Next-gen Xbox to be unveiled at event on May 21

Microsoft has confirmed that the company will be unveiling the next-gen Xbox at an event on May 21. The tech giant has sent out invitations to journalists all over the world inviting them to the Xbox Campus in Redmond.

“On Tuesday May 21st, we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment,” wrote Microsoft community man Major Nelson on his blog. “On that day, we’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future. Then, 19-days later at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, we’ll continue the conversation and showcase our full lineup of blockbuster games.”

Finally! (Next-gen Xbox concept)

Next to nothing is known about the console so far, but earlier this month, reports had popped up stating that the launch titles for the next-gen Xbox will include a new Forza game alongside a new IP, dubbed Ryse.

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While the Forza game is expected, as it is one of the flagship exclusives for the console, the inclusion of Ryse in the next-gen launch line-up is a puzzling one. The game has been in development for quite some time now and was originally revealed as Codename: Kingdoms back in 2010. The game is being co-developed by Microsoft Studios and Crytek, and is a first-person hack-and-slash game set during the days of the Roman empire.

Alongside Ryse and a new Forza, the next-gen Xbox is set to launch with a game featuring zombies and a family-oriented casual game set on an island. The console will also be moving away from using Microsoft Points and instead will charge regular money for buying things from the online store.

It was earlier revealed that Microsoft will be integrating cable with the next-gen Xbox. According to the report, Microsoft might bake in a feature in its next-generation console that would take over a TV and set-top box to overlay a Microsoft-developed UI on top of the existing service provider’s interface.

The next Xbox’s always-on connection will be used for streaming content and access to TV signals. Microsoft has implemented a functionality where a cable box signal is passed to the Xbox over HDMI. This will allow the company to overlay UI and Xbox-specific features on top of an existing TV channel or set-top box.

The next-generation Xbox will supposedly go a step further than Google TV thanks to exclusive tie-ups with major content providers. However, the Xbox’s TV features will be basic at launch and more advanced features will come as part of later updates.

Besides this TV functionality, the console will come with a next-generation Kinect sensor that is said to detect multiple people simultaneously and even detect eye movement to pause content when viewers turns their head away from the screen a la the Samsung Galaxy S4.