Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter calls rumors of Xbox 360 successor in 2012 "silly"; points to refresh next year.
The Xbox 360 is exactly six years old today in North America. That's already two years longer than the original Xbox's life span, and rumors of a next-generation console from Microsoft coming as early as next year have been swirling. However, one analyst thinks it is all a misunderstanding.
Speaking with Industry Gamers, Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter said that launching a successor to the Xbox 360 in 2012 doesn't make much sense for Microsoft. He suggests that the current console is still selling well, so an updated version of the existing box is likely what will hit retail next holiday.
"Those rumors are silly," Pachter said. "Microsoft is still selling a ton of Xbox 360s, and they won't replace the existing one until sales begin to slow. I think the rumors are based upon leaks about modifying the current Xbox 360 to allow it to operate Windows 8. I fully expect a new model of Xbox 360 by holiday 2012, but don't think we see a new console altogether from Microsoft until 2014."
The Wedbush analyst is not the first to point to a closer integration of the Xbox 360 and Windows. Earlier this month, Paul Thurrott of the TWiT Network's Windows Weekly podcast spoke about the next Xbox, reporting it would feature tighter integration with Microsoft's ecosystem and Windows.
I say that the graphics of the Xbox 360 is played out, sure halo 4 is coming out this year and it looks good from the stand point of CGI but the all around graphis of the actaul game play is old, dont get me wrong I am going to enjoy the story but thats it and has for Black OPS 2, I am only getting it for the Zombies. I say lose the old and bring the NEW, yets get on with twinking the game play graphics for the next-gen.
I totally disagree. Wii U is coming next year, and Microsoft will not want to stay behind, same for Sony. And 7 years is already too much for a console, it's enough already (7 years in 2012). And with DirectX 11, Windows 8, computer graphics are becoming way better, so they will want a console with new graphics to support windows development.
Yeah, i think it is coming sooner. We've been hearing rumors flying around for awhile now. It's coming, sooner then he thinks. I'm willing to bet it's been in development now for a couple of years, granted we've only recently seen job positions being opened up for it, but what makes you think they didn't have staff pulling double duty working on it. I'm also guessing it either a surprise to MS that it's selling this well now, or that they expected it to sell well so they can clear the stock out....
Would be a wise decision, since the Wii U is coming out in late 2012 and the possibility that the PS4 would follow 3-9 months after it.
The main thing Microsoft and Sony need to do, is come up with a good reason why we should fork out the cash for a new machine. Slightly prettier graphics, cloud-gaming (which offline gamers will have absolutely no interest in) just doesn't cut it, in my opinion. Say what you want about Nintendos business strategies, but at least they seem to have a very good grasp on coming up with interesting ideas, that fascinate people and eventually make them pay up. The fact that these "gimmicks" later prove to be only a shadow of what we assumed, is less important. Anyhoo, I just hope that Microsoft and Sony will do something like that: Come up with something, that goes beyond the obvious upgrade. Since this article concerns the Xbox, I'll focus on that and suggest a new and improved Kinect. 1:1 movement and integrated into the machine. I'll gladly wait for something ingenius, because if we only consider graphics and such, we will surely not see such an astronomical leap as we did at the last "changing of the guards" and this time around we are collectively "broke".
1 Like I think most of these next gen consoles still have at least two years left in them before they are succeeded by whatever. But even when they do come, I usually like to wait at least a year before I buy the new console.
I don't agree with the analyst. I still think the next xbox is coming holiday 2012 or early 2013. Even if is selling well everyone already noticed there are less and less major titles coming which can be a giveaway that first party developers are shifting towards a new console. First party support is possibly on its lowest ever for the 360 and I doubt they are being lazy, I think they might be moving to the new console to get a good start with good games. I don't own a 360 and I may be wrong but its just that feeling...
1 Like I'll gladly wait until 2014. I have all three, the Wii, 360, and PS3, and I'm in no hurry to see them discontinue supporting them. I play my 360 the most, with my PS3 coming in second, then my Wii getting played about once every 2 weeks. There are so many great games for all these current systems and these latest games that are releasing on the 360,and PS3 are looking outstanding, so I don't think we are in desperate need of a more powerful console. Now if they do release a new system earlier than 2014 I will be forking my hard earned $$ out right away. I just hope they make just one sku, and that it is backwards compatible.
1 Like @littleghostie, so progress should be held back because you like to be late to the party?
@darkangel494 what i want is more immersion in games, your game rig may be able to do this or that but in end its playing the same games the same way. clever developers have found ways to decrease and eliminate load screens, its not just a technical issue, games presentation needs to mature
Dont care what the xbox does but all im saying is the ps4 better not come out for the next 4 years, i just got my first one on black friday.
@surppo That's plain ridiculous. If there was no progress in functionality or graphics then of course a game could be made with no load times, for instance, I can run TES3 on my gaming rig with less than 1 second load times but why would people buy a new console just to get rid of a wait time. A new console would allow better functionality, physics, graphics, AI, etc.
1 Like why dont they wait til they can eliminate load times, 128 multiplayer and assassins creed style mmo's. high ends pcs cant even make those claims
@wwlettsome I agree. The only way they could release that early is if they incorporated full backwards compatibility for the entire xbox 360 and perhaps xbox library as well as cross platform access via live in that 360 players can play with "720" players for xbox games and that accounts for live can be transferred to the new xbox. Not to mention the kinect would also have to work with the new "720".
Depends more on when Sony is going to release the next PS. I agree that 2012 seems too soon especially since the PS3 and Xbox 360 are selling really well. Plus why would MS launch a new console next year when they just launched the Kinect last year? Unless PS forces their hand I think that all points to a 2013 launch at the earliest.
If Nintendo comes out with their next console in 2012, watch how fast this becomes a lie. They said the same thing about the xbox 360, and then released it within months of that lie because Nintendo dropped the Wii. I call bullcrap on this one. It all depends on the new Nintendo console...
1 Like when next gen console will arive(1080 res,ultra hight graphics,dx11 etc) pc gaming will suffers even more ps3 and x360 almost killed pc gaming 99% of games sell more on consoles
1 Like Another reason it would be stupid to release new consoles so soon is because so many people just bought them on black friday. Theres the article on here saying how many 360s were sold and there was that ps3 buncle too which I know people who ended up buying their first ps3. If a new system were to come out in the next year or 2 people are going to feel ripped off.
If I have to wait until 4th quarter 2014 for next gen hardware I'm going to be madder than that Asian convenience store owner in the Stride gum commercial. "People buy one pack and never come back! The fravor rast too rong!!!!!!!"
1 Like I'll even wait till 2015, considering the change from Playstation 2 systems to what we have now with Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 God only knows what they will have in 2015. Makes it more exciting for us.
WOW almost 10 years! Lets see you try to play Battlefield 3 on a computer from 8 years ago. Shows how much more resources a computer needs to play the same game.
I can't believe it's still selling well. I've given mine to my son now and moved on. This and PS3 were touted as "True HD"..but in reality 99% of games supported 720 at best (HD though that is, it's a real "poor man's" HD). these consoles look old. We need more RAM, far better graphics, the ability to run all games at 1080 full (not interlaced) and a LOT more speed. By the time 2014 comes around the 360 will look like playing an original black and white gameboy when compared to even a budget PC. Still I suppose it is a financial crisis worldwide at the moment.
After seeing games like Skyrim and AC:R, there's no need for another console after seeing what the current is capable of. And if sales are going well too, there's no need for a new console.
ok, 2014 is a fine release date, i prob wouldnt get it till 2019 anyways, after all the bugs and problems have been sorted out, just like i did for the xbox 360 n ps3
that is it I might be playing/buying game on the PC. Console graphics (xbox and PS3) is starting to look low res to the PC.
I read an article on this site or on another site about how when Halo 4 launches next fall will mark the end of the 360 and they will move on to the next gen which should be 2013, maybe even 2014 and isn't their a rumor going on that we might get to see what it looks like at the 2012 E3 event next year. I'm kind of looking forward to a next gen console but I'm also hoping that they will keep making games for the 360 and if not at least make it a 100% backwards compatible with Achievements.
@EricShadow366 - Yeah that would be pretty lame, but heck.. it's worked for Sony hasn't it? lol.
Hopefully they listen to their community and fix a lot of the crap that is technically wrong with the current system.
1 Like Most games today don't use 100% of the hardeware potential anyway...so its wrong to improve the hardware when the current software still doesn't use maximum potential...
1 Like We've got a great system now, no need to rush :) I'll wait patiently, confident that whatever comes out in 2014 will be well worth the wait.
In all honesty backward compatibility is not a selling point and if it doesn't have it so what I will just play my old Xbox instead... Just make alot of good games for it and I will be happy!
1 Like Heyyy... that's basically what I've been saying... ...Now if only I made money off of these predictions like he does -_-
I think there's little room for improvement over current consoles. Gameplay wise yeah but look at BF3. We don't get 64 players and large maps like PC does. We haven't even seen the full graphics capabilities of Frostbyte 1 on consoles while FB2 is here. Graphics wise there's little difference between KZ2-KZ3, UC2-UC3, BFBC2-BF3, COD's on consoles. The console gen has aged too fast imo.
@XBLACKXVIPERX Kinda totally agree with you developers need to take more time with their games (while some take way too long, looking at you Square Enix) I haven't seen much of a difference between MW1 and MW2 or World at War and Black Ops besides the addition of new weapons and the maps which are getting slightly worse and worse.
Just bought a new 250 gig xbox 360 for 200 dollars. So if its a short lived upgrade I won't feel so bad.
@guitarist1980 I hear you. I'd like to see them go ahead and give us another system by late 2012,early 2013, but I just want to make sure it can also play my vast library of 360 titles. I know I can still use my 360 for that, but I'm a little skeptical of the reliability of my 08 model 360, so I'd rather have the new system of purchase able to play both.
I have a 08 model 360, with a 120gb hard drive, and I only have 28gb left, so I was thinking about upgrading to get a new 250gb slim 360. I'd like to hold off and see how soon Microsoft is going to unleash it's next platform on the world, but if it isn't too soon I'll think I'll just get the Star Wars Limited Edition Slim 360! I just hope when Microsoft finally decided to release their next system that it is backwards compatible. No "some are some aren't" skus!
I know most of you are happy about a 2014 release.. and it does make sense.. But I am leaning towards the negative side of that release date. And what are they going to do with the xbox 360? Gears of War is done, Halo 4.. it might be cool but if its current gen and the same old thing with slightly updated graphics.. I would rather wait. What else do they have? Game devs and publishers do not want to sink a bunch of money into a new graphics engine for machines that are nearing the end of the line.. so 3 more years of this? We get to look forward to COD 19 the same game thats been released 5x with the same graphics? I think Microsoft should release 720 at the end of next year and make everything backwards compatible. A side note- if Microsoft allows windows 8 on the next gen console that could start a **** storm with all the PC hardware makers. Would be get keyboard and mouse controls? Most people like controllers and it would be an unfair advantage to people like me.
What a lot of you don't understand is that your tech noobs and your being taken advantage of by not expanding your horizons! one guy said "pc's are for porn and stealing music" that's definitely a tech noob statement! for the guy who said I can't build a pc or 3-$400 thats has as much power as a new console is crazy! If you can't network your PC with the cloud, or a router, to play your PC games on your TV then your a tech noob! Piracy Smiracy Consoles are old tech but MS and Sony will keep banking of off the tech noobs who buy "configured consoles" built to limit your gaming experience to a handful of 1st party games!
then the winner would be "onlive"and such sort of gameproviders. 2014 tsssssssss would bought a new xbox in 2012, but now i will spend more money for a pc (theres no onlive here in netherlands/holland).
I love how some guy just thinks its coming out 2014 its a guess he doesnt work for microsoft so he is a retarddd
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