Update 4: Phil Spencer affirmed Xbox Scorpio is designed for 4K televisions and you should get it only if you plan to get a 4K set. However, developers can still use the additional horsepower however they choose. Xbox Scorpio upscales 1080p games to 4K so developers might make incredible 1080p games and they’ll still look good on a 4K TV. However, the console is expected to deliver 4K gaming and the majority of developers will use the 6 Tflops for that.
Update 3: For some reason there was some confusion if cross-buy with Windows 10 would need an Xbox Live Gold membership. Microsoft said that you won’t need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to utilize cross-buy. Why this rumor even originated in the first place is beyond me but there you have it.
Update 2: Phil Spencer also said that Microsoft wasn’t developing their own virtual reality headset so this means that Xbox Scorpio will probably use a third-party solution like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive.
Update 1: Shannon Loftis now claims Xbox Scorpio will have no exclusives so no one is left behind.
A lot of leaks have already occurred and more will probably occur today. However, Microsoft’s E3 press conference is almost here and we can still expect a lot of surprises. Will the rumored Xbox Scorpio be teased? Is the Xbox One Slim actually real or was that just a fan-created image? We’ll find out soon enough. Here’s everything that happened at the briefing.
Xbox One S
Microsoft just confirmed the Xbox One S with an integrated power supply and other features like a small design and 4K video playback ability. The device starts at $300 for the base model. The controller also uses Bluetooth now. The console releases in August. The Xbox One S features an upgraded CPU and GPU so it might get better performance from games however Microsoft denied these claims and said that the upgraded parts went towards HDR rendering. Microsoft also cut the price of the existing Xbox One to $280 due to the announcement of the Xbox One S.
Gears of War 4
Gears of War 4 will be cross-buy and cross-play with Windows 10. The game has also been confirmed for the other platform while it wasn’t before. New gameplay from the single-player campaign of Gears of War 4 was also released.
Gears of War 4 Elite Controller
Gears of War 4 will also get a special Elite Controller.
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct has a lot of players and General RAAM is coming to the game very soon with some devastating moves.
Forza Horizon 3
Forza Horizon 3 features campaign co-op and will release on September 27. New gameplay was also featured which looks like a massive improvement over the previous title.
ReCore
ReCore just got new gameplay footage. The game will release on September 13.
Final Fantasy 15
Final Fantasy 15 just got its first gameplay on Xbox One. The game looks great and features gigantic encounters with bosses.
The Division
The Division: Underground expansion comes out June 28 on Xbox One. It features considerably exploration of subway tunnels and stations.
Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 got a gameplay trailer but it was the same one showcased during EA Play yesterday.
Xbox Live
Background music is coming to Xbox One this summer. Game clubs were also confirmed for the platform. Lastly, Arena is a new platform that lets gamers compete against each other on Xbox Live.
Minecraft
Minecraft is getting a new update which enhances dedicated servers and adds cross-play with various other platforms.
New Customizable Xbox One Controller
The new Xbox One controller features customizable colors and your unique configuration is built by Microsoft and shipped to you.
Independent Games
If you own Ark: Survival Evolved on Xbox One you get it for free on Windows 10. Additionally, a lot of other smaller titles were showcased like The Culling, Inside, We Happy Few and many more. We Happy Few is coming to Xbox Game Preview on July 26. Inside releases for Xbox One on June 29. The Culling is also coming to Xbox Game Preview soon. A standalone Gwent game from The Witcher 3 was also confirmed during the briefing.
Tekken 7
Tekken 7 is coming to Xbox One with a story mode. More information will be available soon and it will ship in early 2017. Bandai Namco is giving Xbox Live Gold members backward compatible Tekken Tag Tournament 2 to celebrate the announcement.
Dead Rising 4
Dead Rising 4 will be available on Xbox One this holiday season. The game features a lot of Windows Phone advertisements.
Scalebound
Scalebound got new gameplay. The game features the biggest boss fight PlatinumGames has ever made. The game will release on Xbox One and Windows 10 next year.
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves just got a new trailer along with extensive gameplay. The game on Xbox One features cross-buy with Windows 10.
State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2 was just confirmed at the event. The game releases in 2017.
Halo Wars 2
The game got a new trailer and gameplay. The game releases on February 21 next year and a beta is available right now.
Xbox Scorpio
The Xbox Scorpio was announced and the console will feature native 4K gaming. Unlike the PlayStation Neo which upscales games to 4K, Xbox Scorpio will feature native resolution 4K 60 FPS gaming. When used for VR experiences, the console will deliver much higher frame rates than what Sony is touting for PlayStation VR currently which stands at 60 FPS minimum. Many other details about the device were also unveiled. Todd Howard said that Fallout 4 VR would be on the console. Lastly, Scorpio could get exclusive experiences if developers really had no other choice or wanted to truly showcase the hardware according to Shannon Loftis.
That was it for Microsoft’s conference. What do you think? Let us know.
Asher is a games journalist, former News Writer (Gaming) at Windows Central. They contributed 1110 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: wrote over 1,100 ICXM pieces on Xbox news, hardware reviews, and platform commentary before joining Future plc’s Windows Central in 2017.