Xbox 360 Support To Continue For Next Three Years

The Xbox One will be available to consumers on November 22, just in time for the holiday season. For those who aren't planning on rushing out and upgrading, however, questions have been raised regarding how long the Xbox 360 will last before reaching the obsolete stage. Microsoft addressed this concern yesterday at the Citi Global Technology Conference, saying that it will be supported for three years.

The information was provided by Microsoft's Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for Xbox Yusuf Mehdi, who was questioned regarding financial aspects of the Xbox One — essentially, what its launch would mean for Microsoft in terms of dollars. In his response, Mehdi brought the Xbox 360 into the discussion, mentioning its support lifespan in the process.

Said Mehdi: "You've seen us over the years constantly be focused on profitability and improving year over year. There are different points in the cycle of when you invest in new hardware. If you look at 360, that platform lasted for seven to eight years and it's going to go for another three years. It's incredibly profitable in the tail."

The three year support lifespan isn't a hard number, and so it's not entirely certain when those three years start (the launch of the Xbox One would be a reasonable assumption) — this would place the Xbox 360 as becoming obsolete in late 2016, more than a decade after its launch. Speaking further on the question he was asked, Mehdi had also cited Xbox Live as part of the Xbox revenue stream for Microsoft, as well as the expected early profitability from Xbox One sales.

SOURCE: Euro Gamer