According to Steve Ballmer, there will be a new Xbox 360 coming in 2010. Rumours have been going around of a new model of Xbox 360 and not a complete replacement for the current Xbox 360. 1up have speculated that the new model of Xbox 360 will be a bit more powerful than the current models of Xbox 360 and will include the hardware for Natal, which will be available for existing 360 owners to purchase separately.
Now the rumours and speculation have been confirmed by none other than Steve Ballmer himself. According to TGDaily [via PCPer], he didn’t go into specifics:
”The new device will be equipped with technology that is “really, really, close” to an actuality. The console, which was described as having a “natural interface,” will have a built in camera with the ability to recognize movement and voice.”
So, keep those eyes peeled for a release date, ready to eBay your console before the price drops, or just buy the Natal camera as an accessory! 🙂
[UPDATE] Major Nelson has written a short post titled “To clarify what Steve said earlier today…” (bold text is my emphasis):
A few people have emailed me regarding something Steve Ballmer said earlier today about a new Xbox coming in 2010. As the Xbox team stated at E3 two weeks ago, we are not even halfway through the current console generation lifecycle and believe Xbox 360 will be the entertainment center in the home for long into the next decade. Project Natal will be an important part of this platform, but we have not confirmed a launch date at this time.
While the post leans towards saying there will be no new Xbox 2010, which to me reads that there won’t be a next generation for the Xbox 360 ie a n Xbox 720(?), in 2010, but there is nothing in the posts denying another iteration of the current Xbox 360 in 2010. Word has been out for a while that the Xbox 360 has a 10 year lifecycle, taking it well into 2015 before a replacement would be due. The final sentence is key, “…we have not confirmed a launch date at this time.” OK, no confirmed launch date, but no denial about a new version of the 360 either.