It never really feels like the year flew by until you hit October. Even with so much left to go in terms of releases – Double Fine’s Keeper and Pokémon Legends: Z-A are out now, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Jurassic World Evolution 3 next week, The Outer Worlds 2 the week after – 2025 feels complete. We’ve seen some surprise hits and several critically acclaimed releases. Some disappointments and more than a few horrendous titles; layoffs, studio closures, project cancellations, you name it. And yet, no matter how much further we get into this console generation, it still feels like it’s just getting started.
So it’s probably not ideal to learn that the next generation is underway and potentially arriving sooner than most expect. Oh, Xbox and AMD have announced their multi-year deal, the former reasserting its commitment to future hardware even as console hardware revenue drops every quarter. PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny even sat down with AMD’s senior VP, Jack Huynh, and stated outright that the next PlayStation console is a few years away.
Yet, rumors are circulating that hardware has already been finalized. Insider KeplerL2 has reported about the PlayStation 6 for some time now, from the inclusion of a detachable disc drive, a portable variant for gaming on the go, a substantial leap in ray tracing performance over the PS5 and PS5 Pro and so on. However, last week, they alleged that Sony is targeting 2027 for the console’s release, barring any “unexpected delays.”
Rather conveniently, Microsoft’s next Xbox has its own rumors circulating, and wouldn’t you know it, but it’s also in discussions for a 2027 release (according to Moore’s Law is Dead). That would mean a potential announcement for both consoles next year.
I won’t delve too much into their hardware because it’s all rumors and conjecture at this point – most could probably guess that both will feature CPUs based on AMD’s Zen 6 architecture. It is notable that the Xbox APU, reportedly offers performance that’s about 30 to 35 percent higher than the PS6.
No, what really interests me is the release timing of both consoles. It’s not surprising in the least, as with the PS4 and Xbox One, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S launched within days of each other, and that too during the lucrative Fall period. Both truly began marketing their consoles within the same year; both touted the 4K revolution that the current generation would bring (and surprise, surprise, there have been mixed results). Both have raised prices on their respective consoles – they’ve only really diverged in their mid-cycle (if that’s what we’re calling it) plans.
Sony took the tried-and-true enhanced console approach with the PS5 Pro, but Microsoft is delving into the handheld space with Asus via the Ally and Ally X. And despite their high prices, stock has sold out for the latter, which should be good news.
However, the current perception is that it’s too early for new consoles, simply because the generation still hasn’t really peaked. Some feel that there haven’t been nearly enough exclusives to justify moving on. As much as Sony has had a great year with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yōtei, they’re still only two games. What about the rest of PlayStation Studios? What about the closures and cancellations that resulted from the failed live service push? 2026 is looking better with Marvel’s Wolverine and Saros, but it still doesn’t feel nearly enough, especially when the PS5 came out swinging in its first 12 months.
Then there’s Microsoft, which fumbled no small amount of exclusives – Redfall, Halo Infinite, Starfield, Forza Motorsport, just to name a few – when it wasn’t busy cancelling the rest. In fact, most of its acclaimed releases were either cross-gen (Forza Horizon 5, Ori and the Will of the Wisps) or multi-platform (like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle). At least there was Hi-Fi Rush, even if Microsoft rewarded Tango Gameworks by shutting it down and selling off the IP to Krafton. When Xbox doesn’t feel like it’s sinking to new lows, having to outright clarify that US retailers still carry its games and hardware, it feels like the best is still to come (and admittedly, its 2026 line-up does look good).
Assuming the seven-year cycle is true, this generation has also likely felt shorter because it didn’t properly take off in 2020 due to the pandemic and global chip shortages. And yet, I don’t think either Sony or Microsoft really care.
Aside from the deals they have with AMD regarding manufacturing, both companies have obligations to shareholders alone. For Sony, the decision to allegedly pursue a handheld version of the PS6 probably comes from the success of the PlayStation Portal. It likely won’t worry too much about an install base either – the fact that consumers are still buying PS5 consoles despite the lack of exclusives shows that they’re not the biggest priority. Important, sure, but it’s the brand that really matters. And besides, many of them will likely become cross-gen when the PS6 launches because if it worked for the PS5 – see Horizon Forbidden West, Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7, etc – it can work again.
Microsoft is a little trickier to predict. Despite rumors of their own handheld supposedly being shelved, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s waiting to see how the ROG Xbox Ally performs before committing to a proper Xbox variant. On the other hand, you have to wonder whether its attempt to compete in the console space makes any sense, given that many of its first-party titles have gone multi-platform, or the whole “This is an Xbox” slogan that wants to encompass multiple devices. Again, time will tell because if there’s one thing that Microsoft has consistently done this generation, it’s baffled us with its decisions, time and again.
At the end of the day, it will be less about whether the PS6 and next Xbox actually launch in 2027, and whether you should actually put money down for them. With rising prices, is $700, $800, $900 or even $1000 acceptable, especially when you know that one or the other will get enhanced versions? Is it worth believing, once again, that both consoles will push the limits of graphical fidelity, just like their predecessors promised? For many, it may be as simple as deciding whether they want to put down however much is necessary to play Grand Theft Auto 6 in native 4K at 60 FPS with ray tracing (and you can be sure there will be an Enhanced Edition at some point with new content to sweeten the deal).
As annoying as it feels, I can’t blame either company much for the same habits, even with how bizarrely this generation has unfolded. I would advise fans of either brand to be a little more wary about buying into their promises, but then again, hype can be a dangerous thing, and all it would take is that one coveted Bloodborne remaster or maybe a new Halo to throw caution to the wind. To paraphrase a famous character, you can accept the next generation of consoles or defy it, but you can’t deny it, and once the hype starts, there’s no escape.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
