No XBOX 'Next' 720 For E3 2012

It looks like the way stands clear for Nintendo's Wii U console, due to launch after E3 2012, as Microsoft and Sony apparently have no plans to release consoles this year. Since neither manufacturer has a device to show off at the E3 gaming event, we can safely assume we'll have to wait until 2013 to see replacements for the PS3 and XBOX 360.

In an interview with Gamespot, Microsoft Marketing Director, Jose Pinero, outlines the firm's plans to draw out the lifespan of the current XBOX 360, notably with the Kinect gaming system: 'At the moment we don't have anything to announce. What we have seen with the XBOX 360 is that Kinect has extended the life of the console. Typically, historically, in the sixth or seventh year, console sales start flatlining or going down because it's [the end of the product's life]. With us launching the Kinect a little over a year ago, what we saw was a resurgence in the 360, it makes the 360 a brand new console. If you think about the Kinect [...], the new dashboard and GUI we launched in November, it's like having a brand new console.'

Microsoft's position is all the more understandable since XBOX 360 sales have never been so healthy (particularly in the US). Plus, the firm has already shifted 18 million Kinect motion control systems (coming soon to PC) worldwide!








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