Microsoft unveiled its long-anticipated next generation console Xbox One on Tuesday, but it was its inclusion of live TV, rather than its gaming capabilities that set tongues wagging.
"I think what Microsoft is doing here is taking on not just Sony Playstation and Nintendo; it is taking on Apple and Google as well," Will Dunn from consumer electronics magazine Stuff told CNBC on Wednesday.
"People have been talking about smart TV for a long time, but this could be the first machine to really do it. Smart TV is something that a lot of companies are trying to get into and they have not been able to do it successfully yet."
(Read More: Microsoft Unveils New Xbox, Plans for 15 Exclusive Games)
For years, the holy grail of the technology industry has been an all-in-one entertainment hub that includes TV and will sit proudly at the heart of the living room. The Xbox One will allow users to watch live TV from a cable or satellite set-top box through the console, although the service will only be available to the U.S. at first.
Steve Jobs famously envisaged TV as the "fourth leg" of his Apple empire, back in 2007, and speculation has been rife that an Apple product could be released this year. Google TV came into existence three years ago, but has failed to gain mass market appeal, despite several different hardware launches.
"All these people are just chasing the ghost of Steve Jobs, because he told them he was going to do TV next, and TV is dead so I don't know what they are doing," Bluford Putnam, a chief economist at CME Group, told CNBC on Wednesday.
(Read More: What to Expect from Sony's Big PlayStation Debut)
