Xbox 360 will continue to be offered into 2015, says Lewis

Microsoft Europe's VP of interactive business, Chris Lewis, has told BusinessWeek that the company will continue to offer Xbox 360 for another five years.

Speaking at gamescom last week, Lewis's comment confirms the console will have a ten-year life-cycle - the console launched in 2005 - alongside Sony's much reported intention to continue with a ten-year life-cycle for PS3.

Another five years of longevity is all down to Kinect, according to Lewis.

"Kinect really gives us, I think, a very genuine additional five years," he said in Cologne.

"What Kinect does is broaden us out to users that we weren’t addressing in the past."

When asked if Microsoft would release a new console while 360 was still on sale, Lewis said "we’re not fixated on that right now."

Sony's already admitted it's working on new hardware, while Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's said his company is "studying and developing the next console to Wii".