Next-gen Xbox to debut at next year's E3
Games already in development, apparently
Microsoft is a year away from major announcements concerning the Xbox 360's successor, it has been claimed.
A "high ranking industry source" at Far Cry developer Crytek confirmed that a new Timesplitters game is in development, VideoGamer reports, and reckons Microsoft will announce the Xbox followup at E3 next year.
Blimey, and we've only got the most recent one out of the way...
Crytek has already invested resources into the next-gen PlayStation too.
The mole said Crytek has been using Microsoft's DirectX 11 as a benchmark for the abilities of next-generation consoles' graphical abilities.
In contrast, Nintendo's next-gen Wii U platform is believed to sport a DirectX 10.1-level feature set.
Looking to the future
It has been claimed of late that Microsoft and Sony's next-gen consoles won't hit shelves until 2015. If the moles are to be believed, and an announcement does go ahead next year, the Xbox '720' should hit shelves in 2013.
Such a date would make more sense and corresponds to next-gen console predictions made a couple years back by a certain Wedbush analyst.
Fingers crossed he was right all along. ®
COMMENTS
I'll wait and see
Personally I'll evaluate the new XBox on it's merits and make a decision based on what it actually is. I have an XBox but no brand loyallty and if Sony meets my needs better it's a PS4 for me.
However, readin between the lines, and call me over sensitive if ya like, I get the impression that Steve/Mark/Carole has already made his mind up that an unnaonounced machine made by Sony is better than an unnanounced machine made by Microsoft. Which to my limited undertsanding is as intellectually barren as the other way round.
Open to correction tho
PS3 features vs. xbox features
At least Microsoft's updates typically add capabilities to the box, not remove them (Other OS, anybody?). And I think a few Sony boxen have had hardware issues too.
Seems to me that arguing that one side is "indefensible" and implying that the other side is somehow better because of that shows a very serious case of selective vision. Both the xbox and the PS3 have skeletons in the cupboard.
Perspective
So you feel Microsoft let you down with the RROD (and God knows you should, not defending them here) but you apparently don't feel let down over Sony's insecure handling of customer data on the PSN, rootkits on music CDs, etc?
No you're right
Making buying decisions about products that are pure vapourware is madness, you're totally right.
It reminds me of the idiotic mac fanboys* on their rumour sites that whip themselves up into a frenzy over some feature they've all decided ought to be in the next version of some apple product then castigate Apple for "withdrawing it" when the new product turns out never to have had this rumoured thing all along. People are crazy.
(* and before any idiotic mac fanboys castigate me for being a "wintard" over this statement, I'm telling you now that I probably own more Apple gear than the average mac fanboy)
I just prefer the PS3 games over most of what is available on PC
So, you're not into FPS or RTS games then, eh?
