Although some of the Xbox 720 rumours doing the rounds are a little more speculative than others, as the Xbox 360 enters its seventh year of life, the eagerly awaited next-generation console edges ever closer to reality with a flurry of reports suggesting we could see the Xbox 720 release formally unveiled later this year.
Xbox 720 Release Date
The most coveted of all the Xbox 720 rumours, the Xbox 720 release date has been talked about for a number of years with the console continuing to be teased but, to date, always failing to live up to expectation and make its first official appearance.
Although many rumours have suggested we will see the Xbox 720 sooner rather than later, Microsoft has repeatedly made reference to the console’s ’10 year lifecycle’ seemingly quelling reports of a pre 2015 arrival.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft's European boss Chris Lewis said: "I think 2010 will be a very big year for us, it is in many ways for us mid-lifecycle. What you've seen is with this new sleek design and Kinect for Xbox 360 we've got at least another five years of this generation where we continue to offer great experiences for people.”
Lewis’ words were reiterated by Microsoft's David Hufford, senior director of Xbox product management who last year told an interviewer 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."
Earlier this year the Seattle based company also put an end to a number of reports which had suggested it was to launch the Xbox 720 later this year to compete with Nintendo’s upcoming console offering the Nintendo Wii U.
“What will happen at E3, it's still too early to say. What's certain is that there will be nothing new in 2012,” Microsoft’s French Marketing Director Cedrick Delmas announced in a recent interview. “If we wanted to counter Nintendo, we would have to be in a position to release something immediately, and that is not at all the case.
"We're not here to counter Nintendo and they're not here to fight the other manufacturers. Nintendo has put itself in a different cycle, it's going forward to its own rhythm, with success as we have seen with the Wii, and now it's their turn to present their innovation."
Insisting that the now aging Xbox 360 still has what it takes to lead the console wars for another lucrative Christmas period Delmas added: "We're in an industry that talks, a lot, one that likes telling stories. I am not convinced that things will happen this year. The Xbox 360's cycle is not over at all. The proof is that we haven't price cut this year.”
Despite these seemingly dead end claims from Microsoft, a new selection of Xbox 720 rumours have emerged suggesting the console will now been shown off at E3 2012 ahead of pre-Christmas release next year.
Talking to MCV an unnamed source has claimed to have knowledge on the matter from an 'ultra high level' which suggests that although we won't see the Xbox 720 launch any time soon what we could see at E3 in June is a taster of what's to come.
