There are reports/rumours circulating today that not only will Microsoft announce more about Project Natal and demo new games but it is also thought the company will showcase a new slimmer form factor for the entertainment device. More than this though is that the Xbox will also be coloured black like the Xbox elite rather than the current white.

This new Xbox is thought to be released at the same time as Natal with the revised design being inspired by the need for the console to sit near the TV but not to distract from the viewing experience, some might argue that a white Natal unit and Xbox would be much more distracting next to a TV’s dark bezel than a black coloured console.

There are also rumours of Metal Gear Solid being one of the first games to utilise Natal controls for gaming, which should prove to be very interesting.

I am also expecting Microsoft to announce more than just a refined piece of hardware and new games at E3 as the company gears up to be a bigger player in media distribution. I would expect that Microsoft will also be announcing some new Zune features for the console like being able to access the music library and even more ways to share and consume information through social networks. However, we won’t know more for a few months yet.

I find it odd talking about the Xbox which I don’t own and have had only limited experience with however I am increasingly more convince that I should buy myself one of these consoles and now with news of a new version of the Xbox I may have to wait a lot latter into the year before I get one; my wallet will be thankful.