Xbox head confirms there is no refresh in store for Xbox Series S|X

Sony is all set to upgrade the PlayStation 5 with a PlayStation 5 Pro at some point in the near future. Microsoft, on the other hand, has no such plans. While there were murmurs about an upgraded Xbox console, nothing came of it. Instead, we got a slightly more expensive Xbox Series S with double the storage. Xbox head Phil Spencer has now effectively confirmed that the console is not due to be upgraded anytime soon.

In an interview with IGN, Spencer insists that the processing power offered by the Xbox Series X is sufficient and that the company wants to "let devs settle on this hardware and get the most out of it." Right now, Microsoft wants to focus on the Xbox Series S, a console notorious for holding back progress on current-gen games.

Spencer adds, "There's a bunch of things that go into what makes a game look and feel great. And we have a ton of headroom as an industry there." Pixel count and frame resolution are not crucial in Microsoft's eyes. This could explain why recent AAA launches such as Redfall and the much-hyped Starfield are restricted to 30 FPS on the "world's most powerful gaming console".

Microsoft's strategy with the Xbox Series S|X is the diametric opposite of the Xbox One era, where it refreshed the console twice with the Xbox One S and Xbox One X. However, with the rapid adaptation of more resource-heavy engines like Unreal Engine 4 and 5, a mid-gen refresh is almost essential, as the Xbox Series X's already-dated hardware will only lag further behind the eventual PlayStation 5 Pro and even mid-range gaming PCs.

Buy the Xbox Series X on Amazon