No new Xbox hardware at E3 this year

Microsoft promises that there won’t be any announcements regarding the next Xbox “at E3 or anytime soon.” Why? “For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360-and it’s the best year ever for Xbox 360.”

March 16, 2012 8:15 AM6

The rumor mill has been abuzz lately about Microsoft’s next Xbox console. While developers have apparently seen “Durango” running, Microsoft promises that there won’t be any announcements “at E3 or anytime soon.” Why? “For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360-and it’s the best year ever for Xbox 360,” a Microsoft representative commented.

“The console is coming off its biggest year ever-a year in which Xbox outsold all other consoles worldwide,” the rep told Kotaku. If you’ve been following our monthly NPD reports, you’ll know that Xbox 360 has consistently been the top-selling console in the US for quite some time–boosted by the mainstream appeal of its Kinect motion system. “In our seventh year, we sold more consoles than in any other year-defying convention.”

To cut that momentum by announcing a new console might be unwise for Microsoft. Clearly, there’s a lot more money to be earned in the Xbox 360 generation, especially with a holiday that will feature Halo 4, two new Fable games, and a new Forza game.

“While we appreciate all the interest in our long-range plans for the future, we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon,” the rep concluded.