Speaking at he Financial Analyst Meeting 2004 on Friday, Microsoft's energetic CEO Steve Ballmer exclaimed, "There's no new in the next year, but, man, are we hard at work on that next Xbox."

It is unclear whether he means that the next generation console won't appear in the calendar year or if it won't make an appearance in the 2005 financial year, which actually comes to a close at the end of June, 2005.

He may also have meant just that there will be no Xbox 2 in the next twelve months which would also still leave a Xmas 20005 debut on the cards. The fact that he was speaking at a financial meeting would imply that he meant the second option, meaning the Xbox 2 may well be on the shelves in the for next Xmas.

By Sam Gibson