If you were hoping that Microsoft would be releasing a next-gen console by the end of 2012, unfortunately you may be waiting slightly (actually, a lot) longer. Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, speaking to IndustryGamers, says that a new Xbox console by the end of 2012 is not going to happen and that the “rumors are silly.”
It makes sense too. As Pachter points out, Microsoft are still selling loads of Xbox 360s, in fact so many that they are constantly crowned the best selling console in a month. There is no reason for Microsoft to replace the console until they begin to lose sales.
Instead Pachter believes these rumors for a new Xbox in 2012 surround a new model of the existing Xbox 360 that would allow it to run Windows 8. He “fully expect[s] a new model of [the] Xbox 360 by holiday 2012” but doesn’t seem to think a whole new console will arrive until 2014. 2014 may seem like a long way down the track, but it does hold very close to Microsoft’s aim for a 10-year lifespan for the Xbox 360.
However it seems to me like there is an issue with this theory. Pachter believes that the new Xbox 360 model would be able to run Windows 8, so what would happen to the old Xbox 360 consoles that couldn’t? The upgrade from the fat Xbox 360 to slim Xbox 360 S didn’t introduce any new functionality to the console, so adding Windows 8 to the Xbox 360 through a hardware revision would, in some ways, create a new console with different functionality. Strange.
I guess we’ll have to wait to see if this becomes true. Personally I’m waiting for a new Xbox console that improves the graphical capabilities, but an intermittent upgrade is always nice.
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