No new Xbox announcement in 2012, says Microsoft

There will be no new Xbox announcement in 2012, a Microsoft spokesperson has told Bloomberg news. It was previously speculated that Microsoft may tease their Xbox 360 successor at this year’s E3 gaming expo.

With Sony already confirmed not to be making any announcementqu at E3 either, that leaves Nintendo alone on centre-stage as they demo their new Wii U console at the event in June.

A Microsoft spokesperson commented,

“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.

“For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360.”

Microsoft are very definite about no new console coming “anytime soon”, attempting to quell conversation on the next model so as not to affect the current, strong-selling Xbox 360. In fact, the Xbox 360 is selling better than ever, having outsold both Nintendo and Sony in 2011.

With no announcement in 2012, we probably won’t see the new Xbox until late 2013 or early 2014. The PS4 will likely be released around the same time or slightly later.

The new Xbox will, reportedly, not feature any disc drive – DVD and Blu-ray discs are already on our endangered technologies list. Instead, Microsoft will focus on their digital marketplace where gamers purchase and download game titles.