CES is just a few days away, and the rumors they are a-flying. Speculation is particularly rampant that Bill Gates is going to be making a big Xbox-related announcement during his keynote address on Sunday night. At the moment, there seem to be two clear front-runners as to just what the news could be.
The Seattle Times is guessing that the big reveal will be that Microsoft's partnership with Toshiba to create a 360 with an integrated HD-DVD drive. The thinking is the move could help the 360 find greater acceptance in Japan.
Others think that Gates might be announcing an alliance between Microsoft and Netflix. Netflix recently announced a partnership with LG to produce a set-top box that will allow subscribers to receive rented movies via the Internet. Netflix already allows customers to stream movies to their computers, but this would let them do it on their TVs.
Couple the Xbox Live Video Marketplace with the fact that Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is a member of Microsoft's board and a possible marriage of the two services doesn't seem all that far-fetched.
Will Gates make one of these two announcements, something else entirely, or nothing at all? Stay tuned!
Visions of Gates' keynote swan song [The Seattle Times]
Netflix may be coming to consoles [Ripten]
