- Firm expect to unveil next generation Xbox 720 console
- Will take on PlayStation 4 - will both expected to be on sale in time for Christmas
PUBLISHED: 14:11 GMT, 25 April 2013 | UPDATED: 14:12 GMT, 25 April 2013
Microsoft is set to unveil its next generation Xbox games console on May 21st.
Expected to be called the Xbox 720 and go on sale in time for Christmas, the console will battle Sony's PlayStation 4.
The consoles hope to fend off a growing threat from iPhone and iPad games, and become living room 'hubs' for everything from TV and music streaming to showing off Facebook photos on the big screen.
Microsoft this week sent out a teaser email for the May 21st event, which will be broadcast online
THE TABLET THREAT
Tablets and smartphones already account for around 10 percent of the $80 billion gaming market.
Those mobile devices, analysts predict, will within a few years be as powerful as the current slew of game-only consoles.
Apple already has a system called Apple TV to link tablets to a TV wirelessly, allowing gamers to play on the big screen, using their iPad or iPhone as a controller.
The event at its Redmond, Washington, headquarters that will likely shed light on its next video game console.
Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday that the May 21 event will reveal a new generation of games, TV and entertainment.