Microsoft has shaken up the video games industry by lifting the lid on its top-secret console, codenamed X-box.

Due for launch in 2001, the machine is set to challenge Sony's recently launched PlayStation 2 and at first glance appears more powerful.

The X-box's specifications centre around a 600MHz Pentium III processor, with 64Mb of RAM and a 4x DVD-ROM drive. Graphics are provided by an NVidia chip, which can draw around 300 million polygons/sec for ultra-realistic graphics. Sony's PS2 peaks at a 66 million. The X-box OS is based on Windows 2000.

The unit will also include Ethernet and USB ports, and an 8Gb internal hard disk. The latter has raised questions as to whether software will need to be installed, as on a PC, defeating the idea of an easy-to-use games console. Microsoft claims the drive will be used for things such as saved game data or extras downloaded from the Web.