Xbox 360 Lovers Rejoice, Microsoft Still Has Big Plans For Console
Earlier today Microsoft announced that they still have big plans for the Xbox 360 despite the coming of the next generation.
During their E3 conference, Microsoft set aside a few minutes to take a break from showing off their beautifully presented next generation games to answer a question that has been on the tip of many gamer’s tongues for a long time. What will happen to the Xbox 360?
The answer, as Yusuf Mehdi, CVP of Marketing and Strategy for Microsoft, said is a “Smaller, sleeker and quieter than ever” Xbox 360, with the refurbishment of the console modeled on the Xbox One.
So if you’re like me, a poor student who won’t be able to afford the $500 dollar price tag on the Xbox One, at least we can take some solace in the fact that the 360 will not be obsolete anytime soon.
Yusuf surprised audiences with an announcement that brought to light the fact that not only has this new Xbox been created without our knowledge, but it is on sale today! The new console will follow the same pricing plan as the older model with the 4GB edition being sold without Kinect for $199.99 and a 250GB model priced at $299.99. The 4GB system is also available bundled with the Kinect sensor for $299.99.
Along with the announcement of the fourth redesign of the Xbox 360, Microsoft promised that new games will still be available for the 360 and it won’t be left behind. Some of the massive games to be released in the next 12 months mentioned by Yusuf Mehdi were: Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Final Fantasy 13: Lightning Returns, Batman: Arkham Origins and Grand Theft Auto V along with “hundreds” more games on the way.
After putting gamers at ease by confirming that both generations can play the upcoming blockbuster titles, Yusuf expanded the roster of new games by announcing three new Xbox 360 titles including Dark Souls 2 (set for a March 2014 release,) Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and finally, onlookers did not expect a console edition of the hugely successful PC game, World of Tanks.
World of Tanks is currently a free to play MMO which boasts over 60 million players. It is developed by Wargaming.net and has received prestigious rewards since its release in 2010 such as a Golden Joystick for Best MMO in 2012. The console version will provide teams of 15 players a free to play PVP experience.
Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming, said: “World of Tanks provides team based 15 on 15 player armored warfare, where you take the driver seat of the world’s most powerful tanks.”
“We have worked hard to adapt and tailor the World of Tanks experience for Xbox 360, from deep integration with Xbox Live to tuning specifically with the Xbox 360 controller. We will bring World of Tanks to life for millions of Xbox fans around the world!”
World of Tanks is set to be released this summer and can be played for free on the Xbox Live Arcade.
Along with the confirmed titles set to be released for the Xbox 360, Yusuf Mehdi also announced plans to reward Xbox Live Gold members with two free games to keep a month starting from July 1, up until the Xbox One release, November 2013.
At the moment one of Microsoft’s most boasted exclusives, Fable III is available for all Gold members to download from the Marketplace. The conference also confirmed that the games for July were blockbuster titles: Assassins Creed 2 and Halo 3.
What did you think of Microsoft’s E3 conference? Do we need a new Xbox 360? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!