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No next-gen Xbox until 2014 - Analyst

Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter calls rumors of Xbox 360 successor in 2012 "silly"; points to refresh next year.

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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.

Pachter believes the Xbox 360 will be replaced next year, just not by an entirely new Xbox.
Pachter believes the Xbox 360 will be replaced next year, just not by an entirely new Xbox.

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.

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