FifthTech

While no one here is saying that Microsoft necessarily needs a new console right here and now, there has been speculation regarding the current console’s future with the upcoming release of Project Natal, the motion-based, controller-free gaming experience being offered up by Microsoft this holiday season. While it would be great to see a new console hit the shelves, Microsoft says there is no reason for that to happen. Project Natal is being created with the Xbox 360 in mind, and they believe that the two systems will work great hand-in-hand.

The video game industry shifts in cycles, as we’ve seen with almost every other console released in the past (never mind the PlayStation 2, which goes against the grain), and perhaps people who say we should actually be talking about the Xbox 720 are right, but Microsoft doesn’t feel the same way. In an interview with the Guardian UK, Microsoft’s David Hufford stated that the Xbox 360 is Microsoft’s console for the long future. Microsoft believes that considering their console can be revamped software wise, as they did so with the New Xbox Experience (NXE) overhaul last year, and hardware wise with the release of Project Natal, there is no reason to start thinking about a new console.

Yes, there are reasons to upgrade consoles, both from a software standpoint and hardware: better looking games on the software front, and better technology inside the consoles that would cheapen construction of the hardware, as well as remove that whole overheating problem that still plagues some Xbox 360 units across the world. In that regard, Hufford stated that Microsoft has one of the best warranties available, so at least the latter of the issues is directly addressed. And perhaps to take on the software side, Microsoft is banking on Project Natal’s gaming experience to revamp the Xbox 360. Is it a safe bet to hope that motion-controlled gaming will revolutionize a console? Who knows, but we’ll find out soon enough.

From: Guardian UK