Give one reason as to why Microsoft would not want to do this. ??

Of course they will. It's a tremendous advantage! They are probably doing some serious planning right now (this very moment!) Both Sony and Microsoft have stated before that their current console effort will last longer than in previous generations. I interpret that as support effort. Supporting a console does not necessarily mean that they won't launch a new console.

Agree

Hmm I think first Sony is working on the PS4 right now. So they will be prepared to release their console as soon as MS did it. They made even a survey what the developers want in the PS4 and we had a lot of rumors yet.

Second MS has lost 5 Billion on the gaming devision and they stat to gain back the money the shareholders would like to see keeping the xbox360 as long as possible so will Sony.

MS said weeks ago that they dont even now if the 360 reached half of its lifecircle.

Second they release natal in the end of 2010. They probably want to market this thing for more then just one year. SO 2012 is the earliest moment.


But I think they will try to keep the gen going as long as possible so they can make the money back they lost.

I think this gen will be the longest of all.

I don't think you will see either Microsoft or Sony launching a new console very soon. Both of these companies want to recoup their investments with this generation, so they will try and stretch this gen out for as long as they possibly can.

With this being said, I would imagine that if it is at all possible Microsoft would really like to get another year head start on Sony. But I think Microsoft has learned a valuable lesson this time, and they will not rush things as much (so they don't have a repeat of the RROD).

Microsoft is not planning to release its next console anytime soon and I'm pretty sure it wont be before the PS4. I think Microsoft wants to see how far they can go with Project Natal before they release another console. If you ask me, I think Microsoft's next console will probably be the released the same year Sony next console is released.

Edit: wrong thread

Yeah but i think they will see how Natal will be first.

Everyones working on their next generation system, but it takes at least a couple of years to move from the page to a product on launch day.

Leaving last generation for this one saved Microsoft a lot of money. In addition to this if they have two consoles they have two chances of getting a sale so their potential market is larger, see PS2 + PS3.

Yep and the PS3 was released just after halfway for the lifecycle of the PS2.

Who knows, you're second guessing their motivations here.

I agree.

I don't think MS will risk the market loss. They want to make a profit for sure, but at the same time game and sales wise there seemed to be good advantage of releasing a year ahead of the PS3. I'm sure they'll do the same come PS4.

I’m sure that M$ is working on the next Xbox, and chances are they started working on it as soon as they launched the 360. At its core, M$ is a software developer, and M$ is prolific for its iterative rollout of technology and products. Let’s look at the Xbox family thus far…
The original Xbox was basically a gaming PC in concept and assembly, and the reason for it’s short lifespan was probably more to do with terrible logistics of components, than poor sales. The create a problem for the 360’s rollout, since this eliminated M$’s primary advantage over it’s competitors…it’s software prowess. So, while the original Xbox was a very stable and sturdy product, with extremely great potential, it lacked the logistical support to bring forth the umphh required to make a new product stick in the gaming business.
M$ learned a lot from the original Xbox’s, and while RROD was a serious (almost deadly) setback, they were able to deftly turn it to success, thru the lessons learned from the original Xbox launch. They pushed XBL to the forefront of the Xbox experience, and did it in a profit generating way to supplement software sales and accessory sales, in the profit margin side of the losses incurred on console sales. They used their technical prowess to establish a programming environment that is “comfortable” for developers to use. They work with 3rd party developers and publishers to make the 360 the defacto 3rd must launch platform, at the very least.
So, looking ahead, with Natal on the horizon, they are using it as a stopgap measure to refresh the Xbox brand before the next console launches in 2-3 years. I fully expect that the next console will be a sturdy design console to erase the RROD stigma. For anybody who’s taken a engineering reliability and systems engineering course, it’s very evident how M$ took chances with reliability, and got bitten by it, but they had a backup, and whether you agree with the methods, the results are sound. The Xbox 360 console is nothing more than a hallow box, and what you pay for is the Xbox experience, so if your box goes kaput…not a problem, just change it out…sure, you’re a bit annoyed at it, but it in no way overcome the joy the consumer achieves with the Xbox experience.
Looking to the future, M$ is probably going to make it even easier to program for their next console, and just like a PC, they are going to give developers more tools and options, but fundamentally, the developers won’t have to do much shifting in how they do business…this will reduce/maintain % of increase in cost to develop for the next generation, imho.