The Next Xbox: 10 Announcements That Microsoft Won’t Make On May 21st

Kinect 2.0

This is a risky call, but Microsoft might not take the time to properly unveil the next generation of Kinect in May. If they follow Sony’s example, they’ll mainly be focusing on games, something they may need to do anyway to counter Sony’s new focus on attracting developers to the PS4. Showing off such developer solidarity will be paramount on the 21^st, so Kinect 2.0 may not get a huge amount of stage time.

Xbox Live Additions

Xbox Live really saw some upgrades in the transition over from the original Xbox to the 360. It was a revelation in both features and interface, and we can expect to see a similar improvement in the way we access Xbox Live features on the 720 but, as in the Sony conference, we might not get much of a look into what changes will occur. A screenshot is all we can hope for in May.

Peripherals

You can almost count on Microsoft showing off a new controller design, if only to match Sony’s PS4 announcement. We may also get a brief look into Kinect related features, but the unsung hardware heroes might be left out. Headsets, chargers, controller mounted keyboards etc. These extras that make our Xbox experience won’t be shown off yet. It might not seem like a great loss, but convenience is still an important part of any console experience.