Dave Cutler, who once led the development of Windows NT, is now working on Microsoft's Xbox team. Cutler joined Microsoft in 1988 and has helped build Windows NT, 64-bit versions of Windows and Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud platform, amongst others. His work earned him the special designation of "Technical Fellow" at Microsoft, a small group of 22 employees, including sysinternals creator Mark Russinovich, who are recognized as technical leaders.

Cutler's previous experience and technical knowledge make this a particularly interesting move. Mary Jo Foley notes that Cutler has effectively earned the right to do "whatever he wants" at Microsoft, and it appears that his future is Xbox related. Microsoft confirmed the move in a statement, noting that Cutler's Xbox project work will help the company advance its "goals in the consumer space as we continue to grow the Xbox from a game-centric console to a complete home entertainment device."

We are still waiting on a next-generation Xbox, but as Microsoft pushes live TV, YouTube and other services to the Xbox 360, it's clear the company has even bigger plans for the future of its gaming console.