Today, Microsoft will finally announce the successor to the Xbox 360.  It's the last of the next gen consoles to be announced after the release of the WiiU last fall and the announcement of PlayStation 4 earlier this year.  The 360 was released on November 22, 2005, but the new console will be entering a very different marketplace.  The role of the home console has truly expanded into a media center, but the gaming market now faces stiff competition from casual gamers who prefer to use their phones and tablets.  Over the past several years, Microsoft has been desperately trying to push Kinect, a technology that just isn't where it needs to be quite yet (but it's amusing to watch your friends yell instructions at their Xbox and the Xbox doesn't respond).   Microsoft has kept a tight lid on what to expect from their new console with the biggest rumor involving an "always-on" connection.  Other than that, my best guess is that we'll also be seeing the next generation of Kinect, and I hope it doesn't require a giant living room.

Hit the jump to watch the live-stream of Microsoft's presentation, which begins at 1pm EST/10am PST.  Hopefully, it will be better than the one for PlayStation 4, which boiled down to "Better graphics and shorter loading times!"

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