Microsoft may delay launch of Xbox 720 – Analyst

By: Moses Abaortae

  |   September 6th, 2012   |  

Uncategorized

Michael Pachter, an analyst from Wedbush, believes that the Xbox 720 may the last console to the party as Microsoft will want to make sure it can cater to the demand. This means gamers could have to wait until 2014 for the console.

The next generation of home consoles are in development, that is a fact, however, their technical specifications, release dates and prices are all a matter of speculation and fueled by rumours at the moment.

Apart from EA Labels President, Frank Gibeau, who seems to be on a mission to let every last person on Earth know that he has seen both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720, there have been a number of other sources as well who claim to know when the next generation of consoles are set to release.

Among them is the CEO of GameStop, Paul Raines, who along with Gibeau, believes that 2013 is the year both Microsoft and Sony will release their consoles.

However, Michael Pachter believes that Microsoft may miss out on the 2013 party and may instead release their console the next year, in 2014.

He said, “We have heard no word yet from Microsoft or Sony about their plans to launch new consoles, but both manufacturers are widely expected to launch consoles by year-end 2013, although we believe that Microsoft could delay a new console launch until spring of 2014 in order to accommodate what is certain to be overwhelming demand among hardcore gamers.”

The statement may stem from the fact that Microsoft struggled to keep up with consumer demand when the Xbox 360 was released, although some will argue that it was also because of the fact that the manufacturer had to replace three in every four console that was returned with the Red Ring of Death (RROD).

Pachter’s statement does come at an interesting time, especially seeing how reports surrounding the release of the Nintendo Wii U are heating up with almost every source now willing to bet their house on the console hitting the market in November.

It will be interesting to see how the Wii U fares with its extra year of being available on the market before Sony and Microsoft announce their consoles as the next generation of consoles all seem to be catering to pretty much the same target market.

One can expect the Xbox 720 to make use of a newer iteration of the Kinect, as the peripheral managed to sell like iced tea on a warm day in England. Stereotyping apart, what does the reader think; is Michael Pachter, the Wedbush analyst, on to something or is this a prediction that seems more unlikely to happen than likely? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.