Final System Unveiled In Vegas

Well, all bets are off. After months of speculation, Microsoft finally decided to show off the final design of its highly-anticipated science project at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Company kingpin Bill Gates was on hand to demonstrate the upcoming system, which looks like a cross between a VCR and The Green Lantern.

Don't believe us? Then check out these pictures:

Set for release in Fall 2001, the system looks to one-up the efforts of Sony and Sega with more power under the hood. Will the big M succeed? We have no idea, but we're looking forward to the fight.

Below you'll find the offiicial press release. Enjoy!

Bill Gates Reveals Xbox Design at CES
Much-Anticipated Xbox Game Console, Along with Xbox Controller And Game Demonstrations, Headline Consumer Electronics Show

"Xbox is the future of video gaming," Gates said. "With its breakthrough technology and incredible graphics capabilities, Xbox will set the standard in gaming for years to come. It enables game designers to create a whole new world of gameplaying experiences that will captivate the imagination and competitive spirit of gamers like no other console."

"Xbox is on track for an awesome launch in fall 2001," said Robbie Bach, senior vice president and chief Xbox officer at Microsoft. "With more than 200 game companies around the world creating Xbox games for launch and beyond, the unveiling of the Xbox design is just the start of great things to come."

To emphasize the power of Xbox, Gates called on "The Rock," World Wrestling Federation (WWF) champion and star of THQ Inc.'s popular video game "WWF Smackdown," to help unveil Microsoft's new future-generation console.

The Future of Video Games

The Xbox console and controller are designed to capture the power and performance that Xbox will deliver and are based on the input of more than 5,000 gamers and games creators from around the world. Sleek and powerful in its look, in a rich shade of black, the Xbox console is emblazoned with a large "X" and a signature green Xbox "jewel" positioned in its center. The Xbox console includes the following:

• Four game controller ports that allow easy multiplayer gaming and enable other peripherals, ranging from game pads to voice-activated headsets
• A front-loading DVD tray
• A multisignal audio-video connector that allows for easy hookup to televisions and home theater systems
• An Ethernet port for rich, fast-action online gaming via a broadband connection
• An NVIDIA graphics processing unit (GPU), delivering more than three times the graphics performance of other consoles
• An Intel 733MHz processor, the most powerful CPU of any console
• An 8GB hard drive, for massive storage of game information - a first in the console gaming industry

Games on Xbox

Making good on its promise to deliver a new world of gameplay experiences, Microsoft showcased prerelease versions of two exclusive Xbox games. Shown on an Xbox containing only 20 percent of the horsepower of the final console, these games demonstrated some of the amazing experiences gamers will enjoy in fall 2001:

• "Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee," published by Microsoft as an exclusive Xbox game, is the third installment of the best-selling "Oddworld" game series. It comes to Xbox after the creators abandoned another system nine months into development; it took "Oddworld" artists only two weeks to get the game running on Microsoft® Xbox technology.
• "Malice," developed by Argonaut Games PLC (developer of "Croc" and "Croc 2") exclusively for Xbox, uses the same rendering techniques that were used in the "Toy Story" movies. With a character-driven, quest-based plot rich in detail and sumptuous in visual humor, "Malice" is a unique, fast-paced and challenging 3-D action-adventure game.