Microsoft working on XBL 3.0 for next Xbox?

[Mentok]

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9154&Itemid=2

According to recent a job post Microsoft has begun developing the next generation of online gaming products and services.

The job description, as advertised on Games on Deck, calls for a program manager to help "build the games, the console interface and logic, and the server support for a totally new Live experience”.

“Want to be involved in the next release of Xbox?... We are looking for a passionate Games Producer to help implement our first generation games that will run in this new environment," the job advert reads.

"Both the games and the dashboard experience will be deeply paired with dynamic server support to create a compelling, fresh scenario each time,” it continues.

Microsoft’s online gaming and media content service Xbox Live is, along with the 360’s current software portfolio, one of the system’s greatest strengths and differentiators from the competition. It would therefore come as little surprise that the company is looking to extend its lead in the online field.

What is especially interesting is whether any new Live experience would be central to Microsoft’s future Xbox 360 efforts or to the console's potential successor, which one analyst last week predicted would arrive by 2010.

It is possible that Microsoft will discuss a new online gaming platform at GDC this week when its head of Live services, John Schappert, delivers a conference keynote entitled “A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community” on Wednesday.

We already know that work on the next version of a console begins essentially as soon as development finished on the newest one. Its interesting to see that they are ramping up work on the next version of XBL.

With the rumors that J Allard is back working for the Xbox division with some designers and project managers getting to work on the nitty gritty... Next xbox in 2011?

Seems about right for it to drop in around 4 years.

Still, its unknown just how far along any real work is at the moment. Word is that development ion the next xbox is not at full capacity yet. Most likely still toying with ideas, specs and chatting with developers.



Sooo... What do you think they would change to XBL? What do you want changed/added? And what kind of GUI are you expecting for the next Xbox?

 

[StrainedEyes]

I really wish they would use XBLA to it's full potential. They rarely release old game on it, and most of the 'new' arcade games are all scrolling shooters, few to none of which are good. I mean, I don't exactly know what old games MS has access to, but I hope it's more than Doom and Ninja Turtles.

They should take the Small Arms idea, and make a Microsoft type smash bros., with a new downloadable character every month. That would be a huge XBLA hit. Small arms was good, but it had a lot of control problems.

 

[i-n-z-a-n-e]

make a Microsoft type smash bros., with a new downloadable character every month.

That's a cool idea.