The State of Video Game Consoles

The hosts of Triple Click—Jason Schreier, Kirk Hamilton, and Maddie Myers—examine the state of the current console generation, roughly five and a half years in for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and under a year for Switch 2. They highlight a sense of stagnation amid hardware shortages, exploding development costs, and shifting player habits toward PC and mobile gaming.

Weird Pace and Diminishing Returns

The generation feels oddly short and underwhelming. COVID delays, chip shortages (including RAM), and longer development cycles have slowed output, making it hard to recall standout technical advances. PS5 and Xbox launched in 2020, yet rumors swirl of PS6 and next Xbox in 2027—earlier than the typical seven-year cycle but too soon given the lack of need for more power.

Graphical leaps have hit diminishing returns. Games like Ghosts of Yote and Resident Evil Requiem look stunning on base PS5 at 60fps, thanks to AI upscalers like DLSS and FSR that boost fidelity without massive hardware gains. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) holds up visually to many current titles, and art direction often trumps raw power—evident in stylized hits like Pokemon Pokopia. Blockbuster gaps have widened: franchises like Bioshock (three games from 2007-2013) or Arkham (three in six to eight years) now face five-to-seven-year waits due to studio closures, layoffs, and pivots to costly games-as-service.