Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/20/next_gen_xbox_due_in_2013_says_develop_mag/
Next-gen Xbox set for 2013 release
720 reasons to believe
Posted in Hardware, 20th October 2011 16:50 GMT
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A new Microsoft Xbox system is apparently under development and will be ready for release in late 2013, with a reveal expected a few months before during the E3 Expo in LOs Angeles.
That's according to coders' mag Develop, which says multiple sources from processor chip makers to middleware firms [1] have all confirmed it.
The assurance contradicts rumours that the next Xbox platform, dubbed "720", would hit shelves in late 2012 [2]. This did seem improbable, though.
It also goes against the word of Todd Howard, the director of software developer Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series, who says the Xbox 360's follow-up is unlikely to appear before 2014 [3].
When it comes to the PlayStation, Develop agrees, claiming several of Sony's studios have already started work on PS4 titles, with a new console likely to materialise in 2014.
Either way, the news is good for Nintendo, as it seems the only next-gen console to appear in 2012 will be the Wii U [4], which lands sometime mid-year.
Earlier this month, Microsoft teased fans with an Xbox 720 logo, which appeared on a billboard in the Hugh Jackman Sci-Fi flick, Real Steel. As it was on screen for well over half a minute, you'd hope there would be some weight behind the name. ®