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Microsoft CES keynote run with Win8 focus

Jan 10 2012 02:00 PM | Events For Gamers in CES

LAS VEGAS--There are those who believe that Microsoft will drop the mic in its final 2012 Consumer Electronics Show appearance, after bringing down the house with the first official word of the oft-rumored Next Xbox. This speculation comes despite the Xbox 360 still being the dominant console in North America, from both a hardware and software sales perspective.

Kinect 2 will take one more step toward sentience. Should it exist, that is.

While a full console unveil is a bit of a long shot, Microsoft is likely to have a few announcements up its sleeve for CES 2012. As it pertains to the company's Xbox division, updated statistics for its console and the Xbox Live online network are safe bets, along with new initiatives on bringing original television to its entertainment box. And on the fringe of possibility, Microsoft could use its limelight to trot out a new hardware iteration for Kinect.

Unofficially dubbed Kinect 2, the device is said to be sophisticated enough to read lips. Rumors also suggest that the motion-sensing peripheral can assess a player's emotional state and determine which direction he or she is facing. Of course, those same rumors suggest Kinect 2 will be a key part of Microsoft's next console.

Beyond Xbox 360, Microsoft will likely talk about its new operating system Windows 8, as well as advances on the Windows Phone front.

[6:29] Microsoft's final CES keynote is supposed to be just seconds away!

[6:32] Gary Shapiro, president of the CES-organizing CEA takes the stage to welcome the crowd to the keynote address.

[6:33] Shapiro reminisces about the first time Bill Gates delivered a Microsoft address at CES.

[6:33] In 1995, Gates talked about the coming computing revolution, emphasizing that it would be "social."

[6:34] Shapiro acknowledges that "Microsoft is taking a break from the keynote stage" in 2013.

[6:36] He talks about the need to keep things fresh and change things, but thanks Microsoft for its support in years past. He also says he'd be shocked if Microsoft didn't return to the keynote stage in the next few years.

[6:36] With that, he brings out Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to applause.

[6:36] Shapiro presents Ballmer with a collage of the "great moments" in Microsoft and CES history.

[6:37] A video recaps 15 years of Microsoft at CES in two minutes. There's a lot of Bill Gates, and a fair bit of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

[6:38] Whoever had Autotuned Bill Gates in the MS CES betting pool takes the pot.

[6:39] Ryan Seacrest is introduced as the host of the keynote.

[6:40] He talks about partnering with Microsoft and Bing for a number of years, and hails their "bold ambition."

[6:40] Seacrest says he didn't hesitate to accept Ballmer's invitation to host the keynote, and says he's going to try to run the keynote "conversationally."

[6:41] He introduces Ballmer, who comes out and awkwardly hugs-chest bumps Seacrest.

[6:41] Ballmer says Microsoft has a chance to raise its game to the next level in the next year. The heart and soul of that effort is the Metro user interface, he says.

[6:42] Seacrest makes a "metro" joke about his personal style.

Read more at GameSpot