If you’re about to buy a new gaming console, it might be worth holding off for a little bit. It seems like there are some new consoles coming sooner than you might expect.
There are possibly two consoles coming out this year. One might be obvious, the other is a bit more of a mystery. And then the next-generation could begin as soon as 2026, if leaked information from Xbox is anything to go by.
That doesn’t mean that you should completely avoid buying a Series X/S, PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch. Those devices all still have value. But depending on what you want, waiting a few months might give you a better deal.
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 is almost certainly going to launch this year. And although people have been talking about this for what seems like 100 years, this time it actually seems to be true. Not only does it make sense for Nintendo to finally stop teasing and just release a console, but a leak from analyst group Omdia suggests the $400 follow-up console will sell 10m units in the next financial year. You can add in half a dozen other convenient little leaks in the last few months too.
But despite all that, we don’t really know very much concrete about the next Nintendo console. Will it be a big jump over the current Switch? Rumours that it will be capable of playing Final Fantasy 7: Remake potentially give it a ballpark idea. It’s a nice thought, but nothing is official until Nintendo hit go.
Suffice to say that if we presume their next console will feature some backwards compatibility, it isn’t worth buying a Switch until this thing is at least announced.
PlayStation 5 Pro
There have been whispers about a higher spec PlayStation 5 for a little while now. One things for certain: it isn’t going to be cheap. Don’t forget that the PS5 has actually gone up in price since launch, so you’re not going to get its bigger brother without paying out a good amount of cash.
On the other hand, what this thing could be capable of might make that money worth it. PC players with high-end graphics cards are a generation ahead of anything on console. You’re not going to be getting that on PlayStation 5 Pro, but you will get some of that. And that has to be a big jump over what we’re currently getting.
It’s true that we’ve not really seen much that’s next-gen so far. And yet overnight it seems we’ve gone from 4k graphics with 60FPS as standard, to an upscaled sub-1080p image and 30fps. If you want something better, you’re going to have to wait for the PS5 Pro.
The Next Generation Xbox
When someone accidentally uploaded a mountain of confidential documents to a court service, we learned a lot about Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox plans. And while not all of it will be accurate (plans change slowly, and plans change quickly), it hints that Microsoft will be releasing its next-generation Xbox in 2026. It’s not worth holding off two years (or more) on the chance that their plans are set in stone. But it’s an interesting guide to what to expect from the current generation consoles.
On top of that, Microsoft’s behind the scenes plans are obviously in flux. It’s looking increasingly likely that several formerly exclusive games, including Sea of Thieves and HiFi Rush, will be coming to PlayStation. What does that mean for their plans going forward? It’s hard to tell.
They’re also getting rid of physical copies around the world, and a digital-only Series X looks set to be announced and released this year. How that changes things for Xbox is anybody’s guess.
Over the next few months things should begin to get clearer and fans of Microsoft and Xbox will know a bit more about where they go next. But if we only have two more years until the next generation starts, we have to hope that something justifies this one sooner rather than later.
Are There New Gaming Consoles on the Horizon? – Conclusion
With two new consoles hitting shelves this year, it’s a bad time to buy a new box. You can increase that to three if you include the “adorably digital” Xbox Series X.
By the summer we should know a little bit more about what to expect from the year to come.
