The Microsoft E3 2016 press conference has just concluded, so I thought I’d share my early thoughts coming out of the events. Here’s our rundown of what just happened:
Best
The initial unveiling of the rumored Xbox One S, a slimmer, 4K ready version of the Xbox One console, was a great way to kick off the show and at its $299 price point it really turned a few heads. Its impact was somewhat undermined come the end of the show (we’ll get to that later), but it’s still a nice looking console at an affordable price, that also makes for a cheap 4K blu ray player.
The newly revealed Xbox Play Anywhere feature was also a major highlight, with it allowing players to play their digital games on both Xbox One and PC, along with transferring their saved data over between platform. Microsoft emphasized how they wanted the Xbox experience to translate across consoles, desktop and mobile, and this was made abundantly clear by the addition of this new user-friendly program. The Xbox Live Arena also sounds pretty cool, with it allowing Microsoft and other studios to set up online tournaments for players across the online network.
The ID@Xbox showcase of the Xbox One’s upcoming slew of indie games hit the mark over and over again, and I wanted to play practically every game that was shown during the short sizzle reel. The upcoming We Happy Few received pride of place and it looks devilishly creepy, while Inside – the new game from Limbo developers Playdead – also received a great showing.
Scalebound isn’t dead (hooray!) and received some gameplay footage, showing off PlatinumGames’ upcoming action RPG. Dead Rising 4 was another big-name game that was debuted, with it boasting a festive theme that will make it the perfect game to play during this Holiday period, when it is set to release. Forza Horizon 3 also looks incredible, and I was pleased to see it receiving such a prominent slot in the presentation considering it’s quietly become one of the greatest racing series around, for my money surpassing the mainline Forza Motorsport series.
Project Scorpio, an even more powerful version of the Xbox One, was also debuted and according to Microsoft it’s the console they should’ve made in the first place. Like the Xbox One S it’ll also be 4K ready, and will also be compatible with VR, though the headset it will require has yet to be announced.
Microsoft E3 2016: The Round-up From the Press Conference
Worst
While Project Scorpio sounds all well and good, there will be three Xbox One consoles littering the market come the end of 2017. I’m not sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, I want to play my console games in 4K and experience virtual reality on them, but on the other hand, all of my previous excitement for the Xbox One S has evaporated. I went into more detail about this in my previous article, but I’m of the opinion that the release of two upgraded consoles in such a short period of time will lead to cannibalization, and force something to give in terms of the Xbox One family of consoles. Oh, and the leaks really didn’t help this presentation either, given that everything had pretty much already been revealed before Phil Spencer took to the stage.
In terms of games, after being very excited for Sea of Thieves I found myself a little underwhelmed at what was on display. The forced narration and its dull, washed out visuals rubbed me up the wrong way. Though it’s clearly looking to appeal to the “YouTube crowd,” as a big fan of co-op multiplayer games I expected a little more, and came away disappointed.
Gears of War 4 also sailed by me, with it really offering nothing that I wouldn’t expect from a new Gears game. It even had Marcus Fenix appear at the end to remind us that, yes, this is definitely a Gears of War game. I mean, of course I’ll still buy it, but that’s beside the point.
Also, I am still none the wiser in regards to what ReCore actually is, even after being shown actual gameplay.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft’s E3 2016 press conference was all in all a good show that showcased a bunch of games I’m looking forward to, along with two new technically impressive consoles that, in my humble opinion, may lead to one canceling the other out. Still, it’s difficult to moan too much about “the world’s most powerful console,” as it has been called, and the prospect of potentially using the Oculus Rift with a home console is so exciting I’m basically frothing at the mouth.
A good showing from Microsoft, then, and it will be interesting to see whether Sony goes back on its initial decision to introduce its 4K PS4, considering Microsoft have just outlined what they believe is the “future” of console gaming.
