Microsoft to Unveil Next Xbox on MTV May 12
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp. on Monday said it would unveil the next generation of its Xbox video game console in a May 12 special on music and entertainment cable channel MTV.
The unveiling will be a first, as video game companies usually take the wraps off their new consoles at exclusive industry events like the trade show E3 — which will be held the following week in Los Angeles.
“I think we need to signal a change that things aren’t going to be the same in the next generation,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president in the Xbox division, in an interview. “While it’s gaming at its core, there’s a much bigger and broader entertainment message that we need to get out there.”
Microsoft said the special would also air in Japan the morning of May 13 and across Europe that evening.
The special will include footage of next-generation Xbox games and also online play, Microsoft said. Actor Elijah Wood will host the show, with local hosts for each country.
The company has not set a release date for the Xbox successor or even announced a name, but the new hardware is expected to be released later this year.
Market leader Sony Corp. has said little about the timetable for its next-generation PlayStation console, but there is speculation it will offer details at E3 next month.
Last week Sony advised it would hold its E3 press conference a few hours before Microsoft’s, a break with tradition that some saw as a sign Sony wanted to steal Microsoft’s anticipated thunder.
Moore said Microsoft has been planning the MTV launch since last year and only found out about the Sony schedule change last week.
Moore said the show will be “live to tape,” meaning it will be filmed as though it were a live event, and edited later to add celebrity interviews and the like.
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