Microsoft’s Next Xbox Could Retail For $499 [REPORT]

The next generation of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s Xbox has yet to be unveiled, but there are already plenty of reports surrounding the future game console. The next Xbox could retail for $499 or just $299 with a two-year Xbox Live Gold subscription which starts at $10 a month.

This report comes from Paul Thurrott, a prominent Windows IT blogger. Interestingly enough, he was the same blogger who was one of the first to report the Xbox unveiling date. He shared the news via a video interview with “What The Tech” video blog.

Thurrott also details how Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) will require that all users have the Xbox connected to the internet to enable usage. This rumor is not what serious gamers who like to use the game console purely for gaming purposes want to hear. The blogger adds that the next Xbox may feature a core with Windows 8, which would allow application developers to create new innovative apps that could run across several devices including computers and tablets. He added that Microsoft could further discuss their future plans for Xbox platform during the upcoming June conference.

Plans for rumored entertainment-exclusive/non-gaming device Yuma were reportedly put on hold.

Other predictions for the next Xbox include a Blu-ray optical drive and a cheaper version of Xbox that was dubbed “Stingray”. Thurrott adds, “But it’s not clear whether this device is required because the next Xbox isn’t backward-compatible or because Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) simply wants a low-cost entertainment box alternative. (A third possibility—and to be clear, these possible reasons are all speculative—is that the Xbox 360 simply has life left in it and with dwindling component prices in the 8 years since the original launch, the firm can still make money selling such a device.)”

This could be a big year for Xbox and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), especially if the next generation game console proves to be a success.

[via CNET]