No Xbox 720 E3 announcement planned “at the moment”, claims Microsoft

A while ago, it was rumored that both the Xbox 720 and PS4 would be shown at E3 2012.  These rumors were based on "third-party publishing sources" claiming that Microsoft had signaled to partners that they would detail its next-gen plans at E3 2012.

Since then, Sony has confirmed that they have no plans to reveal the PlayStation 4 at E3 2012.  Both Kaz Hirai and Andy House have stepped up to deny rumors, standing by the original 10-year plan for the PS3.

Microsoft, on the other hand, simply refused to comment, leaving the idea that a next-gen Xbox console could still be revealed at E3.

As it turns out, they have no plans to make an announcement about a new console anytime soon.

When asked in an interview by Gamespot if they had any plans to show off a Xbox 720 or whatever the next-gen Xbox will be called, Microsoft's senior director of marketing and PR Jose Pinero claimed, "At the moment we have nothing to announce."

Of course, this could be Pinero trying to keep quiet on a potential reveal, but given the explanation he adds, an Xbox 720 reveal is looking very unlikely.

“What we have seen with the Xbox 360 is that the Kinect has extended the life of the console," he added.

“Historically in the 6th or 7th year console sales start flattening or going down because it’s kind of the end of life,” Pinero explained.  “With us launching Kinect a little bit over a year ago, what we saw was a resurgence with Xbox 360.  It makes 360 a brand new console if you think about Kinect and you think about the new dashboard and the new UI that we launched this past November.  It’s like having a brand new console”

With a mindset like that, it's beginning to look clearer that Microsoft has no plans to reveal a new Xbox now, at E3, or anytime in the future of 2012 – and possibly 2013.  Their goal seems to be to transform the Xbox 360 into the all-around entertainment hub.

“We want that box to be the ultimate entertainment device in your house, giving you games, movies, tv shows, music, sports, and all kinds of entertainment.  So I think there’s a lot more that we’ll see on Xbox 360," Pinero concluded.

Maybe this will put the next-gen Xbox rumors on hold for a little bit…or at least until another site claims "sources" told them otherwise.  Check out the full interview with GameSpot and Microsoft's Pinero below where they discuss the new Kinect for Windows, developers kit for Kinect, and much more.