According to Japan's new Xbox division chief, Yoshihiro Maruyama, the next generation of Xbox will not see the light of day until 2006, a statement that either debunks thinking to the contrary or throws a considerable curveball at Sony.
Speaking in last week’s Famitsu magazine, Maruyama said, “I hope that we can release the machine in the near future, but it won't be next year. Considering that the PlayStation 2 is entering its fifth year and that its game line-up is in its prime, we're estimating that the successor to that console will be released after 2006. Whether we'll release the successor to the Xbox before the PS3 needs to be decided carefully. It has strong pros and cons."
However, this observation comes as a stark contrast to comments made to us by senior US Xbox staff, including J Allard, who told us that Xbox 2 would beat PlayStation 3 to market.
In the same Famitsu piece, Maruyama made the first commitment as to the aesthetic direction of the new machine. “In terms of hardware, we get a lot of requests asking us to reduce the size of the new console,” he said. “Actually, I was thinking so myself before coming to Microsoft. We promise that we'll make the new console smaller."
However, it seems that the next generation is slipping further and further away with every new comment from any executive operating within one of the three hardware manufacturers. Whether this is a deliberate attempt to throw rivals off the scent or a reflection of the truth will be revealed in the coming months.
Speaking in last week’s Famitsu magazine, Maruyama said, “I hope that we can release the machine in the near future, but it won't be next year. Considering that the PlayStation 2 is entering its fifth year and that its game line-up is in its prime, we're estimating that the successor to that console will be released after 2006. Whether we'll release the successor to the Xbox before the PS3 needs to be decided carefully. It has strong pros and cons."
However, this observation comes as a stark contrast to comments made to us by senior US Xbox staff, including J Allard, who told us that Xbox 2 would beat PlayStation 3 to market.
In the same Famitsu piece, Maruyama made the first commitment as to the aesthetic direction of the new machine. “In terms of hardware, we get a lot of requests asking us to reduce the size of the new console,” he said. “Actually, I was thinking so myself before coming to Microsoft. We promise that we'll make the new console smaller."
However, it seems that the next generation is slipping further and further away with every new comment from any executive operating within one of the three hardware manufacturers. Whether this is a deliberate attempt to throw rivals off the scent or a reflection of the truth will be revealed in the coming months.
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