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He may have left Microsoft-owned Lionhead Studios to form a new independent studio 22Cans, but Peter Molyneux still has a keen interest in the next Xbox. Speaking to IGN, the developer known for Fable, Populous, and a penchant for overly ambitious game concepts opened up about his hopes and desires for Microsoft’s upcoming hardware.

It seems even Molyneux fears that Microsoft may continue to focus on non-gaming features with the new platform. “I think, for me, it’s very simple with the Xbox; I just want the ultimate gaming console,” he begins. “Okay, there’s a lot of things they could shove in that box which are kind of about the living room: Netflix, Facebook, Twitter and stuff like that. Well, I don’t want any of that. I just want the ultimate gamer’s device.”

Molyneux recently told Edge that he was privy to Microsoft’s plans for the new console up until he left the company’s Lionhead Studios in March 2012, although he admits it’s quite possible plans for the next Xbox may have changed considerably since his departure. “I’m going to be absolutely fascinated to see what they finally come out with, because I kind of knew a lot when I was at Microsoft about what their plans were, and plans change and aspirations change,” he said. “I’m going to be fascinated to see what the hardware is and how it will fit into this new world that we’re in now – this new world of hyper-connectivity or super-portability. Or whether they’ll double down and say, ‘You know what? We are the games console, and that’s what we define ourselves as,’ and say [they] don’t really care about hyper-connectivity or hyper-portability.”

According to Molyneux, the so-called battle for the living room between Sony and Microsoft tends to relegate actual gaming to the backseat. “If they focus on [games], I’ll be a happy bunny,” said Molyneux to IGN. “If they get distracted, and overly distracted, by trying to play catch-up with some of the Glass and touch technology that’s out there, not because it makes sense for games but because that’s something they feel they have to do, then I’m going to be miffed.”

Source: IGN and Edge, via Gameindustry.biz