Everyone is rolling out their big guns to show off at the upcoming CES, which runs January 7-10 at Las Vegas. Microsoft is also set to make an “important announcement” according to Bill Gates, though no details were offered.

This comes from The Seattle Times (via CVG), who doesn’t offer any real details, but speculates that the big announcement might be the unveiling of a Xbox 360 SKU with built-in HD-DVD playback to combat the PS3 with its Blu-ray gun. The paper also speculates that the company may be working on a DVR edition of the console, featuring video recording capabilities with a huge built-in hard-drive.

We all have to wait just a few more days for the big reveal. Cross your fingers.