Next Xbox Could Launch Within 360's 10-Year Lifespan

Microsoft is very happy where it right now. Very happy indeed, yes. But if it comes down to it, the launch of the Xbox 360's successor could well overlap its much-publicised 'ten year lifespan.'

Chris Lewis, the European boss for Microsoft's Xbox division, wouldn't directly comment on timings for the company's next home console, but did hint that it might take a similar strategy to Sony with its hardware life cycles.

"Well, we think we’re more than halfway through but given we are still growing, we think we’re at a healthy part in the life cycle still because we’ve pumped this adrenaline into the arm of the business with Kinect," Lewis said to the Metro. "... so we think we’re a little over halfway with the life cycle of the console, but that’s not to say there won’t be an overlap."

Support for the original Xbox console was dropped like a hot potato by Microsoft when the Xbox 360 launched in 2005. This time around, executives at the company has said that there won't be a rush to the eighth console generation - instead existing services and support for peripherals such as Kinect will push the system to a ten year lifespan.

When pressed by the Metro, Lewis elaborated that the introduction of a new Xbox before the day's been called for the Xbox 360 "could possibly be the case. I’m not going to announce specifically or talk about timing. But you could imagine there could be overlap, it depends. We’re not being specific about the next generation at this stage. We’re very fixated on what we’re doing right now and the success we’re enjoying."