Microsoft E3 2016 Press Event Recap!
Microsoft did a great job presenting their wares this year. Release dates for major titles, a slim Xbox One, new social features and Project Scorpio – there was a lot to take in during the press conference. Thankfully, we’ve covered the major announcements and reveals below. Take a gander…
If you missed the event, no worries; we made sure to add it to the site for your viewing pleasure. That said, we have highlighted the juicer tidbits below.
Unlike Bethesda, a lot of what Microsoft was going to show was leaked ahead of time. Instead of worrying about what got out, they just met it head on. The first thing they revealed was that the Xbox One S was a real console. They went on to explain what was being offered later in the event, but they wanted to make it clear from the jump that the S was no longer a rumor!
The all “robot white” Xbox One S is 40% smaller than the normal one. It features an internal power supply, supports 4K Ultra HD for movies and streaming (not for games, more on that in a second) and HDR support for video. Microsoft will be releasing a 500GB, 1TB, and a limited launch edition with a 2TB hard drive for $299, $349, and $399 respectfully. Not bad right? I mean, I dig the sleeker design and the prices aren’t crazy – especially if you consider that you could trade in your older model for the 500GB version and just get an external hard drive. The only concern was the 4K HD only applying to movies and streaming via Netflix or Amazon Video. Microsoft did say that newer titles like Gears of War 4 would look better on the S, so that’s something. For true 4K gaming, we’d have to wait for Project Scorpio…
(ReCore)
Microsoft waited to the end of the con to talk about this new system, but I think it’s appropriate to mention it now. Coming Holiday 2017, Project Scorpio will be one of the most powerful consoles ever created, or at least on par with Sony’s Neo. It will feature 6 teraflops of GPU, true 4K gaming, and Virtual Reality. What’s great about all of this is that no matter what system you end up with, Microsoft has promised that they all will play every Xbox One game as well as be compatible with all accessories. They aren’t splitting up the community with these newer systems.
Speaking of community, MS made it clear that they want gamers to be able to play together whenever and how ever they wanted. This was evident via multiple announcements, namely the Play Anywhere Program* and new updates to Xbox Live. Similar to the cross buy function between the PS3/4 and PS Vita, the Play Anywhere Program allows gamers to buy a game once and play it on their Windows 10 PC and Xbox One console. Only in this case, you’ll be able to share your progress, game saves and achievements. The updates to Xbox Live help in this regard. For instance, the upgraded cross-play feature makes it possible to play Minecraft on your Xbox One with people playing on an iOS, Android, or Windows 10 device, all at the same time. The Looking for Group feature – which, I think is the best thing since SSD Hard Drives – allows you to seek out other players for multiplayer gaming. Like when playing an MMO and you’re looking for a level 25 Tank. Anyone who fits that description can then jump into your game once the invite goes out. Having this on a console is a boon; no more going to forums to find players to run a raid in Destiny (take that Bungie!).
There were other not worthy announcements: new base Xbox One controllers, Xbox Design Lab (where you can customize your controllers), Cortana on Xbox One and more. That said, I’m sure you want to hear about the games. One of the things I like most about Microsoft’s press conferences of recent years is that they mainly focus on what’s coming out soon. Gears of War 4 had a nice showing of the game’s campaign for example. Here we got to see JD Fenix and crew fight off the Locus-like enemies called The Swarm with new weapons. I especially liked The Buzzkill, a weapon that fires saws that ricochet off surfaces into foes, slicing them in half.
We also got to see a new, brighter environment than was shown last year. On the outskirts of what seemed like a deserted factory, the COG battled enemies while being whipped by fierce winds. It was like they were fighting through a sandstorm. What was cool here was that the storm changed the flow of battle. Lightning strikes fried anyone unlucky enough to get hit while the wind blew debris into the Swarm. Throw in an old Marcus Fenix reveal at the end and you have yourselves an exciting demo.
Most of what was shown adhered to what we’d expect to be in a Gears title, but better. Fans can jump into JD’s shoes this October 11th. Also coming this year is Forza Horizon 3. Easily one of the best looking racers I’ve seen, FH3 is posed to up the ante on open world racers. In the demo we saw three players in four different environments, at different times of day, merge seamlessly into a co-op race. It was awe inspiring – two of the players were playing on high end PC’s. We’ll have to wait till the game releases to see if this was a true demonstration or something the developers had hoped to achieve. That said, it made racing with your friends as easy as hitting a button before being airlifted into their game. No loading whatsoever.
FH3 takes place in Australia, where players can explore forests, deserts, cities and more using over 350 different vehicles. Playground Games is promising more content, challenges, and other activities than any of the previous titles. Again, we’ll have to wait to its September 27th launch date to see if it’s as great as it looks.
Next up was Dead Rising 4. We didn’t get to see much of the game outside of a brief trailer. Capcom did share more news about the game afterwards though. DR4 features an older Frank West (he’s now in his 50’s) and takes place sixteen years after the first game. Gamers will revisit the Willamette Memorial Megaplex Mall but in an upgraded state; apparently the zombie outbreak didn’t hurt sales too much. Four player co-op, new zombie types, and a slew of new weapons and vehicles are just some of the things players can look forward to when DR releases this holiday. Oh and selfies…Frank can take selfies now…
Beyond these big titles came some smaller reveals. Inside, Playdead’s follow up to Limbo, is coming June 29th. ReCore, an action adventure title from Keiji Inafune and Armature Studio LLC (Metroid Prime), is coming September 13th. While I’m happy to see this new IP is launching in a few months, the gameplay trailer that was shown made it look a bit dated. Hopefully, it’ll fare better once it’s in our hands. The last title coming this year is We Happy Few. Landing on Xbox Preview on July 26th, this game was well received thanks to its freaky dystopian world, where everyone is forced to take a happy drug called Joy. Think Stepford Wives, but set in 1964 England with an extra layer of crazy and you’ll get the gist.
Then there were the titles coming next year. Tekken 7, Gwent, Scalebound, State of Decay 2, Tacoma, and Halo Wars 2 – were all shown off, with Halo Wars 2 getting a set launch date (February 21st, 2017). Rare’s Sea of Thieves was on hand and has a tentative 2016 launch window. It wouldn’t be a surprise of it gets delayed though.
(Scalebound)
All and all, Microsoft didn’t disappoint. Even without tons of new IPs and several leaks, they still had some nice reveals. Plus, a lot of what was shown will be available this year. All the hype in the world can’t overtake a solid street date!
*So far, Microsoft’s Play Anywhere Program includes every Microsoft Studios title. That’s Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Halo Wars 2, ReCore, Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, and Scalebound. Here’s hoping this will extend to non-exclusive titles as well!