If the latest reports are true, we could see the successors to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 at the E3 expo this June...
Having celebrated its sixth birthday last December, the Xbox 360 has enjoyed a long and successful life. And while Microsoft has said that, with the launch of the 360 slim and Kinect, the console still has several years ahead of it, rumours of a more powerful replacement have persisted.
And according to sources close to MCV, those rumours are quite correct - a 360 successor is well underway, and will be officially unveiled at the LA-based E3 expo in June. The news comes just a day after rumours began to circulate that the next Xbox may function as a digital video recorder - effectively turning the console into a truly comprehensive media hub, with TV, movies,music and games all integrated into one shiny box.
The bigger surprise, though, is that Sony will, it’s said, demonstrate its successor to the PlayStation 3 at E3. Given that the PS3 was launched a year after the 360, the decision to introduce a replacement so early is an unexpected one. As MCV points out, the presence of Nintendo’s Wii U at E3 will mean that, for the first time ever, three rival consoles will be competing with one another at the same event.
It’s widely expected that Nintendo will announce a release date for the Wii U at E3, which it’s thought will be in the last months of this year. It’s unlikely that the 360 and PS3’s replacements will be launched for some time yet, but one thing’s for sure - this year’s E3 will be the most fascinating in the expo’s history.
More news on these next-gen consoles as we get it.
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