Say hi to the Microsoft Surface.

Branded as a tablet, it really is more than that.

“It’s a tablet that works and plays the way you want to. A tablet that’s a great PC. A PC that’s a great tablet,” said Microsoft’s Steven Sinosfky, at the press event.

The sleek, well-designed Surface will have specially designed magnetically attached keyboards to accompany it. The Touch Cover and the Type Cover are a definite part of the Microsoft Surface experience, and will come with touchpads built in.

The Surface looks like it’ll be a tough competitor to the iPad from its trailer alone; and it comes with coloured keyboards, too.

More than that, it’s got brilliant specs, according to Microsoft’s Michael Anguilo: comparable to a high-end ultrabook. Two versions of the Surface will be launched, one running an ARM processor for Windows RT, the other using an Intel Ivy-Bridge core for Windows 8 Pro.

Any games that work on Windows 8 will also be playable on the Surface, albeit with a keyboard and trackpad (or a mouse via its USB 3.0 port) input.

Gaming on the go will take on a whole new meaning… and even though no announcements have been made about pricing and availability, the Surface looks like a potential game changer in the mobile gaming space.