AT the end of the presentation it didn't look like a huge plastic letter X as so many pundits had predicted. For all the ballyhoo surrounding the launch of Microsoft's first dedicated games console in over a decade, the Xbox looks remarkably staid.

As the finale to his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas, Gates showed off Microsoft's new baby - yet another anonymous black box with four controller ports on the front. Rather similar to the Sega Dreamcast, in fact, another console that utilises Microsoft technology.

If rumours are to be believed, Sega offered Microsoft the chance to take Dreamcast off its hands when it realised the mountain it would have to climb if DC was to defeat PlayStation II.

Microsoft politely declined. Gates had other things already planned.

Microsoft apparently quizzed 5,000 gamers world-wide before signing off the Xbox. Shame none of them told company execs that dull black boxes just don't cut it in the style stakes any more. Even ones with a large X emblazoned on them.

Conservative looks aside, when it arrives here in about 12 months time, Xbox will be the heavyweight champ among games consoles. The on-paper specs are impressive. It has a processor running twice as fast as the PS2, more memory, impressive audio capabilities, a hard drive for data storage and a fearsome graphics chip made by the current masters, nVidia.

At the unveiling, Gates proclaimed Xbox: "The future of video gaming. With its breakthrough technology and incredible graphics capabilities, Xbox will set the standard in gaming for years to come.

"It enables game designers to create a whole new world of games playing experiences that will captivate the imagination and competitive spirit of gamers like no other."

That could well be true. The Microsoft name has ensured a long list of games companies are looking to publish the platform.

At the launch, Gates brandished a list of more than 200 names - only Electronic Arts and Square seemed to be missed. Both are expected to make Xbox announcements shortly.

Sega would kill for that kind of support on the Dreamcast. Even PlayStation II has seen some big names defect to the Microsoft camp, most notably Oddworld Inhabitants which took its third Oddworld game to Xbox after struggling with the PS2 architecture.

The machine itself features four control ports (two more than the Sony box), a front loading DVD tray, a multisignal TV connector, an Ethernet port for fast online gaming, an nVidia graphics processor that's three times faster than the PS2 and that roomy 8 GB hard drive.

The controller bears striking similarity to the Dreamcast controller, albeit with two analogue sticks and six pressure sensitive buttons. The rumble feature is built in and there are dual slots for peripherals.

Gates also gave us a glimpse of his baby's muscle in the shape of two demos Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee and Malice a 3-D action adventure.

Interestingly, Microsoft claimed the Oddworld title was up and running on Xbox just two weeks after the team defected from PS2.

If the system is that easy to use, then the trickle of launch games is likely to become a deluge.

Further, Gates reckoned the demos on show (which were both very nice looking) represented only 20 per cent of the console's actual potential. And if that is true then Sony has cause to be very worried indeed.

Provided the Xbox can deliver excellent games at a competitive price point, then who cares what it looks like?