While not ruling out the possibility that a new Xbox console could be revealed at E3, a French Microsoft executive stated that the company will not release new hardware in 2012.

When asked to respond to rumors that a new Microsoft console was going to be unveiled at E3, Microsoft France marketing director Cedrick Delmas said, "We're in an industry that talks a lot, that likes telling stories. I am not convinced that things will happen this year. The Xbox 360's cycle is not over at all. The proof is that we haven't price cut this year. Afterward, what will happen at E3, it's still too early to say. What's certain is that there will be nothing new in 2012. If we wanted to counter Nintendo, we would have to be in a position to release something immediately, and that is not at all the case."

He continued, "We're not here to counter Nintendo and they're not here to fight the other manufacturers. Nintendo has put itself in a different cycle, it's going forward to its own rhythm, with success as we have seen with the Wii, and now it's their turn to present their innovation."

This seems to suggest that -- like Sony -- Microsoft is biding its time in regards to the next generation of consoles.

Source: Le Point via Eurogamer