Tomorrow is the big day for those who favor the Microsoft brand of consoles, as the final piece in the newest round of console wars takes shape. The new Xbox will get its official unveiling on Tuesday, and current reports suggest that it's geared to be not only a powerful gaming experience, but also a way to keep consoles relevant in an age where the portable experience--as exemplified by tablets and smartphones--is rapidly gaining ground over stationary competition.

Perhaps the biggest problem ahead of the new launch, slated for tomorrow at 10 a.m. Pacific time, is that very little in the way of actual information has leaked out ahead of the launch. It is known that the event will be streaming both at Xbox.com as well as on Xbox Live, and that cable subscribers will be able to watch the whole thing show up on Spike TV. But beyond that, the rest of the news is largely speculation and assorted rumor.

There's been plenty of this to go around, however. Microsoft (News - Alert) has been seen working with a variety of prototype technologies in the field, like allowing users to post recordings of various gaming exploits online, to offering a variety of streaming matter from games to even television shows. In some circles, Microsoft has been seen as going after a complete living room domination plan, bringing in television programming and the like to serve as, essentially, a type of cable box. But there are also stirrings about specialized devices like glasses, an improved Kinect system, and more.

There are even some stirrings that have left users very concerned, like the potential requirements of always-on Internet access--that seem to be out of the picture now--and the need to register games before playing, which would do terrible things to such standard fare as used games and rented games. Issues of cloud gaming also emerge, in light of Microsoft's recent partnering with Agawi. This is seen as being a way to not only offer added value to the user base, but also to help keep up with Sony's recent acquisition of Gaikai. Some even expect more television connection, including the possibility of Microsoft-only exclusive programming that would serve as a way to draw more users in. There's even the possibility that users will be able to use the new Xbox's onboard hard drive like a DVR system, recording video for later consumption.

But with gamers spending a reported $27 billion worldwide on console gaming--around 42 percent of the total game spending picture worldwide--it's clear that Microsoft will have to pull out all the stops to ensure that it can get a share of that particularly impressive pie. Perhaps the biggest problem Microsoft faces is that there's a lot more competition now than there was even back in 2005, when the last next-generation console turf war started up. The rise of the casual gaming market, the mobile device market and the online video explosion have made a lot of things priorities that likely weren't priorities previously. Microsoft will need to incorporate all that new technology and do it in such a way as to keep the gamers happy, which has previously proven to be a tall order by most any standard.

What will Microsoft show off tomorrow? Well, only tomorrow will truly tell what's to come. But we may well be in for one of the biggest new launch seasons in some time, and that by itself will be very much worth watching.