Microsoft is preparing to make an next-gen Xbox announcement

Microsoft is preparing to make the first official announcements for its next-gen Xbox console at the CES expo in January.

According to French site Xboxygen, the platform holder won't make any significant announcements related to software or features, but will speak of the hardware and its specs.

Citing an anonymous source close to Microsoft, it says MS has two groups working on the console; a group called 'Infinity' working on the hardware, and another called 'Loop' in charge of software development.

It goes on to state the machine will contain a hex-core (six-core) CPU at its heart, strapped to an AMD graphics card and 2GB of DDR3 RAM.

CES takes place in Las Vegas in January.

Rumours surrounding Microsoft's next console have been rampant of late, with the latest reports claiming it will be slimmer and cheaper than the current console.

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