Microsoft Is Said to Plan 2013 Release for New Xbox at Earliest

Microsoft Corp. will release the next version of its Xbox console in 2013 at the earliest, as the company squeezes at least one more year of sales out of its current model, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

The company may show the successor to its Xbox 360 at next year’s E3 conference in June 2013 and put it on sale that same year, said the people, who declined to be named because the plans are confidential. David Dennis, a company spokesman, said earlier today that Microsoft won’t discuss new Xbox hardware at this year’s E3, quelling speculation that the device would be unveiled at the show.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360, bolstered by the Kinect motion-sensor accessory, had its best year of sales in 2011 -- the console’s seventh on the market. Announcing the next model too soon risks hurting orders for the current lineup, and new consoles typically lose money for their first few years. The Xbox 360 is profitable, giving the company incentive to keep it on store shelves for a longer period.

“There will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at E3 or anytime soon,” Dennis wrote today in an e-mailed statement. “For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360.”

The console outsold Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 last year, and also sold better than any other TV- connected devices, including DVD players and home-theater systems, Dennis said.