Xbox Reveal

We are finally faced with a new generation of consoles. Xbox fans all over the world are preparing themselves for the big reveal tomorrow. This is something that I won't be missing, especially after all the money I've dished out on Xbox products. So what exactly will Microsoft be sharing with us tomorrow?

New face

Any guess is as good as the next when it comes to the name, but perhaps we can take a stab at the shell that will house our components as they melt from over-use. Following the changes Microsoft has already made to their 360 model, we can probably assume they'll go for something slim, black and glossy. I'd personally like anything that fits nicely underneath my Samsung without being intrusive.

It's what's on the inside

As with desktop computers, performance should always come before looks. Judging by the rumored specs, Microsoft may have taken this to heart. Similar to the PS4 the Xbox will be seeing a 7000-series AMD GPU. Some claim crossfire is a possibility, but considering the lower price range they will likely use two independent cards, one integrated with the CPU for multimedia and another dedicated for intensive games. This is an approach that is growing in popularity in laptop hardware as it saves energy and will prevent noisy fans while watching the latest blockbuster. 

Some rumors suggest a generous 8GB of RAM, combined with the use of AMD CPUs designed for Desktop systems the new Xbox might finally support native HD and anti-aliasing. Thanks to the x86 architecture we will also see backwards compatibility with 360 games, good news for long-time Xbox gamers struggling for shelf space. The x86 architecture is different from the 360's so unfortunately we won't be seeing backwards compatibility.

It is common knowledge that Blu-ray takes the lead when it comes to disc space, so there's a good chance Microsoft will use this technology in their new Xbox. I believe discs are a dying race, downloads are taking the lead but with what Microsoft charges on their 'Games on Demand' I'm more than happy to see a disc drive.

Pricing

Microsoft will likely keep it similar to their previous launches. You could buy an original Xbox for around $300 at launch, with the 360 set at $100 more. From this we can probably guess that the new Xbox will be somewhere between $300 and $500 on release, likely closer to the latter due to the high-end components.

Only time will tell

It's just one more day to wait until we find out what we'll be spending the next eight years of our life on. Until then, stay eager and prepare yourself for the big reveal.