Hopes of an Xbox 720 appearing in the near future were dashed as Microsoft confirmed that there are no current plans to release a successor to the Xbox 360.
The company intends instead to extend the life of the existing console with more content services like Sky Player and add-ons such as Project Natal as well as the rumoured muscle-based controller.
Microsoft’s David Hufford, senior director of Xbox product management on Project Natal told an interviewer this week that, “it’s important to say that the Xbox 360 is the console of the long future for us,” adding that the company feels there “is no need to launch a new console, because we’re able to give this console new life either with software upgrades or hardware upgrades.”
Hufford added: “The Xbox 360 was designed for a long life, and I don’t even know if we’re at the midpoint yet.”
With 3D technology hot on the CES 2010 agenda, Sony has already unveiled plans to bring 3D gaming to the PS3, and Hufford was also quick to stress the potential 3D capabilities of the Xbox 360, claiming: “Avatar is on Xbox and we have a 3D game, Scrap Metal, in our booth right now.”
“I don’t want to say that technology stops, but we believe we have a high quality console, and we stand by that quality with an unprecedented warranty, so we think we’re in a good place now heading into the Natal era,” said the Microsoft man.
One piece of hardware Microsoft hopes will keep the Xbox 360 chugging away is Project Natal which the company believes will sell in its millions by Christmas.
Microsoft used its keynote speech at CES to announce that the motion-sensing controller would be available for Christmas 2010, and they fully expect it to be top of the festive wish list this year.
Speaking to Joystiq at CES, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg said: “We think that there will be millions of Natals in consumer’s homes this holiday.”
Greenberg also confirmed that the Natal add-on kit will work on all Xbox 360 systems, including those without a HDD.
“As far as I’m aware, there is no requirement for a hard drive,” he said.
The message is clear then, take good care of that 360 console, you may be holding onto it for some time yet.
Link: Tech Radar T3
