It has now been confirmed by an employee within Microsoft‘s entertainment division, that the company intends to unveil details of the next-generation console at the Los Angeles event next year.
It has now been confirmed after a source informed BGR of Microsoft’s plans for next year. It says the source is unaware of Microsoft’s launch plans for the new machine, which has apparently been in development since 2006, and no further details were divulged.
This backs up the claims of a report earlier this month which also pinned the new Xbox for an E3 2012 reveal, citing an inside source at Crytek, who later dismissed the rumour along with the notion it has development hardware for the new console already.
There are no real details as to what the features of the new Xbox will provide to gamers, however Microsoft have pushed for better integration with its other platforms, particularly since details of Windows 8 were released. From speculation, better accessibility for the Windows operating system and Windows Phone will be one of the console’s promoted features.
Microsoft has been able to successfully promote the console to be a big contender with the PlayStation and Nintendo. Indeed the total amount of consoles shipped worldwide of the Xbox is beyond that of the PS3. This might have been helped however, by the regular hardware updates to the platform, more recently the Xbox Kinect.
Microsoft has also recently stated its view that Xbox 360 is only halfway through its lifecycle. But MS isn’t the only target of next-gen rumours; a report has claimed that Sony will reveal PlayStation 4 in 2012, citing “industry sources at a top developer”.