E3 2016: Microsoft E3 Press Conference Wrap Up

Written by Brandon Hofer on June 13, 2016

News: A wrap of what was shown at Microsoft’s annual E3 press conference with new features coming to Xbox Live and a couple new consoles.

Microsoft recently wrapped up their E3 2016 press conference and had some really interesting things to show off. For starters there is a more powerful Xbox One coming. It is title “Project Scorpio” and it is coming Holiday 2017. Microsoft claims that Project Scorpio will be the most powerful console ever created. It will have 6 teraflops of GPU delivering true 4K gaming and high fidelity virtual reality. Project Scorpio will join the Xbox One family and coexist with the Xbox One and the Xbox One S. All of your game and accessories will work on all three consoles.

The Xbox One S was also revealed that conference and is your Xbox One Slim. It will be available in August for $299. It will be 40% smaller than the original Xbox One and will have a internal power supply. Additionally it will support 4K Ultra HD for blu-ray movies and content streamed from places like Netflix and Amazon Video. There will also be High Dynamic Range (HDR) support for video and gaming which will deliver richer colors for titles like Gears of War 4. If you are interested in the Xbox One S you can pick from one of the following:

500GB Xbox One S is $299 USD/ £249 GBP / €299 EUR

1TB Xbox One S is $349 USD / £299 GBP / €349 EUR

Limited launch edition 2TB Xbox One S will be available in select markets for $399 USD / £349 GBP / €399 EUR.

In addition to those two new consoles Microsoft unveiled a new Xbox One Wireless controller. This new controller now has a textured grip and it had a sleek and streamlined design in white. They have also added Bluetooth radio to give you easier access to your Windows 10 PCs and tablets. This new Xbox One Wireless controller will also be available in August and it will be selling for $59.99/49.99 pounds/59.99 euros. Additionally there will be a limited edition Gears of War 4 Elite Controller that features laser-etched claw marks and a battle weathered design. Pre-orders for this controller start today with it being available for $199.99/199.99 euros/159.99 pounds.

Microsoft also went over some of the additions that are coming to Xbox Live in the near future. These new features include the following:

Clubs - Clubs is going to be a new way to connect with people. You can build communities, meet people you can go back to (A “Drift Fans” club in Forza, for example) and more.

Groups - Microsoft has advertised this as like a “want ad” for multiplayer. Using this new feature you will be able to seek out people who are available and qualified to jump into your multiplayer match at any moment.

Arena - This is going to be a new tournament platform on Xbox Live that will make it easier for you to participate in tournaments. You can sign up for tournaments directly through the Xbox UI or the Xbox App and play for prizes and bragging rights. Microsoft revealed that FIFA is going to be one of the titles that support this new feature in the future.

Cross-play - Gamers on Xbox One and Windows 10 will be able to play together on certain titles like Gears 4, Forza Horizon 3, Sea of Thieves and Scalebound.

Cortana - Some Xbox One preview members are currently beta testing the Cortana functionality but it should be available to everyone this summer. It will feature familiar voice commands available on Windows 10 devices and new gaming-specific scenarios for Xbox One. Cortana will launch initially in the U.S. and UK with additional markets soon after.

PC Games in Xbox Live - Later this summer you will be able to see the top PC games on Xbox Live. You will be able to use the Xbox App to see what your PC gamer friends are doing as well as view game clips, message them and voice chat with them.

Language Region Independence - This allows you to choose any supported language you want, regardless of your location.

In addition to all of that they showed off a plethora of games that are coming to Xbox One and Windows 10. They featured Ark: Survival Evolved, Battlefield 1, Dead Rising 4, Final Fantasy XV, Forza Horizon 3, Gears of War 4, Gwent, Halo Wars 2, Inside, Minecraft, Recore, Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, Scalebound, Tacoma, Tekken 7, the first expansion for The Division and We Happy Few. Look for other articles that will talk a little bit more about each title.

What did you think of the Microsoft press conference? Let us know in the comments below.