We've already talked a bit today at Pure Xbox about the PS5 Pro that was announced by Sony a couple of hours ago, and as things stand, it seems very unlikely we'll be seeing anything similar from Microsoft in the near future.
Some will definitely take that as a negative, but to be honest we can understand why there's no sign of an "Xbox Pro" or an "Xbox Series X Pro" (or whatever else you want to call it) on the horizon. Sure, Microsoft is risking a loss of market share by not competing in this area with Sony, but the positives most likely outweigh the negatives.
Let's start with an obvious one - Xbox already has two console variants on the market. The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S couldn't be much more different from each other, and adding a third model into the mix would not only be unprecedented, but it'd probably also feel like overkill. Combine that with Microsoft's declining console sales in recent months and Sony's historical dominance in this area (at least in the past decade), and you can see why the company would be hesitant to introduce yet another console into the Xbox family during this generation.
Then there's the actual cost of the PS5 Pro to consider. Sony is pricing the new console at £699.99 / $699.99 (it doesn't even include a disc drive!), and although the upgrades could end up being worth the money, it feels like PlayStation fans are being asked to pay an awful lot here. With Xbox already not faring that well in the market compared to Sony's consoles right now, a pricey Xbox Series X would struggle to command such a high fee.
And of course, we all know that Microsoft is looking beyond consoles these days. Xbox Cloud Gaming was getting a massive push for a while, and still remains a key focus of Team Xbox as things stand, while there are whispers that some kind of Xbox handheld might be in the works too. We saw very little of this during the Xbox One generation, but clearly the strategy has changed since then - new consoles aren't the be-all and end-all anymore.
Simply put, Xbox is in a decent position without needing to have another console on the market until the next generation rolls around. The Xbox Series S achieves its goal of catering to consumers who want a current-gen experience for a low price, while the Xbox Series X is perfectly powerful enough to still attract new owners in 2024, especially when you put it alongside the $699 price tag that Sony has slapped on the PS5 Pro.
Would we have liked to see an Xbox Series X Pro? Sure... we'd have bought it because we're die-hard Xbox fans. Beyond the core fanbase though, it's hard to see where such a costly new console would have fit in for Microsoft.