Microsoft has invested quite a few years into its popular Xbox 360 console, and it’s still got a ways to go. That said, it believes that the Xbox One will last even longer.

Talking with GamesIndustry International during the X13 showcase event in Toronto earlier this week, Microsoft Canada’s Xbox director of marketing Craig Flannagan explained the numbers behind the Xbox One. “I’ve been here for the launch of Xbox 360. I was here for the launch of Kinect. This is far and away the biggest launch we’ve ever done,” Flannagan said. “It’s the most hardware we’ve ever produced. It’s the most we’ve ever pre-sold. We’re preselling a little over 2-to-1 from what we did with Xbox 360. The momentum on launch has been really good. And we didn’t have a 40-foot console at the launch of the 360, either.”

As far as shelf life, Flannagan believes it has longevity to spare. “Xbox One is going to start ahead, in terms of the experience we can deliver,” he said. “And because we’re built for the future, we’re going to stay ahead. I think there is not a better experience you can buy this holiday, and there will not be a time this generation where there’s a better experience you can buy than Xbox One…And it’s probably going to be a pretty long generation. We’re probably here for a while because we’re built for the future. This is a console that will last you, conservatively a decade, if I had to put a bet down today.”

Regarding the system’s durability, Flannagan wasn’t fazed. “We feel great about where the hardware is at right now,” he stated. “Our yields are good. It’s allowing us to produce more consoles than we ever have for a launch. We feel great about how the hardware is performing.”

Flannagan concluded, “Much like 360, Xbox One’s not going to look a whole lot five years from now like it does on November 22, 2013. I don’t know where it’s going to go, but that’s kind of fun because we’re built for the future. We do have a connection; we can change what things look like and how it performs.”

We’ll see how the Xbox One fares when it arrives at retail on November 22.

Source: GamesIndustry International