In the early days of gaming it seemed advances were almost continual. The degree of difference between early consoles was much larger than between generations of consoles now. This generally means that a longer period of time can be allowed to elapse before a new console is needed to keep up with the newest level of graphics. The PS3 has a planned lifetime of at least ten years, but there was only a five year span between the original Playstation and its successor, the still-popular PS2.

There was only a gap of five years between the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 and many gamers felt that Microsoft abandoned the previous-gen console too early in its lifetime. Former Microsoft VP Peter Moore has told us why; the reason is supremely predictable: money.

Most companies sell their consoles at a loss due to the expense of the various components and manufacturing process, making their profit from the games and peripherals. The inclusion of the Xbox’s hard drive was what led to the system’s early discontinuation. The cost of the hard drive was approximately $70, which led to the cost of the console being almost impossible to recoup even with the success of titles like Halo 2.

“To this day, people still believe we left the Xbox too early, but it was purely for financial purposes,” said Moore, who now heads up EA Sports.