14 DAY TRIAL // A new job listing from Microsoft seems to suggest that the Entertainment Division of the company is ready to launch its next-generation home console, known under the codename Durango and as the Xbox 720 by the public, within the next 18 months.
The job description states, “Over the next eighteen months Microsoft will release new versions of all of our most significant products including Windows (Client, Server, Phone and Azure), Office and Xbox, along with completely new offerings like Microsoft Surface.”
It adds, “This wave of product launches will define the course of the company for years to come and thus provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to refresh and evolve our strategic brands.”
The job advertisement is probably vague on purpose because the always connected dream of today would quickly mine out any sort of details about what Microsoft also plans to launch in the coming 18-month period.
Rumors have been appearing about new hardware from Microsoft for some time, but the company has been unwilling to comment on them or make any official announcement about the Xbox 720.
Sony has been similarly tight lipped about its own plans for the PlayStation 4 and no job descriptions or leaks have been linked to it so far.
Rumors have suggested everything from a digital-distribution-only approach to better integration of motion tracking technologies and new, better support for 3D tech.
Until Sony and Microsoft officially talk about their coming devices, Nintendo will be the first company to deliver a next-generation console when it introduces the Wii U.
The console, which includes better graphics capabilities and a new touch screen controller, will be launched before the height of the Christmas shopping period on all major markets, although the exact date and the exact price are not known at the moment.