Microsoft Xbox 720 to be Tablet-based and Sport Windows 8 Interface?

According to the latest reports regarding Microsoft's next-gen gaming console (believed to be called the Xbox 720), could arrive in a tablet-based form and will feature the Windows 8 interface.

One of the biggest pieces of news regarding the console is that Microsoft may unveil the hardware at the forthcoming 2012 E3 show, although some speculate the company could even announce the console, officially, at the ongoing 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Now, however, a Gamespot report suggests the company could actually produce something surprising, as competition for Sony's PlayStation Vita (a portable console) and Ninentendo's Wii-U.

The second piece of big news regarding Microsoft's console is that it may feature the Windows 8 interface, with the new Xbox Dashboard. The structure of the forthcoming 720 has been heavily speculated on over the past months and now some believe the device, with Xbox Next setup, will arrive in a tablet-structure with a base station and a conventional controller. However, there are other reports that suggest the controller and maybe even the device itself could be cordless.

The above report from Gamespot, if true, could represent a big step for Microsoft in the console market and may also increase sales beyond the expected targets of the Xbox 720 and the Kinect add-on. In fact, there are even reports indicating the new device could use touch or voice-based gestures.

If the device is officially announced at E3 2012, it could hit the markets in time for the 2013 holiday season.