Microsoft will continue to support Xbox 360 long after Xbox One launches this November.
Xbox chief marketing and strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi said at the Citi Global Technology Conference yesterday: "If you look at Xbox 360 that platform [has] lasted for seven to eight years and it's going to go for another three years. It's incredibly profitable now in the tail." Mehdi went on to assure consumers not yet ready to jump on the next-gen bandwagon that there will be plenty of new games released for Xbox 360.
"We are going to continue to invest in Xbox 360 and the two devices can work in concert," he said. "So it isn't just like the day we ship Xbox One, Xbox 360 won't work, we will continue to support it. In fact, we are going to ship over 100 new games on Xbox 360, so you will still be able to play your games, just not on the same exact box." Mehdi also said Xbox One is currently in full production after Microsoft boosted the system's CPU from 1.6 GHz to 1.75 GHz.
Xbox One will launch in 13 markets this November priced at £430 / €500 / $500. The Xbox One release date will be announced later today, a pair of UK retailers suggested this morning.