Microsoft says no new Xbox 'anytime soon'
Summary: Microsoft confirmed there will be no new Xbox hardware announced either at the E3 video game conference in June or anytime soon.
Hoping that Microsoft will update the aging Xbox 350 games console any time soon? Well, you're out of luck, as Microsoft confirmed there will be no new Xbox hardware announced either at the E3 video game conference in June or anytime soon.
Speaking to AllThingsD, Microsoft's head of corporate communications Frank Shaw dispelled rumors that the six-year-old console would continue to be sold through 2012.
"While we appreciate all the interest in our long-range plans for the future, we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon. For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360."
This comes days following a rumor which claimed that the next-generation Xbox console would abandon the optical drive in favor of flash storage. This rumor didn't really make sense to me because it seems counterintuitive for Microsoft to abandon cheap discs in favor of more expensive flash storage 'cartridge' options.
The only even plausible reason why Microsoft might have abandoned an optical drive was because it wanted to have greater storage capacity for games that DVD currently offers, but didn't want to take the Blu-ray approach because that would be putting royalty money into Sony's pocket.
The news is bittersweet. It's bad news because old and outdated hardware is going to continue to stifle console gamers for at least another year. However, it's good news for gamers as their investment in the platform both in terms of hardware and games will stay relevant for 2012.
Hoe soon until we see a new Xbox? Right now, rumors I'm hearing say that we're unlikely to see a new console until at least spring 2013, and maybe even not until 2014.
Image source: Microsoft.
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Talkback
Why a new console?
There's a BIG why coming their way...
I'm a bit surprised that Sony and Microsoft chose not to follow suit when Nintendo made their big announcement. I still enjoy my 360s, and my PS3, and am not looking to spend a quadjillion dollars on yet another gaming unit, but the promise of delivering graphics at modern GPU standards sure sounds smexy to me...
Does anybody care about the Wii-U?
Xbox 360 already does 1080p
@A.Sinic It "does" 1080p, but...
@risk_k@... You are sorely mistaken...
It isn't some blow off to the competitors, as it's going to be at least 7 years ahead of them. When the game manufacturers start strutting 1080p AA, and down-porting to the other two consoles, people will start thinking long and hard about jumping ship on the other two.
Everyone needs to be bringing their A game, but Sony and MS seem to be taking the approach that they are going to sit it out and watch what ends up happening to Nintendo. I think it's a bad bet. If WII-U gets traditional controllers as well (or their touch screen controllers turn out to be usable), I'd put money that numbers are going to start falling on the competitors.
I love my XB360 and to a lesser extent, my PS3, but if they can't keep up, we'll have to start seeing other people...
Why a new console?
I see huge potential as well...
I'm still excited to see the beginnings take shape with W8 and its integration with XBL, but I think the broader scope is far more exciting (assuming this is what they are doing) then what we are seeing today.
The WII-U, as previously asserted, will steal a great deal of thunder from the current consoles, however, if they bring a modern GPU into the mix.
And when you wake up...
Does Xbox run x86 and ARM Windows applications? Why not?
Ah.. because it's running an completely different architecture: PowerPC
And, dream that Microsoft is going to let this happen?
Even if the console has the horsepower and other things necessary to make this happen, it is extremely unlikely that Microsoft will let it happen.
Their current non-x86 focus is ARM. Porting all their applications to PowerPC just to please some gamers does not sound Microsoft's way.
Have you watched the trends?
Think about it. If they had one central unit acting as the central hub, they would OWN the home computing industry (from a desktop standpoint).
The XBox is already making the transition to become the central area for home entertainment, by including Hulu, Netflix, and Vudu (and even covering their bases on social media - Netflix, Twitter, etc.). They already have their own Music environment with on demand music, and they already have the external storage area for transferring files and media.
How big of a leap do you think it is to throw I.E. 10 and a light office on the machine making them the center of EVERYONES computing needs in one tiny box that sits under your TV?
The day is coming quickly when the next generation of HD negates the need for a monitor in lieu of a TV (I already use dual 37"/42" TVs for my home PC). At one point, people speculated the XBox could not be the central hub for their entertainment needs, and they are rapidly proving them wrong.
How long do you think it will be before everything gets bundled into one low cost unit? With one fell swoop (if they did it), they could eliminate a good 80% of the desktops and claim the market as solely theirs. It would be an epic move that would position themselves in the most basic users' household across the nation. It may not be the "perfect solution" for us techies, but we will have mobile devices to satisfy our needs outside of what they provided. Will they do it? Good question, but you seem to think "they can't." That's a downright absurd thought given the transitions in computing we have seen over just the past half decade. Did you even notice that they officially ported the Kinect over to the PC? Have you noticed that most XBox peripherals are dual use PC / XBox? Why do you think inside the box (pun intended)? I'm "hoping" Microsoft doesn't.
Do you recognize that the needs of at least 80% of home consumers could be met with just a few small tweaks to this little black box?
You need to think outside the present moment, as that's where you're running yourself into a brick wall.
Let's take that a step further...
What if "desktop users" never had to worry about upgrades, or being up to date with the latest operating system/security measures because it was all contained in one neat little box that they never had to push any buttons other than "OK" to update?
What if the standard for gaming and high end graphics never came into question, because there was only one standard?
How absolutely enormous do you think this opportunity would be for Microsoft? Will they miss it? That remains to be seen.
And with Microsoft's strong arm tactics on the XBL plane, doesn't concerns over DRM and piracy become a thing of the past?
Sure, the XB360 has been modded and hacked, but those hackers have to keep up on an all too regular basis just to keep from getting banned.
What? No "Is XBox360 being discontinued?"
This just isn't like you, Adrian.
;)
So, great...
Buy a PC
@xpect
Hang On
Agreed, this is not abandonment, but that would fill the bill as benign neglect, to borrow a phrase constructed by the late Senator Monyihan when he was a Democrat in a Republican President's Cabinet.
or something not worth concentrating on in 2011?
Well ...
Xbox is mature
Still enjoyed