It's official: Mackie has started showing-off the d8b.

Two onboard 15" touch-screens.

Direct connectivity to DAWs via firewire, so forget that nifty new audio interface you were going to get.

It's built around a dedicated Intel chip running a "special" WinXP OS. So it can run VST plugins.

It'll also get USB ports and perhaps external monitor support...

It's not exactly cheap, but for most medium or small recording studios looking for a high-end console, it's pretty cool. Can it compete with the Sony DMX-R100? It sure makes an interesting alternative.