The Phasing Out of the Xbox
Microsoft wants it gone, but not everyone is eager to see the Xbox go.
If all the talk about the looming Xbox 360 is making you worried that that Xbox you just bought it going to go to waste, you're not alone. Retailers in the UK have called on Microsoft to not forget about its current generation as it jumps into the next.
"Microsoft seems to have taken its eye off the ball with regards to the current Xbox," an unnamed publisher told MCV.
And he's right. The Xbox had its worst month of the year in August, as it grabbed just over 10 per cent of the UK games market, down from a high of 18 per cent in May.
Microsoft has already said that it won't be making any more games for Xbox. All its internal development teams are now focussed only on Xbox 360.
But the company has been quick to point out at every press event this year that there are still games coming from other publishers. Figures of 200 games coming over the next year have been bandied about by all three of Microsoft's top Xbox men, but it's not clear how much of this will be the usual licensed and low budget dreck that accompanies the death throes of a console.
But the company has been quick to point out at every press event this year that there are still games coming from other publishers. Figures of 200 games coming over the next year have been bandied about by all three of Microsoft's top Xbox men, but it's not clear how much of this will be the usual licensed and low budget dreck that accompanies the death throes of a console.
It's also not clear yet how much of your current Xbox collection you'll be able to play trouble-free on the Xbox 360. Microsoft has been forced into software emulation of older games and it has been vague about which games will be supported right out of the box.
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