EA has next Xbox hardware, Microsoft to reveal at E3?
When Nintendo confirmed E3 would be the event where the Wii 2 is being unveiled, we thought it was a clever move that would see the company have a clear run for a couple of years. Added to that the rumor it is a very powerful machine and it could leave the PS3 and Xbox 360 in the dust. But that may no longer be the case, and Microsoft could be about to cause a major upset come this June.
Develop has been told that EA is already in possession of the successor to the Xbox 360 and is doing some early development tests with it. As with all early hardware builds, the next Xbox currently takes the form of a PC desktop case, but what’s inside is the hardware that will be inside Microsoft’s next console.
The same source also believes that Microsoft is aiming for an end of 2012 launch date, which would put it in direct competition with the Wii 2. Worse news for Nintendo comes in the form of a potential surprise reveal during E3 next month.
For gamers this is great news. Two new consoles being revealed at E3 will certainly generate some excitement, especially if one clearly out performs, or out innovates, the other. Whether Microsoft planned this all along and Nintendo suprised them with a Wii 2 announcement, or the Xbox Next plans have been rethought due to the Wii 2 we don’t know. We are just really looking forward to E3 now.
As is usually the case, Microsoft and EA are saying nothing. But if this is true then it puts Microsoft and Nintendo as the two competing console brands with Sony in the background. With Sony’s security woes at the moment I doubt this is what they will want to hear about its competitors.