MS: Expect 7 Years of Xbox 360 Support, At Least

Microsoft plans to support its Xbox 360 hardware until at least 2013, according to comments made by Microsoft Game Studios VP Shane Kim.

"We said from the beginning that we expect the Xbox 360 to have a long tail," Kim told CVG. "Admittedly, we don't have any experience doing this, but we're pretty confident."

He stressed that the Xbox 360 hardware would "absolutely" be around when Silicon Knights wraps up its X360 action-RPG trilogy Too Human, which developer president Denis Dyack hopes to conclude within seven years.

It was not clear if that seven-year figure included the two years the Xbox 360 edition of the trilogy has been in development. If not, that would put Kim on record as saying the Xbox 360 will be supported until 2015.

The first Xbox, which launched in 2001, was replaced by the Xbox 360 in 2005. Kim chalked up the earlier-than-expected demise of the original to "a strategic decision."

Competitor Sony has oft-repeated its expectations for a 10-year PlayStation 3 life cycle. The PlayStation 2, which launched in 2000, is currently in its eighth year of support.