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Microsoft to stream a talk on Xbox Series X and project xCloud March 18

The software giant is holding the event ahead of its planned new console launch later this year.

Ian Sherr Contributor and Former Editor at Large / News
Ian Sherr (he/him/his) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, so he's always had a connection to the tech world. As an editor at large at CNET, he wrote about Apple, Microsoft, VR, video games and internet troubles. Aside from writing, he tinkers with tech at home, is a longtime fencer -- the kind with swords -- and began woodworking during the pandemic.
Ian Sherr
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Joshua Mobley/CBS Interactive

Microsoft is about to give us even more details on its successor to the Xbox One.

The video game maker is planning to hold a streaming event March 18 to discuss the upcoming Xbox Series X console and Project xCloud streaming game service. Microsoft said its event will contain what it planned to discuss at the now-canceled Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, which was put on hold due to fears over the novel coronavirus that's been spreading around the globe.

In typical tech industry fashion, Microsoft didn't offer much detail in its announcement about the event, other than to call it "Xbox Series X + Project xCloud = New Chapter in Gaming." A Microsoft spokesman didn't immediately have further comment.

This is shaping up to be a dramatic year for the video game industry, with both Microsoft and Sony planning to begin selling successors to their Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro consoles later this year. Unlike in previous years, when the companies have held back most details until a splashy public reveal event, Microsoft and Sony have instead drip-fed details about the devices' improved visuals, computing power and designs.

But while Microsoft and Sony prepare for their releases, there are rumors that the spread of the coronavirus could further slow tech manufacturing in Asia. Apple and Samsung have both warned that manufacturing of their respective devices has already slowed or stopped entirely.