Xbox 360 Has Ten-Year Life Cycle Too

[Andy Chalk]

Xbox 360 Has Ten-Year Life Cycle Too

Microsoft's Xbox 360 [http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/kim/] will have a ten-year life cycle.

"Playing the long game" has been SCEA [http://www.sony.com] President Jack Tretton said Sony was committed to the PlayStation 3 for "the next ten years and beyond," a figure that was often repeated by company executives as they assured gamers that the console wouldn't be prematurely abandoned.

Now VentureBeat [http://www.microsoft.com]. "Project Natal is a great innovation. It will work with every Xbox 360 sold. It's not about pushing more pixels on the screen. It's about how to break down barriers that stop people from playing games."

Kim said Microsoft's commitment to Project Natal and the Xbox 360 is also visible in recent changes to its in-house development studios, noting that while Microsoft recently closed Aces Game Studio [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/86186-Microsoft-to-Shut-Down-Halo-Wars-Studio] it had also acquired Big Park Studio. "We made some hard decisions in the past. We made good decisions. We are still committed to first party. The Big Park acquisition should demonstrate that to folks," he said. "We were positioning for things like Natal and I don't think the talent at Ensemble or Flight Simulator were necessarily the right studios for that."


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[Lvl 64 Klutz]

Too bad each individual system doesn't have that life cycle.

 

[Lukeydoodly]

Good news.

Too bad each individual system doesn't have that life cycle.

POW!

 

[fenrizz]

I think that is the biggest reason console gameing is becoming more popular than PC gaming.
10 years is a good life span, because then you won't have to worry about spending a small fortune on upgrades every 2 years.

 

[munx13]

That's nice to hear. Consoles will be more affordable.
Maybe this will also hold down developers from pushing the already expensive PC hardware too much as well.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Somehow I'm sceptical of this, as by 2015, the tech in it will be horrifically dated, not to mention the repair costs will keep on increasing. Personally, I see it coming to a close near the end of 2010, and Natal coming out with a new xbox.

Old tech hasn't stopped people releasing games for the PS2.

 

[Aura Guardian]

Somehow I'm sceptical of this, as by 2015, the tech in it will be horrifically dated, not to mention the repair costs will keep on increasing. Personally, I see it coming to a close near the end of 2010, and Natal coming out with a new xbox.

Old tech hasn't stopped people releasing games for the PS2.

That is true.

 

[GloatingSwine]

Somehow I'm sceptical of this, as by 2015, the tech in it will be horrifically dated, not to mention the repair costs will keep on increasing. Personally, I see it coming to a close near the end of 2010, and Natal coming out with a new xbox.

If they were going to do a new Xbox that early, we'd know about it by now.


Expect to see a new Xbox christmas 2011 at the earliest, with support for the Xbox 360 running alongside it for several years after it's release.

Remember, part of the "ten year lifecycle" includes the system existing alongside it's newer sibling.

 

[Abedeus]

Somehow I'm sceptical of this, as by 2015, the tech in it will be horrifically dated, not to mention the repair costs will keep on increasing. Personally, I see it coming to a close near the end of 2010, and Natal coming out with a new xbox.

Old tech hasn't stopped people releasing games for the PS2.

Yeah, but PS3's main point of sell is graphics. In 5 years, PCs will be strong enough to emulate PS3 without much trouble. Hell, in two years we will have much better graphics AND fluid gameplay.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

Too bad each individual system doesn't have that life cycle.

oooooh burn

 

[xitel]

From IRC:

Sony's response: "Oh yeah? Well the PS3 has an 11 year life cycle now. So hah"
Microsoft's counter-response: "Sony won't stop coming over to our side!"
Sony's response: "I'm not touching youuuuuuu"
Nintendo's response: "If you two don't settle down I am turning this console war around."

 

[FloodOne]

Yeah, but PS3's main point of sell is graphics. In 5 years, PCs will be strong enough to emulate PS3 without much trouble. Hell, in two years we will have much better graphics AND fluid gameplay.

Right.

And how far along is the PS3 emulator?

That's what I thought.

Pffft, you need a top end computer just to emulate ps2 hardware.

A PC that emulates the 360 and ps3 may be two years off, but will cost about a thousand dollars to get running. Why not buy a 360 and ps3 for $600, and have $400 left for games and controllers?

 

[scotth266]

...I find myself decidedly unenthused about this announcement. Why are all the companies trying to produce the same lifespan as the PS2? The optimal time to release a new console is supposed to be about every six years or so. The PS2 remains so popular due to the high price point of the PS3 in my opinion. If the PS3 were a bit cheaper, you'd see the PS2 users flood over to get their hands on the latest iteration.

Guh. That was a bit rambling. Let me just say this: I do not believe that the 360 has a 10 year life cycle. It seems to have been built for the typical six, and Microsoft would do well to release the next iteration of the 360 in a few years to wash away all the negative feelings that have gathered around the 360. It's like the Vista of the consoles: and we need a Windows 7, stat.

I also don't think that the Wii or PS3 have 10 years in them either, though whether or not the PS3 has the ability to go the distance will rely on a great number of factors. The Wii?

I just can't see it happening.

 

[roekenny]

Too bad each individual system doesn't have that life cycle.

Mine one of 1st gen and still going strong but right not built to last unlike consoles of old what just won't die short of a hammer. But be interesting what games will be like as might get some worth the £40 since production cost always coming down as already on limit to what it can do so devs might have to resort to old ways of a having games with a descent story, character development and originality.

 

[johnman]

I think that is the biggest reason console gameing is becoming more popular than PC gaming.
10 years is a good life span, because then you won't have to worry about spending a small fortune on upgrades every 2 years.

Where do these people keep coming from?
I will use a good personal example. Me.
3 year old system capable of running any game on the market and any game thats coming out in the future, £600, not had to have touched a single item since i bought it.