Apparently, Microsoft is planning to release a refreshed Xbox next fall with Natal as standard. It’ll be built upon the existing hardware, much like Nintendo built the Wii off the Gamecube.

On this week’s Listen Up podcast we discussed Natal, and David Ellis and I talked about what we’ve been hearing regarding the new technology — and how it’s actually the cornerstone of Microsoft’s next evolution of the Xbox. Microsoft will not only release Natal as an add-on for the Xbox 360, it will come standard with the next Xbox console. Yes, there will be a new Xbox console next fall.

Hopefully this won’t become a trend; another yearly hardware purchase of that magnitude would be difficult to justify for many people.

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