Next Xbox To Be Unveiled On MTV

Microsoft have said it would unveil the next generation of its Xbox video game console in a May the 13th special on cable music and entertainment channel MTV.

The unveiling will be a first, as video game companies usually take the wraps off their new consoles at the industry trade show E3 -- which will be held the following week in Los Angeles.

Microsoft said the special would also air in Japan the morning of May 13 and across Europe that evening. Actor Elijah Wood will host the show.

The special will include footage of next-generation Xbox games and also online play, Microsoft said.

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 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.

The MTV show will air in the U.K.: Friday, May 13, at 20:00
North America: Thursday, May 12, at 9:30 p.m. (21:30)
Japan/Asia: Friday, May 13, at 11:30
France: Friday, May 13, at 19:00
Germany: Friday, May 13, at 19:00
Italy: Friday, May 13, at 23:30
Netherlands: Friday, May 13, at 19:30
Poland: Friday, May 13, at 21:00
Portugal: Friday, May 13, at 20:00
Romania: Friday, May 13, at 20:00
Scandinavia: Friday, May 13, at 22:00
Spain: Friday, May 13, at 21:30
Australia: Friday, May 13, at 19:00