Microsoft may be ready to unveil a competitor for the Apple TV at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]The new Windows TV will feature a stripped down version of Windows specifically designed for set-top boxes, according to a report on the Seattle Times. The software will reportedly use Microsoft’s Windows Media Center interface, which the company has used for many years in its Media Center Windows versions.

The new boxes from Microsoft will cost around $200, which seems to be a hefty price, very similar to that of the old Apple TV price.

With the release of its new Apple TV in September 2010, Apple lowered the price of its device to $99. However, Apple also turned the Apple TV into a streaming only device and did away with the hard drive-based units.