Interesting question, perhaps...

Do you think we'll reach a point where it won't be necessary to re-make consoles every couple of years or so?

I dunno. I feel like, as old as the PS4 is, I'm not sure if the larger populace would be convinced into buying a hypothetical PS5, knowing how much of an imprint the PS4 has made on the gaming market.

At least Nintendo had a pretty good reason to come out with another console, so I'm definitely not faulting them for that. I don't see the Switch getting old for, at the very least, a good 6ish years, similarly to the PS4.

As for Microsoft, admittedly, I have never owned a Microsoft console before, so I can't really claim whether or not it'd be within Microsoft's best interests to come out first with a Brand New Xbox Two or whatever, but if the Xbox One X is anything like the PS4 Pro, then I can see these consoles holding the attention of the fanbase for an additional good few more years, but I dunno. I still think regular updates and game relases would be enough to prevent people from getting tired of them.

... I hope I'm making sense, by the way! But again, asking: when do you think we'll reach the point where gaming companies, instead of releasing new consoles, just release regular updates to existing consoles instead?

Probably never. Hardware inside these consoles get outdated at one point and won't be able to keep up with advancements.

They could however release a new version of the existing console, ergo the PS4 Pro, but the older version may not be able to handle things as good and you'd still be getting a "new" console just to keep up.

The same with PCs really, stuff gets outdated and won't be able to run everything quite as well as it once did, but in the case of PC its easier to upgrade a single part than with a console.

GTA V and Persona 5, despite releasing on PS4, can run on a 3 with virtually no difference in playability or graphics.
I don't see any difference on 4 exclusive games either. So I think we're already at that point.


But there will always be graphic divas, who want a game looking as good as possible. Generally the Xbox One crowd. Meh.

Mind that GTA V came out before the PS4 was released (2013!!) so it's still built for PS3 and probably improved on PS4 considering the PS4/Xbox One version came out one year later.

while perhaps those games have no difference, there are also games where the difference is more than obvious. Destiny is one huge offender where the PS3 even held the PS4 version back from being 60FPS afaik. It also ran terrible on PS3 consoles compared to the PS4.

I would hate to live in a world where consoles effectively become more expensive PCs. I can see it happening if companies can find a way to sell it, though. Because corporate greed.

The problem with releasing updates for existing consoles is that it splits the player base if you make games that are exclusive to the new console, and so you cut down on sales...and piss a lot of people off. This is why there aren't very many New Nintendo 3DS exclusive titles, and why there are none at all that are exclusive to PS4 Pro. So it doesn't really have as much value or appeal to the consumer as a brand new console does...or at least, some consumers. If you've already got a console capable of playing the game, why bother getting the upgrade for minor improvements? You also need to be very careful with marketing...which you would think wouldn't be an issue, but look at how the Wii U turned out - and that was a brand new console, too. If differentiating between two consoles that are actually different can turn out like that, imagine how disastrous differentiating between two versions of the SAME console could potentially be.

Consoles are designed to be single-purchase, long-term investments - you buy one, you can run everything that releases on it for however long it lasts, and you don't have to tinker with it...there is a certain charm to the simplicity of it, even if it is inflexible when compared to PCs that you can upgrade as you please when new hardware is developed. Developers can take advantage of the newer version's new features, sure, but they still have to develop it for the base console if they want to sell more units, which is always going to limit them even if they update it, because it's just an update - it isn't designed from the ground-up to take advantages of all those shiny new features. The changes are negligible...at least right now.

What worries me is that the maliciously exploitative has/has-not psychology that is present in certain video games with DLC etc. could translate to this - that you wouldn't get a "complete" experience with your console unless you purchased the most expensive version; that you would NEED to do this if you wanted to fully experience the game. That isn't a thing with the PS4 Pro, but it could very easily apply if they start making these changes significant, i.e. beyond visuals/running speed etc. You can bet that this would happen if console upgrades were more frequent and more readily embraced.

That said, it is a good way to extend the console lifespan, which is a ridiculously stupid farce...consoles are not like mobile phones or PCs. They should be lasting substantially longer than the time-frame some like to give them, and if the 3DS is any indication, they are most definitely capable of doing just that. This idea that you need the latest technology to make a good title is a ridiculous one, and AAA developers need to stop acting like they NEED to make their games cutting edge to make a profit. If that was the case, there would be no market for indies, and the Switch wouldn't be selling half as well as it has been.

Whether or not we'll ever reach that point where we just keep getting console updates...I don't think new consoles will ever be a thing of the past, but I DO expect to see more Pro versions etc. that serve as optional upgrades but don't really offer a completely new experience. I wouldn't have thought more than two per generation, though, if only because that need to release something new is still prominent in the industry and it'll keep going. Going by the sales of the current generation, it doesn't seem to be a terribly received idea, because it isn't splitting the player base...yet.