In the latest issue of EGM, rumor hound Q-man got a really interesting tidbit from a mole at Microsoft: a secret first party sequel is already being worked on for the next Xbox console. According to the magazine, the game was originally planned for the Xbox 360, but was recently moved over to the next Xbox console.

It' s not uncommon for platform holders to begin working on new consoles and launch games years before they actually come out, but this could point to the next Xbox console not being that far off.

So what sequel could it be? Hmmm... a new Halo? The next Forza? How about the next Perfect Dark? Oh, or maybe Fable 2? Kidding.

My guess? Possibly the sequel(prequel) to Bioshock and the next xbox releasing in fall of 09. Thoughts?

Negative. You are a meat popsicle.

Expect a fresh IP, and no new console until 2010-2011.

Negative. You are a meat popsicle.

Kameo 2.

Negative. You are a meat popsicle.

Nice just nice.

Expect a fresh IP

" a secret first party sequel"

Halo 4

Negative. You are a meat popsicle.

Expect a fresh IP, and no new console until 2010-2011.

Fall 2009 will be the Next Xbox release.

Isn' t that a little too early?

Id expect a fall 2010 release for the next xbox. but they could move for a 4 years a generation standard though, which would put it to 2009! They will do whavtever they can to have a one up on Sony!

Though its depressing if they are already focussing alot on the next xbox

the 360 will have a 5 - 7 year lifespan, this was always stated at launch, this was dropped from a 10 year span.

My guess? Possibly the sequel(prequel) to Bioshock and the next xbox releasing in fall of 09. Thoughts?

I never actually read that ^. But always thought the Same.

The way the industry is going, ive always thought it would be best for MS to release alittle earlier and steel the thunder even further from Sony / PS3 by releasing an all new powerhouse (Actually, it' ll probably wouldnt be far off the PC i have at the momemnt or the new 45m chip CPUS on the way this year)..

IF MS did Plan to release as late as 2011, i would guess they are working on something to compete directly with Nintendo' s new strategy (Wii / DS / New Gaming), Which has rocketed Nintendo to be the Second Biggest Company in Japan.

ORIGINAL: alijay034

the 360 will have a 5 - 7 year lifespan, this was always stated at launch, this was dropped from a 10 year span.

But by that I think they mean that the consoles lifespan will intersect with the next console. It' s not like they' ll have the 360 only for 7 years and then BOOM - 360 gone, 720 here.
The 360 could very well live two years into the next consoles life span.

Fall 2009 is rediculous. Microsoft can' t afford to relaese another console before 2010 at the earliest and i' d be surprised if it wasn' t 2011.

360 has already cost them in excess of $2bn (half of which was and will be spent replacing faulty hardware) and since Sony likely won' t be even considering releasing another console before 2011/12 Microsoft won' t be rushing into anything.

The idea has never been to be the number one console manufacturer. They got into the games industry to slow Sony down, and that' s all. They have accomplished that with 360 using the original Xbox platform as a stepping stone, and they' ll obviously continue to develop their Xbox brand, but you can bet you' re bottom dollar they' ll be taking their time about it.

Obviously all three companies have a roadmap and their R&D teams will already be making proposals, but launching a new machine in 2009??? Fuck off

first party sequel

D' oh! My bad. It' s what I get for not thoroughly reading the OP.

I still stand by my date prediction however. They don' t even have issues sorted out with the 360, no less a new machine.

Granted, somebody' s got to be working on it, at least in a theoretical sense, but I wouldn' t expect an official announcement till 2010 at the earliest.

Microsoft has already said they are working on an in-house chipset for the new xbox. The new console is under way though I' m sure it will be quite a while until we hear anything.

By now they should have a very clear idea as to what the final specs will be. Even if they only launch in 2010.

The idea has never been to be the number one console manufacturer. They got into the games industry to slow Sony down, and that' s all. They have accomplished that with 360 using the original Xbox platform as a stepping stone, and they' ll obviously continue to develop their Xbox brand, but you can bet you' re bottom dollar they' ll be taking their time about it.

QFT.

Back on topic. There is no way in hell that MS will release the new XBOX in 2009, and I agree that we probably won' t see the machine until sometime in 2011 at the earliest.

Oh, and my opinion on what game is being worked on for the next XBOX lies in 3 choices.

1) New Elder Scrolls Game
2) Kameo 2
3) New Perfect Dark Game (I haven' t heard any news on a new Perfect Dark game, so if someone has any info to let me know if it is in development it will be greatly appreciated)

I don' t think there' s any at the moment to be honest. RARE' s too far up their own behind in lame party/child titles.

considering they are likely to launch in the 2-3 months pre-xmas we are probably looking at fall 2009 or 2010. I' d like the former, but its most likely the latter. Possibly the biggest question is whether they will actually put any (HD)DVD drive in it or just rely on digital downloads.

And for a game, well Masterchief did say wake him when he was needed... Even a half-baked Halo related game will launch a thousand consoles.

Digital distribution isn' t mainstream enough to make it into the next generation of consoles. High-speed internet doesn' t have the kind of hold that they' d need to make that work.

Maybe, maybe the generation after next.

Are we going to see an increase in downloadable content? Absolutely. But it won' t be their leading format. I wouldn' t be too surprised to see a Blu-Ray drive in the next Xbox to be honest.