The console landscape shifts anew, as Microsoft officially discontinues the Xbox 360 to focus on gaming content for the Xbox One and Windows 10 platforms. Meanwhile, although Sony is reported to already have a scheduled roadmap for a console upgrade, a new PlayStation 5 version is so far in the horizon that the gaming giant is reportedly still unclear on whether to go beyond the reported PS4K system.
Microsoft has announced that it is discontinuing the Xbox 360 console. However, the ceasing will not be abrupt, as the company will still be offering its Xbox 360 inventories, although the units' availability will vary per region. In addition, Microsoft also promises that current Xbox 360 gamers will continue to receive services via the Xbox Live, and the servers for these services will remain online and active. Meanwhile, Xbox 360 games will still be available while supplies last, and like the inventory consoles, availability will vary by region.
With the discontinuation, the Xbox 360 enjoyed at least 10 years of presence in the continuing console wars. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer wrote that the Xbox 360 enjoyed an immense following and is one of the reasons for the success of the console lineup. Spencer stated, "Thanks to the Xbox 360, we evolved Xbox Live from the original Xbox into the thriving online gaming community it is today. And the console became a beloved gaming and entertainment hub with over 78 billion gaming hours played, nearly 486 billion Gamerscore on 27 billion achievements and over 25 billion hours spent in apps over its lifetime."
Meanwhile, not only is the console landscape changing for the Xbox, but to its main competitor, Sony's PlayStation, as well. Although reports point out that Sony is in the process of coming out with an upgraded PlayStation 4, the company is only looking for a short-term project at this time, and the much-rumored PlayStation 5 is not included in the roadmap. According to IGN, PlayStation head Shuhei Yoshida has been quoted as saying that the PlayStation 5 is still far in the future and that the console is still an idea in the "what if" category.
