryptic right now too. For a while, some sort of PS5 Pro seemed nailed on for 2024, but with Sony still not announcing the system yet, and speculation out there about it potentially not hitting this year, those plans could change as well. Then there’s Nintendo Switch 2, which no-one seems to know a damn about all things considered.

It could be that all three companies bring something big to the market over the next couple of years, and as time moves on, it really does feel like we could easily move beyond the current crop of consoles by, say, late 2026. It just remains a mystery what shape all of their replacements will take.

What do you make of all this? Are we getting a new generation sooner rather than later? Tell us down below.