The Surface Studio is available for pre-order today, starting at $2,999 for a configuration with a 6th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 1TB of internal storage, 8GB of RAM and a 2GB GPU. If that's not enough, you can spend $500 extra for a model with a more powerful Core i7 CPU and 16GB RAM. Meanwhile, the top-of-the-line Surface Studio costs $4,199, with a Core i7 processor, a 2TB storage disk, 32GB of RAM and a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce 980M graphics card. Per Microsoft's site, the Surface Studio is scheduled to ship on December 15th.

It'll be interesting to see if Microsoft introduces smaller versions of the Studio later on, to compete with, say, the 21.5-inch iMac.

Naturally, Microsoft also revealed a companion wireless keyboard and mouse, in case you need more than that sleek touchscreen to get you through your tasks (and don't already have these kinds of peripherals lying around). The Surface Studio also comes with a Surface Pen in the box, which isn't surprising given that Microsoft is pegging this as a computer for creators (and also: Surface tablets came with the pen too). Not included in the package is the Surface Dial, a wireless aluminum puck that lets you use gestures to manipulate functions on different Surface-compatible apps.

Gamers in particular should know that Surface Studio has built-in support for the Xbox One Wireless controller protocol, according to Major Nelson. That means you won't need any dongles to connect your controller to the desktop. We'll be taking a closer look at the Surface Studio shortly, so stay tuned for our hands-on post and video.

Update: Check out our hands-on with the Surface Studio right here.

Click here to catch all the latest news from Microsoft's big Surface event.