Games and consoles continue to be sold while stocks last

Apr 20, 2016 21:51 GMT  ·  By

The gaming division at Microsoft is announcing that it is ending production for the Xbox 360 home console, just months after the device reached the 10-year-old milestone, with the company saying that it still plans to support the platform for the foreseeable future.

Existing devices will continue to be sold for the time being, with availability varying based on the country.

Phil Spencer, the executive in charge of the device, explains on the official site that, "The Xbox 360 helped redefine an entire generation of gaming at Microsoft. I am incredibly proud of all of the work and dedication that went into development of the Xbox 360 hardware, services and games portfolio over the last decade. And I’m grateful to the fans for their continued passion and support."

He mentions that the Xbox 360 allowed the company to create impressive new franchises like Gears of War, which are now getting ready to get the first installment for the Xbox One, and also offered a platform for innovation like the Kinect and the delivery of firmware that contains features that the user community has asked for.

Microsoft says that more than 78 billion hours were spent playing on the older console and that the total gamerscore reached by gamers was bigger than 486 billion with 27 acquired Achievements.

Xbox Live will continue to serve the Xbox 360

The end of manufacturing does not mean future support is disappearing, and Microsoft is committed to delivering online multiplayer for the consoles and will also continue to make sure that apps work on the device and that it delivers unique features like Games with Gold and Deals with Gold.

There are more than 4,000 video games for the Xbox 360 that users can get access to both at retail and via the online store.

At the moment, Microsoft is focusing on finding new ways to boost sales for the Xbox One, which is lagging behind the PlayStation 4 from Sony both in the United States and on a global scale.

Rumors are saying that a new Slim version of the home console is being prepared, set to arrive later in the year with a smaller form factor and lower energy consumption, with the company also planning to introduce a new firmware update when the Anniversary update for Windows 10 launches.

Sources are also talking about a new PlayStation 4, codenamed the NEO, which is supposed to introduce improvements for the CPU, the GPU, and the RAM.