Microsoft has just sent out a round of invites to the press to attend a special event at its Redmond, Washington campus on May 21 at 10 AM PT. The event is associated with the hashtag #XboxReveal, and promises to show off a “new generation” of Xbox, so it’s safe to say we’ll get our first glimpse of Microsoft’s next-generation home gaming console at the event.
This follows earlier reports that indicated we’d see Microsoft launch the Xbox at an event in late May, ahead of a full preview at E3 in June. The event will be live streamed via Xbox.com and Xbox LIVE, and also on TV via Spike TV for viewers in the U.S. and Canada, according to a blog post from Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb. The event will be a first glimpse at Xbox’s next-gen console, and will be followed up by a more extensive look at software at E3 19 days after the initial reveal.
A late-May Xbox event was originally pegged by Windows expert Paul Thurrot (who specified May 21, in fact) and later confirmed by The Verge’s Tom Warren. It’s unclear what exactly will be on the agenda, but Microsoft’s Hyrb previously ribbed Sony for not showing any hardware at its own PlayStation 4 reveal earlier this year, so we’ll probably get eyes on the console itself.
We may also get our first official word on speculation that Microsoft’s next Xbox will require an always-on connection to the Internet to function, and a more detailed explanation of how exactly it will interact with other living room entertainment devices like cable set-top boxes.