Microsoft: Xbox 360 hasn't reached middle age yet.

Tuesday 12th January 2010 - 17:00


Xbox boss say's 'innovation doesn't require new hardware' plus Lost Planet 2 screens



The console is approaching its fifth birthday but any rumours of an imminent sequel to the Xbox 360 have been thoroughly quashed by the man himself, Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices boss, Robbie Bach.

"I think in many ways we're still on the upside of the console lifecycle," the Xbox head honcho told CBC. "Historically, the content cycle has been driven by graphic technology. There's still plenty of power available in the Xbox 360, there's still plenty of power available in the PS3. Nintendo probably can't say that."

"But the console world has changed fundamentally in a very important way - innovation doesn't require new hardware. The fact that we can deliver a new Xbox Live service every year is a very powerful thing and completely changes the experience without changing the console, without requiring the industry to reboot every five years."

He concluded: "The fact that we can introduce something like Project Natal and have it work on every Xbox 360 and create an entirely new way to interact with the system speaks to all of that. For the industry, I think this is a tremendously positive thing. For consumers I think it's tremendously positive."

With Project Natal scheduled for an Xmas 2010 launch combined with a raft of big budget games in development to support the new peripheral,we can't help but think 'Bill's big box of tricks' will be with us long after the 2012 Olympic flame has been extinguished. But hey, 'if it isn't broke'.

We finish this news bulletin with a selection of fresh screenshots from one sequel that's definitely in the pipeline - Lost Planet 2. Players will control their heroes across six interconnected episodes, creating what publisher Capcom hopes to be a truly unique interactive experience that changes depending upon the actions of the players involved. With this concept, players will have the opportunity to engage in the story in a much more dynamic way as plot threads evolve from different players' perspectives.

Beyond the almost too good to be true single player mode, Lost Planet 2 is loaded with extensive multiplayer modes. The intense and action packed campaign mode comes with the ability to form teams of up to 4 players online to clear mission objectives with friends. The grappling hooks that made the gameplay in Lost Planet a true 3-D experience are back, allowing gamers to gain tactical advantage by moving to elevated locations quickly. The original may have been as hard as nails but there's no denying that as far as action adventures go, it was up there with the cream of the crop. The sequel is scheduled for an early May release on both Xbox 360 and PS3.