Next-Gen Xbox Guide

After the success of Windows 7 and Microsoft pushing more for better cross platform support, it would be no surprise if the new console ran on Windows 7/8 software, in some form or another at least.  Microsoft have been making their next OS update run on all kinds of hardware recently, from phones, tablets and of course PC’s, with Xbox 360 taking on the new Metro dashboard, Metro phone navigation, Metro on Windows 8, long story short, they won’t be throwing all their hard work on metro aside so easily, nor will they sacrifice the opportunity to have a unified service much like what what Apple offers.

The Xbox 360 currently supports media sharing with Windows 7 based PCs and also takes advantage of the Windows Media Center application showing that we could very likely see a similar media sharing system on the new console. Although, if such a media system were implemented or even adopted for the Xbox 720, the likelihood of a Windows OS appearing on the new console would lessen.

Microsoft’s use of closed source OS, or unique software systems for previous consoles is well known. It’s highly unlikely that we will see a Windows based OS on a home console in the near future simply because of the options it would open up for system hacks or modifications – which Microsoft has been and will always be strongly against. Microsoft has since warmed up to the idea of public mods, by releasing a developers toolkit for the Kinect accessory which is compatible with PCs. It’s still highly unlikely that Microsoft will welcome such support in future consoles, there’s too much liability related to piracy.  But a stripped down core of the OS would make sense, or at least support for cross platform apps.