The next-generation Xbox is 18 months away, at most

Gamers who are tired of Microsoft hyping Windows 8 and the Surface without spilling any beans about the next-generation Xbox can chill: a new version of Microsoft’s popular gaming system will launch within 18 months at the latest. PC World on Thursday spotted a now-deleted Microsoft job posting stating that the company “over the next eighteen months… will release new versions of all of our most significant products including Windows (Client, Server, Phone and Azure), Office and Xbox.”

Since Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2013 have already been tapped to launch this year, that leaves the new Xbox as the last major candidate to launch in 18 months’ time. As PC World notes, that timeframe means that the new Xbox would conveniently launch right in time for the holiday season in 2013.