Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been enjoying a healthy boost in sales, thanks largely to Kinect. But in spite of the company's current success, it must begin to talk about its plans for the next generation. Unlike the transition from the original Xbox to the 360, we may see two systems coincide for a while according to Xbox Europe VP Chris Lewis.

"We think we're a little over halfway through with the life cycle of the console," Lewis said.

"We're in a very healthy place, we're attached better than anybody else, our ecosystem's very healthy, Xbox Live gives us this unique service which is really not something anyone else can offer in quite the same way," Lewis told Metro.co.uk. "So, good success. Kinect's given us a growth spurt, that really does help us to appeal to broader."

Lewis cites games like Steel Battalion and Mass Effect 3 as examples of core games that use Kinect, but says they need the family audience to grow. "This where Kinect plays such a huge part for us, and hooking up with Disney and Sesame Street and what we're doing with LucasArts and Star Wars. Those are the elements that are really going to give us that family growth, that give us the numbers and the kind of critical mass we aspire to."

As for the next generation, Lewis says Kinect "pumped this adrenaline into the arm of the business," extending the lifespan of the 360. He plays coy with specific timing announcement plans for the next Xbox, of course, but his comments seem to imply an announcement sooner than later. "We think we're a little over halfway through with the life cycle of the console, but that's not to say there won't be an overlap."