While E3 is still dead, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has a new gaming conference on the way, as shared on Thursday. Titled the Interactive Innovation Conference (iicon), this gathering is being geared toward "visionaries, thought leaders and innovators" in order to "harness the power of interactive entertainment."

iicon is being held from April 27 through April 30 in 2026 at Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada in the U.S. There's a long list of big names across the gaming industry that are already confirmed to attend, including Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and more.

“At Xbox, our mission is to bring the joy of gaming to players anywhere they want, while creating opportunities for the amazing creators behind them,” said Sarah Bond, president of Xbox. “We appreciate the ESA establishing iicon as a platform to deepen connections among executives and thought leaders from within gaming, and from a wide range of partner industries. Together, we will collaborate, invent and create – and together we will all grow.”

Per the press release, attendees will be taking part in workshops and keynotes with "elite networking opportunities." The conference is not open for registration, and attendees will be selected on an invite-only basis.

E3 remains long gone

While the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was originally put together as a show focused on developers, publishers, and retailers, it opened up more and more as time went on. Many gaming companies held press conferences in conjunction with the event, revealing details on upcoming games and hardware just as much for fans as for the rest of the industry.

In the twilight years of E3, more and more publishers pulled out, choosing instead to hold their own events at their own pace in digital-only showcases like PlayStation's State of Play. The weakening of E3 also gave rise to a slate of shows hosted by Geoff Keighley, host of the Game Awards. Keighley organized Summer Game Fest, a presentation with a limited industry gathering, as a quasi-replacement for E3.

It's interesting to see the ESA again putting its weight behind a conference, but at least for now, iicon is clearly not meant to replace E3. Instead, this is a networking opportunity for executives. Truthfully, I'm not sure that was really needed, given the existence of game development industry gatherings at GDC and D.I.C.E that already allow for networking, but I'm not the target audience.

What you need to know

• E3 is going away forever. 
• The gaming convention once provided a glimpse at what was next from across the entire industry. 
• Things had been going downhill for E3 for the last few years, with lower attendance and a seeming inability to pivot after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

E3, a trade show colloquially referred to as gamer Christmas, is dead. 

The news broke with a report from the Washington Post, which obtained a statement directly confirming that the once-vaunted event is not going to return. 

"After more than two decades of hosting an event that has served as a central showcase for the U.S. and global video game industry," the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has decided to bring E3 to a close, said Stanley Pierre-Louis, president and CEO of the ESA.

Why is E3 going away forever?

E3's demise cannot be attributed to just one particular cause and instead resembles a death by a thousand cuts. Interest in the show was waning in more recent years, to the point that the ESA opened the doors to the public, allowing non-industry attendees. Meanwhile, companies like Sony were among the first to pull out, with no PlayStation presence at E3 2019. 

All of these problems were compounded in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated a shift to digital-only events, capitalized on by publishers holding their own livestreams, as well as hosts like Geoff Keighley, who pulled together Summer Game Fest.

The final nail in the coffin came earlier this year, when E3 2023 was canceled after multiple companies like Sega and Ubisoft pulled out of the event.

Analysis: Mourning what has already passed

As I've explained before, I have mixed feelings on the passing of E3. Attending that event is how I was able to network and get my start in the industry. I know for multiple people it was their childhood dream to attend, and I'm sorry they'll never have gotten to experience it. 

At the same time, the problems have been clear for years now, and there was never any sign that things would improve. I'll always treasure what E3 was, with my favorite memories of watching different press conferences and finally attending myself, but its time has clearly passed. 

What you need to know

• E3 2023 has been canceled. 
• This comes after numerous publishers like Ubisoft pulled out of the event or confirmed they would not be attending. 
• E3 2022 was also canceled, while E3 2021 took place in an extremely limited online form.

The writing has been on the wall, and now it's in digital ink: E3 2023 has been canceled. 

The news comes via a report from IGN, sharing that organizers ReedPop and the ESA simply were not able to find the right amount of support from gaming publishers across the industry.

"This was a difficult decision because of all the effort we and our partners put toward making this event happen, but we had to do what’s right for the industry and what’s right for E3," said Kyle Marsden-Kish, global VP of gaming at ReedPop. "We appreciate and understand that interested companies wouldn’t have playable demos ready and that resourcing challenges made being at E3 this summer an obstacle they couldn’t overcome. For those who did commit to E3 2023, we’re sorry we can’t put on the showcase you deserve and that you’ve come to expect from ReedPop’s event experiences."

It also comes after a week of news that made it abundantly clear support for the event was eroding. Ubisoft, easily one of the largest publishers attached to the resurgent event, pulled out of E3 2023. Confirmation quickly followed that Sega and Tencent would not be attending the show. Prior to this news, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo had all confirmed they would not be present in the event. 

Summer Game Fest, hosted by Geoff Keighley — also the host of the Game Awards and Opening Night Live at Gamescom — is set to return on June 8, 2023. 

Looking ahead,  Microsoft will be holding an Xbox showcase and a Starfield Developer_Direct presentation on June 11, 2023. Meanwhile, Ubisoft is currently planning to hold a Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 12.

Windows Central's take

We've been through this song and dance before, but something about this time feels more permanent. I could be wrong, but it really feels like E3 is actually done for at this point. 

I've got complicated feelings about this. I loved attending in 2017, 2018, and 2019, but I completely understand why many companies pulled away. Compounding the lasting effects of the pandemic, with many publishers shifting to digital-only events, and it's not hard to see how this happened.

What you need to know

• Bethesda and Xbox just confirmed that the highly anticipated sci-fi RPG Starfield is getting an in-depth preview on June 11, 2023.
• Hidden in the announcement is the reveal that Microsoft is participating in E3 2023's week of shows and events.
• An Xbox Games Showcase will take place on June 11, just before the Starfield Developer_Direct.
• It's not clear what will be shown during the event, but we expect a look at the next 6 months to a year of Xbox.

For the last few years, Microsoft has reserved its largest Xbox-related announcements and reveals for the annual Xbox (and Bethesda) Games Showcase. The date for this year's event has just been confirmed, buried within the hype and excitement following recent Starfield news; Xbox is once again participating in the week of E3.

Starfield just announced an official release date, but it's also getting a dedicated Developer_Direct on June 11, 2023 — the weekend before E3 2023 officially kicks off. Within those announcements, Xbox also announced that the Xbox Games Showcase is happening right before the Starfield Developer_Direct on the same day. Microsoft has historically hosted its own major gaming showcases on the Sunday before E3, so this should feel familiar to long-time fans.

The content of the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase has not been confirmed, but we can surmise that the show will focus on the following six months to a year of Xbox. Ahead of the show, Xbox fans are being treated to several high-profile releases like Minecraft Legends, Redfall, and potentially Forza Motorsport (2023). Once those games are in the hands of players, the future is a mystery (with the exception of Starfield, which is confirmed to be launching late this summer).

The Xbox Games Showcase will likely show off a wide range of exciting Xbox titles heading to Xbox consoles, Windows PCs, and Xbox Game Pass. It's very possible we'll see future additions to our list of best Xbox games, including potential looks at upcoming first-party games like Avowed or Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. Nothing is set in stone yet, apart from the date. The Xbox Games Showcase is airing on June 11, 2023, with the Starfield Developer_Direct following shortly after.

Windows Central's take

It's good to have a roadmap for Xbox's major events this summer, with the Xbox Games Showcase and the Starfield Developer_Direct dominating June 11 before E3. Starfield is also landing on Sept. 6, 2023, giving players another release on the horizon. I hope that Xbox isn't planning to rest on its laurels in the months leading to June, however, as the company still has plenty of opportunities for exciting announcements and releases.

I'm hyped to see the Xbox Games Showcase and what Xbox has in store for players for the rest of 2023 and beyond, but I'm more excited still for imminent drops like Minecraft Legends and Redfall. Here's hoping that Xbox is able to effectively communicate with its players, and maintain its momentum throughout all of 2023.

What you need to know

• E3 was an annual gaming event where developers and publishers across the industry gathered to show off new games, hardware, and more.
• E3 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic, while E3 2021 was a limited digital event. E3 2022 was also canceled, with the ESA opting to focus on 2023 instead.
• The ESA confirmed that it is partnering with ReedPop to bring E3 2023 to the traditional Los Angeles Convention Center in the second week of June 2023.

While E3 has been physically absent for three years (and absent entirely for two of those three) parent organization the ESA is looking ahead to 2023. 

The ESA shared on Thursday that it is partnering with ReedPop to bring E3 2023 to the Los Angeles Convention Center in the second week of June 2023. Media registration is slated to begin at some point in late 2022. 

"The past three years have confirmed that E3 convenes our industry like no other event," said ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis, speaking with Variety. The ESA notably canceled E3 2022 earlier in the year, choosing instead to focus on planning for next year's event.

Even as E3 has struggled to maintain its hold over the last couple of years, other gaming events have arisen, particularly in the form of Summer Game Fest. Held by Geoff Keighley, who also hosts Opening Night Live at Gamescom and the Game Awards, Summer Game Fest has expanded to encompass numerous digital events, as well as (for the first time) an in-person media gathering in 2022 called Play Days. 

Shortly after the news of E3 2023 being held in-person was announced, Geoff Keighley reiterated on Twitter that Summer Game Fest would return in June 2023 with both digital and in-person events, and will be "bringing our entire industry together to showcase what's next."

What you need to know

• E3 2022 is reportedly canceled, while Summer Game Fest 2022 is moving ahead.
• Media sources indicate that the ESA has failed to put together an online-only event for E3.
• One report claims the ESA intends to try and hold an event in 2023.

Update, March 31 (3:53 pm ET): The ESA has provided a statement, indicating that E3 will return in 2023.

E3 2022 is reportedly canceled, with numerous media sources stating that the ESA has failed to put together an online-only event in time.

The news broke via Will Powers on Twitter, who indicated that he'd received an email saying E3 2022 is officially canceled. From there, Geoff Keighley, host of The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest and Opening Night Live at Gamescom, proceeded to seemingly confirm the news with a single emoji.

This was in turn followed shortly by a confirmation that Summer Game Fest would proceed, being held in June 2022. According to a report from IGN, the ESA intends to regroup and will be attempting to hold an event in 2023.

Months ago, the ESA confirmed that there would be no physical event for E3 2022, with the stated reason being concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant.

"We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon," the ESA stated at the time. No follow-up information was ever publicly provided about what a digital E3 2022 could look like.

GamesBeat reporter Jeff Grubb noted via Twitter that the main reason for this turn of events appeared to be "...that everyone is going with Keighley instead because he's actually competent."

We've reached out to the ESA for comment and will update this story accordingly if we receive a response.

Update, March 31 (3:53 pm ET) — ESA claims E3 2023 return

In an official statement, the ESA confirmed that E3 2022 is officially canceled. The ESA is now looking ahead to the next year.

"Today, we announce that there will also be no digital E3 showcase in 2022," the ESA said in a statement. "Instead, we will devote all our energy and resources to delivering a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience next summer. Whether enjoyed from the show floor or your favorite devices, the 2023 showcase will bring the community, media, and industry back together in an all-new format and interactive experience."

What you need to know

• Every year, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) holds E3, an event for video game industry news and showcases.
• E3 2020 was canceled and E3 2021 was held online-only due to the pandemic inducing numerous health concerns.
• The ESA has confirmed that E3 2022 will also be online-only due to concerns regarding the Omicron variant.

Update, Jan. 6 (5:22 pm ET): IGN reports that it is currently unclear what E3 2022 will look like or if it will actually even happen, per sources speaking anonymously.

E3 2022 will be an online-only event, the ESA confirmed on Thursday. In a statement given to VentureBeat, the ESA said that "Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022," while adding that "We remain incredibly excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon."

This will be the third year of pandemic-disrupted events held since the beginning of the pandemic. E3 2020 was canceled, while E3 2021 was also a digital-only event due to concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19. Some companies like Microsoft, Nintendo and Ubisoft have continued to take part in E3, holding game showcases as part of a collection of digital events.

Other companies like Sony and Activision have pulled out of E3, holding events or reveals on a different schedule as needed. Notably, Sony pulled out and did not take part in E3 2019, well before the onset of the pandemic.

Shortly after the news regarding E3 2022 broke, Geoff Keighley, host of Summer Game Fest, Opening Night Live at Gamescom and The Game Awards, re-confirmed on Twitter that Summer Game Fest would return in 2022.

We'll be sure to provide updates on big gaming events, putting together a schedule as more and more companies confirm their plans for reveals and showcases in the coming months.

Update, Jan. 6 (5:22 pm ET) — The future of E3 is uncertain

A report from IGN indicates that the ESA actually gave up on holding an in-person E3 2022 event months ago, and that the future of E3 as a whole is currently uncertain.

We're back with another exciting episode of the Windows Central Podcast, and this week, thanks to the leak of an early build, we know even more about Windows 11 in advance of its official unveiling on June 24. But as Dan and Zac discuss, the build is not feature complete — so it isn't fully representative of what to expect when the software is released later this year. They also talk about a couple new laptops and Xbox news from E3 2021. Check it out!

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast was recorded on June 18th 2021.

Links:

• Windows 11: Release date, price, and everything you need to know | Windows Central
• The Blade 14 is Razer's first laptop with a powerful AMD Ryzen processor — and it's awesome | Windows Central
• Samsung and Qualcomm announce Galaxy Book Go and Galaxy Book Go 5G, starting at $349 | Windows Central
• Gaming | Windows Central

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Hosts

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Make this show great by participating!

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E3 2021 and its partner Summer Game Fest are finally over and, as expected, we got a ton of game reveals and announcements. There are so many, in fact, that it's tough to remember all of our favorite moments. A lot of us here at Windows Central had multiple favorite announcements across multiple genres and platforms, and not just limited to the superb Xbox and Bethesda showcase. Whether we were most excited about a huge release like Elden Ring, which will likely become one of the best Xbox games, or a smaller announcement like Sam Barlow's next game, there was something at E3 and Summer Game Fest for everybody.

Elden Ring

We finally got our first real look at Elden Ring during Summer Game Fest, and it looks to be everything a fan of FromSoftware's games could want. With its beautiful open world, brand new mounted combat mechanics, and the fluid, skill-based melee fighting that the developers at FromSoftware are known for, Elden Ring looks nothing short of incredible. The game also got a definitive release date of Jan. 21, 2022, which is a much closer release than everyone was expecting. -Brendan Lowry

Evil Dead: The Game

Now, I totally understand that I'm in the minority when I say that the gameplay reveal for Evil Dead: The Game was easily one of my favorite moments of E3 2021, but I genuinely mean it. As an enormous fan of the Evil Dead franchise and somebody who loves multiplayer-centric horror games, what we've seen of Evil Dead: The Game so far is checking all the right boxes for me. Sure, it's easy to write off a licensed game based on a niche film series from the 80s, but even ignoring my extreme Evil Dead bias, I couldn't help but feel impressed and delighted by what the folks at Boss Team Games delivered with this gameplay trailer. The stunning character models and haunting environments portrayed in this slice of the game have me hungry for more. And if all this still doesn't sell you on the experience, here's more of my thoughts on why Evil Dead: The Game stands toe-to-toe with many of the biggest games at Summer Game Fest and E3 2021. -Miles Dompier

Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon has always been a unique series; it has a way of attracting people who have no particular love for cars and making them fall in love with the beautiful world, open exploration, and sheer creative freedom. With Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games has managed to set the bar even higher with the biggest and most diverse map ever, set in Mexico. Improvements have been made to every aspect of the game, including breathtaking visuals, dynamic weather and seasons, all-new ways to connect and play, genuine improvements to creativity with the comprehensive EventLab level editor, new options for car and character customization, and significant strides to accessibility and inclusivity. I can't wait to dive into Forza Horizon 5's vibrant world for hours on end, even though I can't claim to have much interest in cars. -Zachary Boddy

Redfall

Arkane's rumored Project Omen closed out the Xbox showcase with a bang. Officially titled Redfall, it transports players to the seemingly quaint titular town that's been overrun by a legion of bloodthirsty vampires. Arkane's dabbling into new territory with Redfall being an open-world co-op shooter, and I can't wait to see the studio use its previous expertise in the immersive sim genre to create a spectacular experience. Round that all out with a diverse cast of heroes, Redfall's certainly a game to keep an eye on. -Jennifer Locke

Replaced

From the moment Replaced dropped, the art style grabbed me. It looks like Symphony of the Night and Blade Runner had a baby, in an exciting blend of retro and futuristic platforming. The haunting landscapes alongside dilapidated cities pair beautifully with the cinematic pixel art to tell a story of corruption and greed. The action, setting, and unique look are enough to make me want to uncover Phoenix-City's dark past. And it's on Game Pass! -Sara Gitkos

Starfield

For me, the highlight of E3 ironically came after the show. As a mega fan of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, despite knowing almost nothing about the game, Starfield's teaser trailer gave me goose bumps. It wasn't until after the Xbox Bethesda showcase that I started to get really hyped, however, as exec producer Todd Howard offered a range of small details about what the game actually is.

Describing it as "Skyrim in space" was enough to pique my interest. But further details about how it's more "hardcore" than some of its more recent RPGs, details about its NASA-punk realistic sci-fi approach, and the big questions the story will attempt to answer have really solidified Starfield, for me, as the one to watch for Xbox and PC in the future. As far as I'm concerned, Todd Howard and his team have never made a bad game, and I can't wait to see what's next for this legendary group of creators. -Jez Corden

The teaser trailer for Bethesda Game Studios' upcoming RPG Starfield opened the Xbox showcase on a strong note. While quite a bit is shrouded in mystery, the teaser revealed the aesthetic the team is working on, a grounded approach to science-fiction that wouldn't be out of place in Prometheus or even Firefly. Weapons show that combat is in and it looks like we'll even get our own companion mechs? Best of all, the ship looks real, lived-in and worn. My head is full of wonder for just what's in store and I can't wait to learn more. -Samuel Tolbert

Immortality

Sam Barlow seems to release games just for me. They're mysterious, unique, and sometimes just a little bit spooky. The indie developer, who's probably most famous to most people for working on the criminally underrated Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, is one of the few developers making FMV games these days, starting with the critical darling Her Story and followed up with the daring and expansive Telling Lies. Tucked in at the very end of the Future Games Show was the annoucnement for his upcoming game Immortality, which is set to tell the story of a Hollywood actress who disappeared. Even more intriguing is how somehow the team got Allan Scott (The Queen's Gambit), Amelia Gray (Mr. Robot), and Barry Gifford (Lost Highway) to contribute to the screenplay! -Carli Velocci

Slime Rancher 2

I happily have given hours of my life to the jiggly, joyous greatness that was Slime Rancher. But it's not the kind of game you look at and think, "Yeah, that's definitely getting a sequel." It's not a AAA title, for starters, it's offbeat, has a strange central mechanic, and is kid-friendly. So the trailer for Slime Rancher 2 caught me completely off-guard and made me happier than any other single moment of the entire E3 event. I can't wait to see the new slimes, the new lands, and the new resources. Slime Rancher is such a happy game that it's helped me through some less-than-wonderful times in my life, and I look forward to rejoining the world of my bouncy jelly pets again. -Rachel Kaser

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel

I'm pretty sure I deafened the entire gaming team when the new Breath of the Wild 2 trailer was revealed. I couldn't stop screaming. While we didn't get more plot info, we learned a few new things about the Breath of the Wild sequel. Seeing Link use new tools and explore new locations has me very excited. I can't wait to learn what the limitations are for going through walls or why Link's clothes and hair looks so different in certain sections. I need more Zelda! -Rebecca Spear

This almost isn't fair — it's the sequel to my favorite game of all time, after all — but BotW 2 looks like it's turning out to be everything I ever wanted from a sequel. Not only does the overworld look to be getting an overhaul, but now there's another world over the overworld? Link has long hair and a robot arm? There even appear to be some significant upgrades to Link's Sheikah powers, including the ability to pass through objects. I surmise this is similar to the band Link wears in A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS — where he turns into a 2D drawing on a wall — albeit with an even grander scope. 2022 can't come soon enough! -Nicholas Sutrich

Initially, some of the best games I've seen from this years E3 were tinier, indie titles. That was until Nintendo showed off even more of Breath of the Wild 2. The original Breath of the Wild was a stellar launch title for the Nintendo Switch, but it's pretty clear that the sequel has the chance to be even better. Not only has Nintendo gotten the chance to learn how to develop better for the system, but the overall look and tone of the sequel is right up my alley. Nintendo seems to be leaning hard into a darker, almost horror-like tone for the sequel, complete with unsettling music littered throughout both trailers and a much gruffer Link who seems to have gone through some stuff. Add in an overhauled map and some upgrades to Link's Sheikah powers, and Breath of the Wild 2 looks to have everything I want from a sequel. -Anthony Nash

Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread even existing feels like seeing a ghost. First mentioned all the way back in 2005, Metroid Dread returns to the series 2D side scrolling roots, while including a myriad of updates to the overall gameplay and design thanks to Spanish developer MercurySteam, the same team who worked on the criminally underrated Metroid: Samus Returns remake. It's almost scary how long I've had to wait, but I only have to wait a little longer before sinking into a new Metroid game this October. -Zackery Cuevas

I've been a Metroid fan ever since I pulled off my first combo with Samus back in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U. I know it's a weird place to start, but sadly that's how many Metroid fans are born these days. Since stumbling my way through Zebes for the first time in Super Metroid before playing through the entire 2D Metroid library in a matter of months, I've wondered what was next for my favorite video game character of all-time. YouTube videos and ResetEra threads about a mysterious canceled game, titled Metroid Dread taunted me, so the reveal of Metroid 5, which we learned was called Metroid Dread, was mere icing on a delicious looking cake of perfect fanservice. Metroid Dread looks like everything I'd hoped a follow-up to Fusion would be. In blending Fusion's suspenseful, chilling take on the formula with the freedom of Super Metroid and some atmospheric music and new powers, Metroid Dread rose the ranks to become my most anticipated game of the year. -Charlie Wacholz

Mario Party Superstars

As a long time Nintendo fan and a member of a big family, Mario Party has always been one of my favorite multiplayer games. Seeing the Mario Party boards and mini-games I grew up with done in new graphics during the Nintendo E3 announcements made my jaw drop. I cannot wait to play Mario Party Superstars as I had stopped playing during Mario Party 9 and 10 when the car mechanic was introduced. Seeing this return to the classic board game style bringing together some of my favorite games and boards will definitely get me back into the series. -Alex Huebner

Now it's your turn

Which game was your favorite announcement of E3 2021? What did you think of E3 as a whole? Sound off in the comments below.

Capcom has an excellent year so far, thanks to major releases like Monster Hunter Rise and Resident Evil Village. Now, it's Capcom's turn to take the E3 stage to give players a sneak peek at new games and projects coming from Capcom. Here's everything that was announced at Capcom E3 2021 showcase.

RE:Verse

The multiplayer game Resident Evil RE: Verse will go live next month, free to all who own Resident Evil Village.

Additional DLC for Resident Evil Village is in development

Thanks to the huge success of Resident Evil Village, Capcom has started development on additional DLC for Resident Evil Village. No other details were shared at this time.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

A new trailer was shown for the upcoming RPG Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, coming to the Nintendo Switch and PC on July 9. A demo for the game will be released on June 25th and your save data will transfer to the final game.

Monster Hunter content roadmap

A new content roadmap was outlined for both Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2 that includes emotes, outfits, and events for both games. The first Capcom Collab arrives on June 18th, with subsequent updates for both games in the weeks that follow.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

Join Herlock Sholmes and Ryunosuke Naruhodo as they solve crimes, examine witnesses, and build their court cases against the backdrop of Victorian-era Britain and Japan. Experience two great Ace Attorney games in one collection, complete with new features. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is releasing internationally for the first time on July 27, 2021, for PlayStation 4. Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Capcom Pro Tour update

Capcom gave players an update on what's going with their esports division.

What you need to know

• We've known for a while that a TV adaptation of the Halo franchise has been in the works for quite some time now.
• Thanks to Reddit, we may now have a look at some alleged, and blurry, images of a trailer for the Xbox TV series.
• Nothing, even the leaks, has been confirmed, but the Xbox TV series trailer may appear during the upcoming Xbox E3 2021 event.
• Debuting the first proper trailer for the Halo TV series alongside a fresh look at Halo Infinite could be a big win for the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase at E3 2021.

We've known for ages that a TV adaptation of the Halo universe is currently in the works, and we even recently learned that the Halo TV show is now coming to Paramount Plus, likely in 2022. Still, we have yet to get a good look at the Halo TV show, and this may be about to change soon. u/Dilpickle6194 on Reddit leaked ten alleged images taken from an upcoming trailer for the Halo TV series, which you can see below. The images are blurry and low-resolution, but we can still see plenty of what live-action Halo looks like in the TV show.

Apparently the images are taken from a trailer for the Halo TV series, which likely means it's set to be revealed soon. We can't think of any better time or place to show off a trailer for the Halo TV series than the massive game convention that's happening right now.

E3 2021 is shaping up to deliver too many game reveals and announcements to count feasibly, and Microsoft is planning to go big with their Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase at E3 2021 on June 13. We're almost certain we're going to get another look at Halo Infinite, the next major entry in the expansive Halo first-person shooter franchise, and we've even discussed what we're hoping to see from Halo Infinite at Xbox E3 2021.

For alleged images of a trailer for the Halo TV series to leak right now implies an imminent reveal, and what better time than during the Xbox event at E3 2021, right alongside Halo Infinite?

Of course, this should all be taken with a grain of salt. Although unlikely, it's possible these images are faked or tampered with. Plans can and do change all the time, as well, so even if the images are real, they may never see the light of day as part of the trailer they reportedly came from. We'll just have to wait and see, and contend ourselves in the meantime with the grainy screenshots we have now.

Halo games are some of the best Xbox shooters you can play, and many are available on Xbox Game Pass right now. We're also expecting to see more of the next big Halo game, Halo Infinite, at E3 2021, which is expected to arrive on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, and Xbox Game Pass later this year.

What you need to know

• E3 2021 is coming up.
• We ran a poll asking what readers' most anticipated E3-slated Xbox games are.
• Halo Infinite came out on top, with heavy-hitters Starfield and Forza Horizon 5 filling out the top three.

E3 2021 is almost here, and in anticipation of all the bombshell news Microsoft is likely to drop, we made a poll asking the question, "which Xbox Game Studios game do you want to see most at E3 2021?" The results are now in, and surprise surprise, Halo Infinite (172 votes) has won with 23.69% of the votes as of the time of this writing.

The mysterious Bethesda project Starfield (147) came in at 20.25% of the votes, nabbing it second place in the poll. Forza Horizon 5 (132) managed third place with 18.18%. Fourth place went to Fable (104), fifth went to Hellblade II (73), sixth to Perfect Dark (40), seventh to Age of Empires IV (39), and eighth to Everwild (19). Poor Everwild.

What this tells us is that the Halo brand still holds weight, no matter the damage Halo 4 and 5 have done to the franchise in some players' eyes, or the disastrous Halo: The Master Chief Collection launch, or the very divisive reveal of Halo Infinite. Love him or hate him, Master Chief and his cool-looking space marine/BMX helmet still draw lots of attention.

Fingers crossed Halo Infinite delivers at E3! And the same goes for all the other best-Xbox-game-hopefuls that'll be cropping up at the conference. In an ideal world, Xbox will deliver big and gives everyone something to get hyped for.

The Xbox rumor mill just keeps on turning and you know what that means? Another edition of the Xbox Rumor Report. Today, we'll be talking the latest on Elden Ring at E3, Forza Horizon 5 in Mexico, Starfield's release date and exclusivity, and a collaboration between IO Interactive and Xbox called "Project Dragon." Get those bags of salt ready, folks!

What is the Xbox Rumor Report?

With E3 inching closer and closer every day, the number of gaming rumors circulating on social media steadily multiplies. It can honestly be pretty tough keeping up with all the latest stories and speculation, but thankfully when it comes to Xbox rumblings, we've got you covered. We'll be breaking down some of the biggest potential leaks currently making the rounds and sharing my thoughts on how likely or unlikely they are. I'll also be sharing some additional details on the rumored collaboration between IO Interactive and Xbox. Now take my hand as we dive down the rabbit hole. You can check out our previous Xbox Rumor Report while you're at it.

Elden Ring at E3 2021

The first rumor we'll be discussing today comes by way of an Elden Ring image "leak" from 4chan. Now before you say it, I know what you're thinking — eww, no. Why? And I'm right there with you, but despite the fact that I don't believe this particular image is legitimate, there are some interesting details included that have a legit possibility of being accurate.

A few nights ago an image with the Elden Ring logo and text that simply read "Worldwide Reveal – 6.14.21" exploded on Twitter, Reddit, and 4chan. Many speculated that this would be the date for the big Elden Ring gameplay reveal at E3. As a huge From Software fan, this would be some incredibly exciting news, but, coincidentally, this image just so happened to pop up the same day that Bandai Namco confirmed it would be attending E3 2021.

With image leaks being so easy to fake and E3 dates being easy to predict, it's quite likely this graphic wasn't generated by any official channels. That being said, I'm still personally expecting the first Elden Ring gameplay reveal on an Xbox stage, so this date might not be too far off given Microsoft's usual E3 conference schedule.

It's also been brought to my attention that some Gamestop locations have recently received new Elden Ring promotional materials eerily similar to those shipped when the game was first revealed. While this isn't necessarily confirmation of anything, this could possibly mean it's gearing up for preorders following an upcoming gameplay reveal. Regardless of whether or not this particular rumor ends up being true, one thing's for sure: Elden Ring is real and we will be seeing it sometime very soon.

Forza Horizon 5 in Mexico

Our next Xbox rumor involves the potential location of Forza Horizon 5. Last week, my cheeky teammate Jez Corden sent out a fairly inconspicuous tweet that read "I really want to visit Mexico some day." with a Mexican flag emoji and Car emoji. While many folks on Twitter just seemed generally confused by Jez's travel interests, others like Jeff Grubb immediately jumped on the tease and added more fuel to the speculation fire.

While I won't necessarily be confirming that Forza Horizon 5 is set in Mexico, it's certainly sounding like there's a strong possibility that Mexico and not Japan will be the next location for the franchise. There's also a chance that fans will be able to get their hands on Forza Horizon 5 much sooner than they expected, with a potential reveal at E3 2021 and a potential launch in Fall 2021.

I think Mexico would be a fantastic setting for a Forza Horizon game. With a diverse collection of landscapes ranging from gorgeous beaches to ancient Mayan ruins, there's so much to explore here. I can already picture myself bombing down the shores of Cancun in my Warthog and getting some major air off the Pyramid of the Sun with my Baja Beetle. The more I think about it, the more I'm ready to take that virtual trip to Mexico.

Starfield release date and Xbox exclusivity

Since its reveal at E3 2018, fans have been hungry for more details on Bethesda's highly-anticipated new IP Starfield. This excitement has led to a ravenous host of conversations surrounding its release date and exclusivity. The biggest questions among fans right now are if Starfield be dropping in 2021 and will this be Bethesda's first big Xbox exclusive. Some trusted members of the Xbox community seem to think so.

Let's start with what we know. Toward the end of January 2021, ZeniMax Media updated its trademark for Starfield, which was first filed back in December of 2017 ahead of the E3 reveal. This trademark has consistently been updated over the course of the last several years, so while these changes theoretically don't mean much at all, many speculate that this implies a 2021 release date for Starfield is imminent.

In a rather compelling comparison, Mr. Matty Plays pointed out that Fallout 4, DOOM Eternal, and Dishonored 2 all had their proper release years listed in the same section as the one recently updated for Starfield. Additionally, we've heard from several other sources that discussions early on this year were targeting a Fall 2021 release window. Obviously, COVID-19 keeps throwing a bit of a wrench into video game release date plans, but there's a legit possibility that this is the current schedule for Starfield.

But what about Xbox exclusivity? There are definitely some vocal members of the community confident that Starfield will only release on Xbox platforms. In a recent episode of Xbox Two, Rand al Thor 19 re-emphasized his belief in Starfield's Xbox exclusivity. Rand certainly isn't the only trusted member of the community adamant in this idea, but unfortunately, I don't have the information to confirm or deny this. However, with Xbox's focus on using Bethesda's catalog to leverage Xbox Game Pass growth, I think this is an incredibly likely scenario.

IO Interactive, Xbox, and "Project Dragon"

In our last episode of the Xbox Rumor Report, we discussed that Xbox was potentially partnering with four AAA third-party studios to develop and prototype Xbox exclusives under the Xbox Game Studios Publishing banner. Outside of the cyclone tease though, we didn't really drop much in the way of specifics. However, some newly uncovered information points to a possible collaboration between IO Interactive, Xbox, and Dragons?

In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, IO Interactive CEO Hakan Abrak shared some exciting details about the future plans for this developer and confirmed that outside of the 007 Project, a separate team is busy working on a new "love child" IP with veteran staff.

When I was on Game On Daily Live a few weeks ago, I mentioned that one these potential AAA third-party Xbox partnerships was something that many wouldn't expect from this particular developer. Before this, the master of teases Jez Corden began talking quite a bit about dragons on Twitter and when asked about these partnerships on last week's episode of Xbox Two he told folks to "keep an eye on IO Interactive."

So what exactly does all this mean for IO Interactive's unannounced new IP? Well, from the information we've received about this title, it sounds like the team will be ditching Agent 47 and his modern gadgets for a more fantastical setting. It's worth reiterating that "Project Dragon" is rumored to be in the very early stages of protoyping and is likely several years away. As we mentioned in our last Xbox Rumor Report, it's not uncommon for games in this phase to be completely retooled or even scrapped as development progresses. So, while we have good information on what this title could potentially be and that Microsoft could be the ones to publish it, it's still very important to keep expectations in check.

Share your thoughts!

What are your thoughts on the latest Xbox rumors? Do you think we'll see Elden Ring on the Xbox stage at E3? Or do you think Starfield will be dropping as an Xbox exclusive this year? Let us know in the comment section below!

What you need to know

• Destroy All Humans! is a cult classic that launched in 2005.
• Amazon leaked an updated version for Xbox One.
• IGN confirmed the game by releasing a launch trailer.
• The Destroy All Humans! reboot should launch in 2020.

Updated April 28, 2020: Destroy All Humans! should launch on Xbox One on July 28.

According to a report by Variety, the cult classic "Destroy All Humans!" is coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It's unclear when the title will launch, but the outlet said that the Amazon listing mentioned 2020. This is probably a placeholder until publisher THQ Nordic provides a concrete release date.

Destroy All Humans! is exactly what it sounds like. You step into the shoes of an alien invading Earth and have to kill everyone in sight. Luckily, you have a wide variety of weapons to choose from. The Amazon listing said the following.

After Amazon leaked the game — the retailer also leaked Darksiders Genesis a few days ago — IGN posted a trailer for Destroy All Humans! The video confirms that the game is coming to consoles in 2020. You can view it below.

Are you excited for Destroy All Humans! on Xbox One? Let us know. This version features updated visuals and much more, and should be the definitive edition of the cult classic. There may also be new areas in the game, but that remains to be seen.

What you need to know

• E3 2020 was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
• A "reimagined" event will take place next year.
• The ESA has reportedly canceled plans of an online-only version of E3 2020.

After E3 2020 was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent consequences of it, the ESA has reportedly set dates for a "reimagined" event next year. According to a report from Gamesindustry.biz, the ESA has shared with partners that a "reimagined" event will be taking place next year, with dates scheduled for June 15-17, 2021.

Related: E3 2020 canceled due to coronavirus concerns

Following the cancellation of E3 2020, the ESA said that it was looking to explore ways to "coordinate an online experience to showcase industry announcements and news" in its place. However, it seems as that is also not happening, as PC Gamer reports that the "online experience" for E3 2020 has been canceled.

"Given the disruption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we will not be presenting an online E3 2020 event in June," the ESA said in a statement sent to PC Gamer. "Instead, we will be working with exhibitors to promote and showcase individual company announcements, including on www.E3expo.com, in the coming months," the rep said. "We look forward to bringing our industry and community together in 2021 to present a reimagined E3 that will highlight new offerings and thrill our audiences."

In place of E3, many publishers will likely be holding digital events to replace the conferences that would've taken place right before E3. Phil Spencer has already confirmed this will be the case for Xbox, with details on a digital event coming in the next few weeks. Ubisoft has also confirmed it is looking into a digital event.

What you need to know

• The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has announced the cancellation of E3 2020, its annual video game conference in Los Angeles, originally scheduled for June.
• Microsoft will host a "digital event" in replacement of its E3 2020 showing, featuring its next-generation plans, including Xbox Series X.

E3 2020 has officially been canceled, with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) detailing plans to forgo its annual video game conference, amid concerns of the growing threat posed by COVID-19, widely known as the coronavirus. While initially scheduled for June 9 to 11 in Los Angeles, it follows multiple consumer electronics events shuttering in response to the epidemic. The ESA has announced plans to deliver an "online experience" host to scheduled announcements, with Microsoft among the first pledging to a virtual replacement.

Microsoft responded to E3 2020's cancellation, detailing plans for a "digital event" focused around Xbox's next-generation vision. While a formal date for the broadcast remains unknown, expect further details in the weeks ahead.

"The health and safety of employees, fans and our partners around the world is a top priority," a Microsoft spokesperson told Windows Central. "We support the ESA in its decision to cancel E3 following increased public concerns with the COVID-19 virus. E3 has always been an important moment for us to show what's ahead from Team Xbox. This year we'll celebrate the next generation of gaming with the Xbox community and all who love to play around the world via a digital event. We will share details on timing and more in the coming weeks."

E3 2020 follows the Games Developers Conference, Mobile World Congress, and other global industry conferences impacted by the coronavirus. It also comes at a time when E3's relevance is frequently questioned, with major players like Sony and Nintendo already breaking out independent, external events. Nintendo has found remarkable success through its series of "Nintendo Direct" online briefings, with comparable setups likely to occupy the early weeks of June.

Microsoft's June Xbox event is expected to fully unveil its upcoming next-generation flagship console, Xbox Series X, scheduled for a holiday 2020 release.

What you need to know

• E3 has taken place annually since 1995.
• Several major events, such as GDC 2020, have been canceled this year due to COVID-19.
• Today, the ESA confirmed that E3 2020 has been canceled.

After rumors that spread over the last couple of days that E3 2020 was going to be canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we've got confirmation from the ESA: E3 2020 is being canceled.

"After careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry--our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners--we have made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles," the ESA said.

"Following increased and overwhelming concerns about the COVID-19 virus, we felt this was the best way to proceed during such an unprecedented global situation. We are very disappointed that we are unable to hold this event for our fans and supporters. But we know it's the right decision based on the information we have today."

Many publishers will likely be holding digital events to replace the conferences that would've taken place right before E3. Phil Spencer has already confirmed this will be the case for Xbox, with details on a digital event coming in the next few weeks. Ubisoft has also confirmed it is looking into a digital event.

This story is currently developing

What you need to know

• E3 2020 is still on for June according to the organizers.
• They're monitoring the coronavirus outbreak so you never know.
• The creative directors also resigned.
• It's unclear why the team resigned or who will take over.

E3 hasn't had the best couple of years lately. Sony hasn't attended the show in a few and it looks like the event may be canceled due to the recent coronavirus outbreak. However, that isn't where the misfortune ends. Last night, the creative directors in charge of the new floor experience resigned. It's unclear if this was due to creative differences or fear of the coronavirus.

The team said, "It's with mixed emotions... to resign as creative directors of what was to be an evolutionary E3 2020 floor experience. We've produced hundreds of gaming and community events and it was a dream to be involved with E3." Hopefully, the reasons behind their departure will be explained.

No matter what caused the creative team to resign, it isn't a good look for E3. As reported by Kotaku, the show has been trying to stay relevant in recent years and this just adds to the impression that E3 isn't relevant anymore.

Microsoft will still be there, but if the coronavirus outbreak isn't contained, that may not happen.

What you need to know

• The ESA reiterated today that it'll be going ahead with E3 despite a state of emergency being declared in LA.
• The city reported six coronavirus cases on Tuesday.
• "The health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, partners, and staff is our top priority," the ESA said in a statement.

Even though Los Angeles declared a state of emergency on Wednesday surrounding concerns over COVID-19, or the coronavirus, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) said that E3 will move forward as planned.

E3 2020 is set to run from June 9-11, 2020 in Los Angeles, but many were wondering if, like GDC 2020 before it, if the ESA would cancel or postpone.

The organization behind the event released a statement reaffirming that the event will be moving forward and that it'll continue to monitor the situation.

"The health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, partners, and staff is our top priority. While the ESA continues to plan for a safe and successful E3 show June 9-11, 2020—we are monitoring and evaluating the situation daily," the statement read.

The ESA adds it'll continue to work with the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) on how to mitigate risks at the potential show. It also encourages attendees to visit the LA government's official coronavirus website for more information.

The state of emergency in LA was announced after the state reported its first death related to the coronavirus, a patient who tested positive for the disease after returning from a cruise to Mexico. Six new cases were also reported in the city Tuesday.

This declaration, signed by LA mayor Eric Garcetti, allows the city to ask for aid and to allocate the local resources in anticipation of a rapid response. LA will be working to increase its capacity for testing the virus.

"I want to reiterate this is not a response rooted in panic," L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a news briefing. "We need every tool at our disposal."

San Francisco issued a similar state of emergency ahead of GDC getting canceled. If E3 does get canceled or postponed, we'll be sure to see companies moving to digital events. We'll be sure to update you if the situation changes. In the meantime, wash your hands.

What you need to know

• E3 2020 is a major gaming convention that happens over the summer.
• The event is still happening even with the coronavirus outbreak.
• The organizers are still monitoring the situation.
• Be sure to check the event and your bank's refund policy before buying tickets.

A lot of conventions are being canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, but it seems like E3 2020 is going full speed ahead. However, the organizers are monitoring the situation closely, but plans are for the event to occur. If you're interested in attending, be sure to check the refund policy or the transaction dispute policy of your bank because the event may be canceled closer to the summer.

You can read a statement noticed by TrueAchievements below.

Are you interested in attending E3 2020? Will you skip it due to the coronavirus risk? Let us know.

What you need to know

• Sony is skipping E3 2020 this year.
• This has become somewhat of a trend and the company will hold smaller events during the time.
• Microsoft confirmed that it's going to be at the event.
• The compete Xbox Series X specifications may be revealed then.

Yesterday, Sony announced that it wasn't going to hold a media briefing at E3 2020, but would instead have hundreds of smaller events around the world. With the rumored PlayStation 5 (PS5) reveal coming in February, it doesn't seem like the company needs the E3 stage this year, or ever again for that matter. The company said the following.

Microsoft is going a more traditional route. Last night, Xbox head Phil Spencer confirmed that he and the team would be there. Spencer said the following. It seems like Spencer views E3 as a celebration of gaming, and that's why the company is attending.

It's unclear when Microsoft will reveal the Xbox Series X specifications, but it might happen at E3. However, only time will tell. Since Sony is expected to discuss the PS5 next month, we may even get proper confirmation then. Who knows? We'll keep you posted as soon as we know more. The current rumors state that PS5 features 9 teraflops (tflops) while the Xbox Series X is at 12 tflops.

The ESA said the following about E3 and Sony's decision to skip the event.

What do you want to see from next-generation consoles? How do you feel about major companies skipping E3? Let us know.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• E3 is a gaming event that takes place every year.
• E3 isn't as popular as it once was due to the rising popularity of conferences like Gamescom.
• The organizers want to revamp the event so that it's better for the public.
• An allegedly leaked presentation revealed these plans.

It's no secret that E3 isn't having the best time in recent years. While conferences like Gamescom garner hundreds of thousands of visitors, E3 2019 saw around 66,000. In an effort to revamp the event's format and attract more people, the organizing body wants it to rebrand it as a "fan, media, and influencer" festival. GameDaily managed to get its hands on a presentation on just how this would work.

We've highlighted some of the main points below. However, the focus here appears to be on "experiences" instead of an overflow of traditional booths.

• There will be eight experience hubs in the middle of the traditional booths.
• There may be a strong focus on celebrities and other influential people to attend.
• There may be an industry-only day before the event opens up to the public.
• E3 wants to focus on "social good" to become more popular with younger people.
• Paid media partnerships with major outlets to increase the reach of E3 and exhibitors.

As with any such leak, take it with a grain of salt. For all we know, this could be an elaborate hoax. However, from what we've heard, it looks like this presentation is real because a number of different sources can corroborate it.

What do you think about E3's plans to revamp its image and increase attendance? Let us know. Do you think it's going to work?

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

Nearly 2,000 gaming industry folks woke up this past weekend to news of a massive data leak from the organization behind the E3 gaming conference. Everyone who registered with the Entertainment Software Agency (ESA) as a member of the press, YouTuber, Influencer, or streamer had all that registration information made publicly available. While the ESA acted relatively quickly to remove the information, the data had already been downloaded and reshared.

The worst news by far, however, is how few consequences it seems like there will be for the ESA after having allowed such an egregious violation of trust to take place. Its sad apology letter didn't help either.

How did ESA's E3 privacy breach unfold?

When you register for any tech or gaming event, there's a fairly significant exchange of information. Mailing addresses, phone numbers, and occasionally an emergency contact is requested when applying for access to these events. In some cases, you're not just sharing your information but also that of your editor to confirm you're actually applying to attend the event to do work instead of just play games or get a free pass to a paid event.

For many events, this information is shared with the businesses that will also attend. Doing so allows those businesses to contact press members and invite them to either see things under embargo or get a private tour of their booths before everyone else. This gives the media the ability to get photos and videos without a crowd, which makes it easier to share the experience with everyone not attending the event. This is all fairly standard, and there's usually a checkbox confirming that you're OK with receiving pitches from companies in attendance.

The ESA gathered all of these registrations into a single document and had that document on its website in a file labeled "Registered Media List." This document was available to anyone with a web browser. In other words, anyone could download this info and explore it, which is exactly what YouTuber Sophia Narwitz did when she showed the world what the ESA had done.

For an organization that claims on its website to be "visionaries redefining the business and creative boundaries of entertainment," the ESA demonstrated some fairly stone age data privacy and web access practices.

This isn't something that only happened once.

Using the Wayback Machine and other tools, similar documents from previous E3 registrations have been unearthed. Put simply, if you attended E3 since the internet has been a thing, there's a good chance your personal information is out there for the world to see. And that sucks.

Since the data has been made public, gaming industry folks have found themselves in difficult situations. I've seen friends lock their Twitter accounts and change their phone numbers thanks to a nearly endless wave of personal attacks. Many are concerned about the return of practices like "SWATing" if they say something a person on the internet doesn't like, while others are afraid of good old fashioned credit card scams thanks to the personal information now publicly available. How did the ESA respond to these concerns?

From the response ESA sent to the affected:

That's it. It regrets exposing nearly 2,000 people, the folks invited to attend an event it makes heaps of money from each year. E3 is, and has been for many years, the game conference in the U.S. It's where the largest companies in the gaming world create massive spectacles that keep viewers at home glued to their phones for an entire week. Regardless of how the company handled this incident, people who write about games for a living have little choice but to attend future events, even though ESA seems to have little to no concern for their safety or well being.

Very few consequences for ESA and E3

While some folks outside the U.S. are having a conversation about a possible lawsuit against the ESA for this breach, the sad truth is there's little to be done. Many have changed their phone numbers, but home addresses were also leaked, and it's not like most of the people attending this event can just up and move house. There are no legal consequences in the U.S. for this kind of thing, both because you agree to share that information when you sign up and because the U.S. government doesn't seem interested in pursuing this in any sort of regulatory or legal sense.

To be clear, this isn't like a financial data breach, where there are protections in place and legal consequences. This happened, and outside of the promise from the ESA to not do it again, there's no way to guarantee it won't happen again. Or punishment if it does.

ESA says, "we are the video game industry," but it is clearly mishandling this incident. While all of this is happening, the organization gets to act as though it's the hero when it comes to things like console manufacturers rolling out united policies on loot boxes. If a data breach like this had happened to people registered for an Xbox event, the ESA would be involved in the process of ensuring it never happened again. There would be a strongly-worded blog post on the ESA website about how Microsoft would implement new policies to ensure it doesn't happen again. But the reverse is not happening; there will be no public pressure from the biggest names in the industry to ensure the ESA takes care of the people who attend its event in a journalistic or promotional effort.

It's unlikely we've heard the end of this particular story. If a lawsuit happens to make it beyond a private settlement, it probably won't have any lasting consequences. The ESA could have offered anything, from a personal apology to the people it exposed to basic credit monitoring services, and that would have been an order of magnitude more impactful than what it actually did. In the end, nothing will have really changed.

It really shouldn't take a catastrophic incident for an organization to care about the privacy and safety of the people it serves and works with. For now, there is not much else the affected can do but hope this particular breach won't result in one.

For those who missed the surprise debut at E3 2019, Roller Champions is best framed as Rocket League on roller skates. Ubisoft's latest sports endeavor builds on a remarkably simple premise, which is critical to the reach and accessibility it strives to achieve.

Merging traits of common sports into a digestible ruleset, just one match provides an understanding of Roller Champions' mechanics and controls. Much of its long-term appeal resultingly lays with evolving teamplay, while crafting strategies around your roller team.

And surprisingly, despite an E3 packed with blockbusters, this snappy multiplayer sandbox already sits among my top games to watch for in 2020.

Keeping it rollin'

Drawing distinct influence from the cyclical chaos of roller derby, Roller Champions drops half a dozen wheeled contestants into an oval velodrome-style stage. Three-versus-three matches circle the track in a counter-clockwise direction while battling for ball control at blazing speeds. Completing laps with ball-in-hand grants an opening to score your goal, contributing to your team's final point tally.

Enduring a lap and scoring rewards a single point, while subsequent laps provide three and five to the total. However, well-coordinated teams can sour any rotation, with tackling and passing crucial to maintaining possession. And with three-lap goals gifting the five points to win, the game incentivizes high-risk plays with equally gratifying rewards.

Stepping away from early matches left me amped to jump back in, with its spin on roller derby settling among my show favorites. Its breakneck looping gameplay stays gripping throughout, concluding with an adrenaline-pumping finale unrivaled by other E3 demos. Ubisoft's own spotlight might lay with its NPC-brimming Watch Dogs: Legion and gritty world of Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, but don't overlook Roller Champions once it drops in 2020.

Rocket League never hooked me despite its ongoing successes, and I'm still coming to grips with why Roller Champions was personally so captivating. Its banked oval-shaped lanes encourage unusual tactics and quick thinking, using the half pipe to build locomotion and stay one step ahead of foes. The result is a constant game of cat and mouse, accentuated by stimulating highs and crushing lows.

But unlike its rocket-powered rival, Roller Champions is targeting the free-to-play scene from launch. Ubisoft Montreal isn't talking monetization to cover that missing price tag, but with customizable champions and gear on the roadmap, alludes to in-game purchases for support. The studio has already seen success with Rainbow Six Siege's $1 billion in revenue bolstered by cosmetic items, which will ideally translate to its next free-to-play venture, too.

Roller Champions is built upon captivating but straightforward moment-to-moment gameplay, and it was hard to put down just after three matches around its circular runways. Its free-to-play launch and focus on accessibility make a formidable combination, provided Ubisoft delivers the content to retain players beyond that initial hook in 2020.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

Monster Hunter World is a huge game already, with huge areas to explore, tons of gear to acquire, and epic monsters to battle. The game became a success story for a resurgent Capcom, quickly smashing the company's sales records as the first Monster Hunter title to hit core consoles. Since launch, Capcom introduced a range of new content, including unique events for special gear, high-profile tie-in updates with major franchises like The Witcher and Final Fantasy, and a massive multi-stage boss area in the form of the gold-hoarding giant Kulve Taroth. Now, Capcom's next big World update is going to go far further and far deeper.

Say hi to Iceborne, a vast, sequel-sized expansion for Monster Hunter World, adding a range of new mechanics, fresh progression, new story elements, and of course, all-new threats to conquer. At E3 2019, we went hands-on and drew blood with two of the new nasties, in the ice-blasted forests of the Hoarfrost Reach.

Absolutely stunning, treacherous environments

Monster Hunter World is already a vast game comprised of multiple open areas with all sorts of hazards, but Hoarfrost Reach kicks up the environmental hostility to new heights. The new icy areas are as treacherous as they are gorgeous, representing some of the most difficult terrains in the game so far. In a lot of ways, the new environments are as hostile as the monsters themselves.

While dueling the mighty elk-like Banbaro, I found myself struggling with the climate as much as the monster itself. Iceborne has some tremendous snow and ice effects, which can be anywhere up to waist-deep, limiting your movements. Having an idea about where you can and can't stand due to the snow and ice is critical to your positioning. Being submerged in a drift at the wrong time can get you squashed by a big attack, of which there are many deadly new ones to learn.

In addition to the physical environment, the biting cold also plays a factor in your character management. In certain areas of the new expansion, you'll have to manage your body heat to prevent your stamina from decreasing. Considering stamina management plays a crucial role in Monster Hunter's general combat gameplay, keeping your body warmth topped off with warm drinks crafted from plants in the environment becomes crucial.

On top of the hostility of the climate, in typical Monster Hunter World style, the new monsters also take advantage of their surroundings, but you have a few new tools of your own.

New Monsters, New Tools

At E3, we locked horns with the fearful horned Banbaro and the vicious Tigrex, and we discovered a little more about how Iceborne changes up the game.

The Banbaro is a brute wyvern, categorized by its bulk. It charges and bucks with massive horns, ramming you into the ground, dealing huge amounts of damage. Like all Monster Hunter battles, learning its attacks and behavior will see you through to victory, although our demo felt a bit tuned down to accommodate newcomers to the franchise. Regardless, even in this difficulty, the Banbaro was still almost able to send us packing in a rescue cart.

Crashing through the trees, destroying the environment, the Banbaro can get huge logs stuck in its antlers, massively widening its hitbox for charging attacks. Playing with the Gunlance, I was able to block plenty of the Banbaro's attacks, but Iceborne throws in some new abilities too for good measure.

The slinger is a wrist-mounted catapult, effectively, that allows you to slingshot different types of ammunition at monsters, in addition to grappling onto certain ledges and objects. In Iceborne, it's getting a big upgrade in the form of the new Clutch Claw, allowing you to actually hook directly onto monsters. When hooked on, you can reposition and deal a bit of damage, which can even topple monsters over for some free attacks. It's not easy to get the hang of, but when you pull it off, it feels absolutely awesome.

A bigger expansion than some sequels

We only had a relatively brief glimpse at Iceborne, but it's already a tantalizing example of how an expansion pack should be done. Huge new areas, an all-new central base, tons of new monsters and other minor creatures, highly destructible environments with new weather mechanics, and a ton of new weapons to collect and unlock make this expac seem more like a true sequel than a mere DLC.

Iceborne is targeting a September 6, 2019, launch for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with a PC version planned for soon afterwards, and we can't wait.

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While the first Watch Dogs installment fell short of meeting high expectations, a Bay Area-bound 2016 sequel delivered the sweeping diversity an alluring open world. Watch Dogs: Legion shakes up Ubisoft's open-world adventure once again; a move that finally helps the rebellious trilogy stand out in the crowded action-adventure space. The result is an interconnected and vivid dystopian London, matching the awe of the series' first debut.

After an action-brimming E3 2019 demo, we've wrapped up our early impressions ahead of its slated 2020 debut.

Taking the keys to the city

Watch Dogs: Legion doubles down on the complexity of its backdrop, aided by both new gameplay systems and a foreign metropolis. Across the pond to dystopian near-future London, Ubisoft strives for heightened emphasis on non-player characters (NPCs) and the world they inhabit. The Toronto-sited studio dubs its vivacious locale a "simulation," only affirming strides to expand its action-adventure playground.

The new "play-as-anyone" mechanic lies at the heart of Watch Dogs: Legion, tapping into the franchise's past groundwork of diverse bystanders. With no successor to ex-protagonists Pearce and Holloway, the focus shifts to inhabitants themselves. Using tools to recruit a digital army of up to 20 NPCs, this newest installment ushers richer strategy. It highlights an ongoing push to expand Ubisoft's open-world sandboxes with added granularity and role-playing traits, mirrored by Far Cry: New Dawn and Tom Clancy's The Division 2.

Adopting a European city is an understated upgrade, ditching the grid-based layout of U.S. hotspots and welcoming a varied palette. Seeing modern London streets represented in games is an unusual sight, bringing complex road layouts and centuries of diverse architecture. The result is familiar (though condensed) depiction as a London native, justified by a post-Brexit twist – even if Ubisoft distances itself from the raw politics.

Friend or foe? You decide.

Ubisoft claims every NPC in Watch Dogs: Legion can be recruited to your squad, each bestowing defining traits, backstories, relationships, and schedules among the city. It extends to bespoke real-time cutscene animations in line with personas, also branching into fundamental gameplay traits. The result is characters that simply feel more authentic – with the added weight of permadeath raising the stakes across your crew.

All NPCs have a stance on the DedSec and their allegiance to the rebel group determines the ease of enlisting them to your hacking roster. The more favorable to your cause, the quicker to recruit, with side quests achievable for each NPC to improve your standing. We singled out and tracked one bypasser in our demo, confronting his brother's harasser, with sprawling effects on DedSec's perception across the family.

The shift helps make Legion's London feel deep and thriving; two traits where previous Watch Dogs titles have faltered. However, the lack of a sole curated protagonist leaves room for doubt to deliver a compelling narrative. Ubisoft has provided only a brief glimpse of its world so far, touting five storylines comprised of 60 main missions. But with such scale and versatility, it's yet to prove it won't lose sight of its curated story.

Further building on advancements of Watch Dogs 2, the latest open-world encourages player choice via flexible encounters. Combat thrives on shared elements of predecessors, accommodating both stealthy tactic-driven hacking and unhinged chaos.

The new NPC system expands on these philosophies, leveraging a class-based system for character progression. Every budding recruit must be assigned one of three classes, determining field abilities and upgrades. The "Enforcer" carves an assault role reliant on heavy arms and combat proficiency, while the "Infiltrator" using augmented reality to stay in the shadows. The accompanying "Hacker" class expands the interactive environment with further advanced options. Each brings new scale and opportunity gameplay while adding essential depth the NPC recruitment.

Watch Dogs: Legion conveys a city visibly denser and more dynamic than past entries, with new-found NPC twist expanding strategy and role-playing influences. It's the differentiator the franchise needs to thrive among a sea of open-world rivals, founded on concepts that feel genuinely innovative to play. While moment-to-moment gameplay will be familiar for veterans, veering from its tried and tested sandbox could finally help Watch Dogs stand independently.

Watch Dogs: Legion is due on March 6, 2020, headed to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

With intergalactic conglomerates and kingpins, the hyper-corporatist Halcyon colony is rife with distrust and conspiracy. It's the canvas for the upcoming role-playing game (RPG) The Outer Worlds, a return to sci-fi roots for Obsidian Entertainment, famed for Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II and Fallout: New Vegas. While a welcome return to exploration and action, this fresh endeavor also takes player freedom to the next level.

From its ambitious RPG unveiling to its recent acquisition by Microsoft, it's been a busy year for Obsidian. We caught up with the studio at E3 2019 for a glimpse at the journey so far, and what lies ahead.

In The Outer Worlds, choice is the recipe for success

Choice lays at the heart of The Outer Worlds, helping define its deep role-playing systems. Crafting your alternate identity is intrinsic to the genre, and where Obsidian looks to build a world with player freedom and tangible consequences. Complex and intertwined systems pave these underpinnings, with opportunities to fork its narrative throughout the game.

Our demo kicked off with a glimpse of Fallbrook, a wild town host to smugglers and opportunist crooks. Tasked with infiltrating a "boarst" factory, we confront the founder of the twisted facility breeding mutated "cystipig" meat. Events unfold in response to your actions, with character interactions and choices skewing the quest's outcome. We sat down with Dan McPhee, narrative designer on The Outer Worlds, to expand on the scale of player impact and how the scale of decisions will vary.

"We have a wide range," McPhee said. "Everything we put in the game is based on someone asking somewhere, 'What if the player can do X, Y, and Z?' We have the small things like quests, who you can take with you. You can change your options on any given quest. And then we have larger, overarching things. There are factions in the game, and they butt heads. And then you can choose sides, or you can try to get them to work together, or you can play them off each other. If you pursue the quest lines that those factions are involved with, it eventually becomes this massive, dramatic struggle."

Adopting a traditional linear format allows for curation and guidance, both valuable tools in digital storytelling. However, The Outer Worlds aims to embrace an identity of branching gameplay while battling its hurdles to ensure a refined experience. Positioned among Obsidian's storytelling stars, McPhee details the challenges in assembling a compelling narrative for this fresh IP. "It's difficult, it's a lot of work," McPhee said. "At a very basic level, one of the things that we have to keep in the back of our mind when we're doing things like quests and NPCs is [that] you can kill anybody. If you have a quest-giver, we try very hard to not let the player shoot themselves in the foot. And killing a person is a choice."

The ambition is crafted quests that accommodate for player freedom while considering fail-safes, according to McPhee. Implementing these countermeasures has taken time, but avoids punishing those breaking away from norms. "We were doing play tests in the office, and one of my coworkers did one where she very specifically tried to break the game. She wanted to try really hard and she couldn't do it. That's just a result of constant iteration of work over the past couple years."

The Outer World's embrace of unhinged corporatism fosters a turbulent backdrop, pushing combat as a central pillar of its role-playing foundations. Its deep role-playing systems complement shooting and looting, leaning on familiar tropes to Bethesda's Fallout series. The Outer Worlds looks to cater to both shooter fans and role-playing purists, providing options to approach encounters with strategy or a real-time focus.

"There are other things like slow down with tactical time dilation," McPhee said, a dedicated ability to slow down time during combat. In clear inspiration from the turn-based V.A.T.S. targeting system of modern Fallout titles, the ability alleviates the granular, reactive gunplay, with an option of further upgrade paths too. "That actually helps a lot. Depending on the choices that you make during your character creation, customization, and all that stuff, you can potentially have that be very powerful."

The Microsoft family and Game Pass puzzle

While already a proven role-playing heavyweight, Obsidian now falls among Microsoft's extensive list of recent acquisitions under the Xbox Game Studios family. Obsidian's 2018 onboarding further fortified in-house Xbox development, providing the studio with long-needed backing of an industry giant. "They've been great, honestly," said McPhee on the acquisition. "It's not something that directly affects this specific project, but just the general atmosphere has been awesome."

Sided by over a dozen Xbox Game Studios development teams, the benefits of cross-studio resources and collaboration already bear fruit for the team. "It comes at the tail end of this project, but we're already talking, we catch up with the sister studios, talking about different techniques and learn from them and stuff like that." Fellow role-playing icons inXile Entertainment sit among those partners, currently committed to Wasteland 3 and Bard's Tale IV support.

Over three years deep into The Outer Worlds, publishing rights remain with Take-Two label Private Division, despite Microsoft's recent acquisition. However, it will make the year's Xbox Game Pass blockbusters, expanding the growing Netflix-style subscription library in 2019. Established on Xbox One and now extending to Windows 10 PCs, Xbox Game Pass serves a roster of over 100 titles, alongside first-party games at launch. The Outer Worlds joins upon its October 25, 2019, release, granting access under the $10 monthly fee.

"I really like Game Pass, and one of the things I like about it is that I tend to try games I probably wouldn't try without it," McPhee said. "And I think a lot of people are going to do that." With day-one inclusion, McPhee emphasizes Xbox Game Pass will aid in drawing new players to its role-playing adventure. "We have a core audience for The Outer Worlds that's going to get the game. They're really excited about it. [...] but I think there are going to be a lot of people, especially on Game Pass, who just see it and go, 'Oh, that looks kind of interesting.' And maybe they wouldn't have bought it before, but now they're going to play."

With development set to wind down over the coming months, The Outer Worlds is slated for an October 25, 2019, release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PCs. The Outer Worlds preorders start at $60, while Xbox Game Pass on Xbox and PC serves up the game for $10 monthly, alongside over 100 accompanying titles.

When Microsoft unveiled Bleeding Edge at E3 2019, it came as a bit of a surprise. Ninja Theory's previous game, Hellblade, won awards for its thoughtful writing, incredible character animation, and superior acting. It seemed only logical that Ninja Theory's next game would be in a similar vein, as a narrative single-player experience, particularly with Microsoft's backing. Instead, we're getting a multiplayer brawler, which takes cues from other team-based games like Overwatch and DOTA, while also standing proud in its own unique space.

There was a bit of a mild backlash to the news, from Ninja Theory fans hoping to see more Hellblade-like games emerge from the studio. I'd argue the backlash is unfounded, as Bleeding Edge seems like it could grow into something damn awesome.

Why Bleeding Edge?

As noted, Bleeding Edge came as a bit of a blindside for those expecting an experience similar to Hellblade, but Bleeding Edge does not single a change of heart for the studio. Talking to Ninja Theory's Rahni Tucker, who leads combat direction on Bleeding Edge, she noted that this was a passion project. Bleeding Edge is led by a smaller team comprised of fans of multiplayer titles, who worked on the third-person combat for titles like DmC: Devil May Cry. The creative lead on Hellblade is working on other projects.

"So [our other team] focus on story-character experiences, but me personally, I'm more interested in building "gamey" games. I really like third-person action combat I wanted to do more of that. But at home, I play like competitive team games in my spare time. But yeah, Ninja Theory has two teams back at the studio, one working away on the type of stuff [fans] might be used to, this is not a change in direction for the studio. There's more than one thing that we're working hard on."

Around 25 developers are currently assigned to Bleeding Edge, which the team has been working on since before Microsoft acquired the studio in 2018. Ninja Theory cited inspirations to us from games like Overwatch, Smite, and even World of Warcraft's PvP arena combat when it comes to Bleeding Edge's gameplay. Visual cues were taken from more vibrant anime styles and also Cannabis Works art reference from Tatsuyuki Tanaka, for its post-modern cyberpunk themes.

The combination of these inspirations and pure Ninja Theory passion has coalesced into something that feels familiar, yet unique in its own right, representing something that with more refinement could evolve into something truly great.

The Bleeding Edge world

Bleeding Edge is set 50 years into the future, where augmentation has become commonplace, albeit controlled by a small handful of pharmaceutical monopolies controlled by a dominating, wealthy elite. "Bleeding Edge" itself draws some comparisons to Fight Club, in the sense that it is a band of misfits and body-hacking enthusiasts from across the globe, united in their purpose to, one day, democratize access to human enhancement technology.

The group's leader, Daemon, is a prolific hacker who sets the gang in motion, after releasing technical data from one of the big corrupt tech companies monopolizing human cybernetics. As the schematics proliferate across the internet, more and more engineers, programmers, and other fringe elements begin banding together, modifying themselves either out of necessity following accidents, or simply because they love it.

Each character has his or her own back story, representing different nationalities from across the world. Kulev is a British Oxford professor who digitized his consciousness and uploaded it into a robot snake, whose abilities and mods thematically represent his academic passion for the occult. Buttercup is a half-woman, half-motorbike cybernetic brawler, whose augments came about following a motorcycle accident. Daemon himself is a graffiti punk and hacker, turned New York City cyborg samurai. Ten fighters have been revealed so far, which two more to come.

While growing up his guerilla forces, the Bleeding Edge test themselves and their enhancements in friendly (albeit violent) combat in custom-built arenas, in gameplay which is as fun as it is gorgeous.

Hands-on with Bleeding Edge gameplay

Bleeding Edge is an arena brawler first and foremost, where players must work together and combine their skill sets to capture points on dynamic, hazard-laden cyberpunk maps. The most striking aspect of Bleeding Edge, quite easily, is the art style, which is perhaps best described as a neon-washed acid trip. The character designs are simply insane, in all the right ways. Each ability seamlessly intertwines thematically with the character designs, too, which is a testament to the small team's attention to detail.

Fans of MOBAs and games like Overwatch will find Bleeding Edge to be immediately familiar, gameplay wise. There are tanks, support classes, and assassin damage dealers, each with a unique niche for excelling in particular situations. There are also ultimate abilities which charge up over time, which can be unleashed to devastating effect. Nidhoggr, a badass Norwegian metal band frontman-turned-brawler can ignite an area with lightning from his guitar, stunning enemies in a wide area, for example.

If timed correctly, you could stun a group of players in the path of an oncoming train, resulting in a multi-insta-kill and a plume of flying viscera. For sure, Bleeding Edge lives up to its namesake when it comes to violence.

Playing as both Nidhoggr and the tanky Buttercup, Bleeding Edge immediately sent me into WoW Arena autopilot mode, trying to peel assassins off our healers and line of sight ranged attacks. There are clear parallels between the experiences, with similar lock-on mechanics, special attacks, and so on. Nidhoggr can ignite groups of players on fire, putting pressure on healers to top off multiple allies, while also staying alive. Kulev by contrast, can heal allies in an area of effect, while cursing enemies with increased damage.

The variety of the character's abilities, the environmental hazards on the maps, and the soft progression system that gives you different types of ability modifiers as you level up should make for a dynamic high-level play while remaining accessible for newcomers. Bleeding Edge also has no microtransactions whatsoever, the in-game currency earned from competing will allow you to unlock soft ability modifiers and passives. Ninja Theory emphasizes that there will never be any "pay-to-win" type systems that affect gameplay, but they still haven't decided how the game will be monetized down the line as of yet.

An intriguing, promising Xbox Game Studios title

The passion of Rahni Tucker and the rest of the Ninja Theory was inspiring when I met up with the team at E3 2019. Clearly Bleeding Edge is a labor of love, with meticulous attention to detail, world building, and visual themes. Where Bleeding Edge may fall flat is in the combat balance and execution, which is delicate to execute well in a 3D brawler, perhaps indicative of why there aren't a huge amount of successful games of this type out there.

Ninja Theory knows that testing will be key, which is why you can sign up to test the game in its early Alpha stages over on the game's website. With no planned launch date as of yet, it seems Ninja Theory have plenty of time to refine and iterate.

Even though Bleeding Edge will launch as a 4v4 multiplayer-only experience, the potential is clear for a broader push into Overwatch-like territory with a wider expanse of story building, merchandising, and beyond. Of course, that all depends on how popular, and well, fun the game is when it launches. Judging from what I've played so far, I'm optimistic that it will be.

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E3 2019 is an event known primarily for core titles on PC and consoles, with mobile phone games almost seen as taboo when it comes to stage presentations. The business reality of mobile is stark, however. More gamers than ever spend time playing on their phones, and Microsoft has been staggeringly inept over the years when it comes to capitalizing on mobile ... well, anything, let alone games. That losing streak could be about to change, though.

Say hello to Minecraft Earth, which looks set to be the biggest mobile game Microsoft has ever (maybe, will ever) make. We spent some time with Minecraft Earth at E3, and we're very impressed.

Minecraft Earth gameplay is authentically Minecraft

The closest comparison one can make between Minecraft Earth and other games, clearly, is Pokemon Go. That game's creator Niantic's overworld format evolved from its previous augmented-reality game, Ingress, where player's movements are tracked on a digital reconstruction of real-world maps via GPS and can participate in augmented-reality adventures using the camera on their phone.

Augmented reality has evolved leaps and bounds since the early days of Ingress, now popularized to mega-stardom by Pokemon Go, with Minecraft Earth set to follow. If you thought Minecraft Earth was simply going to be a Pokemon Go clone, guess again. Minecraft Earth is far deeper and far more creative than Pokemon Go, leveraging an experience that is quite authentically Minecraft.

Earth is split into a few gameplay experiences, tied together with a robust inventory-management system. Like the base Minecraft game, the goal is to essentially make your own adventures, playing with friends. As you walk around the global overworld, you'll be able to retrieve crafting blocks by tapping on the screen, or by diving into the deeper augmented experiences, where your phone becomes your window into a first-person Minecraft universe, very similar to the game we already know and love.

Randomly generated "Adventures" will place you in mini Minecraft worlds, with the ability to dig up blocks, battle mobs, and loot to your heart's content. It's in these Adventures where you'll earn your crafting materials to then build epic structures upon Build Plates, which are like personal building zones which you can place upon the real world. Stick a farm in your garden, make your own tree house, or create a petting zoo. The possibilities are truly limited only by your imagination, or your willingness to hunt down those materials.

Based on the Bedrock Engine available on PC, VR, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, Minecraft Earth is intuitively familiar for any experienced Minecraft player and should be just as easy to pick up for newcomers to the series. Instead of using a joystick or a mouse cursor, simply pointing the phone camera at what you want to shoot, loot, or build works far more intuitively than I would have ever expected. Precision placing blocks is incredibly easy, as is blasting waves of zombies with a crossbow. All the same rules from regular Minecraft apply. You can set fire to blocks using Flint and Steel, and craft using the same recipes you've learned from the base game. I couldn't resist the urge to burn down the demo building the game's creator Mojang had set up for us, which they then blew up to life-size so we could walk around the burning carnage.

Minecraft Earth Kid safety and microtransactions

The previous sentence might have created concerns for parents out there. What if my kid's carefully crafted castle gets burned down by an asshole like Jez? Thankfully, Microsoft and Mojang are taking griefing and kid safety extremely seriously for Minecraft Earth. Youngsters with child accounts on Xbox Live won't even be visible to people not on their friend lists, just like on Xbox Live today, and Build Plates are accessible via invite-only, just like regular Minecraft. I won't be able to just walk around burning down everyone's houses unless they invite me to do so. Additionally, Microsoft is not allowing the public placement of Build Plates, at least not at launch, for those worried their neighborhoods will become littered with giant naughty sculptures. Earth should be a totally safe experience for parents who take the time to set up Microsoft Accounts for their kids properly.

Related: Parents Guide to Xbox Live safety

Mobile games, especially for kids, are often a hellscape for predatory purchases too. Time-gating for money, loot crates with gambling mechanics, and in-app currency have come under intense scrutiny in recent years for how they manipulate money out of our pockets and create bad faith gameplay loops that can guilt people out of money.

Minecraft Earth would be utterly perfect for a shady company to create aggressive purchasing mechanics. Why not let a rich kid armed with his parent's credit card simply buy up a ton of diamond blocks and build a glistening skyscraper? Thankfully, Mojang is taking an ethical approach to Earth's monetization.

While they weren't ready to talk about specifics, they emphasized that any future monetization would follow along with the base Minecraft experience, perhaps selling skins or mod experiences. They won't allow you to purchase blocks or circumvent progression with real money, nor will they create artificial time gating or sell gambling loot boxes. If someone has built an epic skyscraper out of diamonds, it will be because they spent the time to hunt down those materials.

Minecraft Earth just works, and it could be HUGE

While we didn't get to experience the overworld map or dive into some of the other systems, these early signs of gameplay are exciting. Being able to shrink down your crafts and stick them on the table for precision fine-tuning, then blow them up to life size to be experienced, walking around, is rich and immersive. The glimpses at Adventures were also intriguing, with the ground opening up revealing hordes of skeletons, with creepers swarming the room. The fact the game is built on the Bedrock Engine means that many of its gameplay features just work as you would expect them to, which aligns it closely with the experiences you enjoy today on various devices.

There are plenty of unanswered questions, but the potential Microsoft is showing with Minecraft Earth is staggering and could stand tall in a world where mobile games are generally designed for maximum cash-in ops and less about pure fun. Minecraft Earth is the first mobile game I've played in literally years that felt like it extended the experience of the franchise it was built on, as opposed to simply being a vehicle to siphon cash from the franchise's fans.

Earth is slated to begin rolling out in beta this summer, with plans to expand to the entire globe in the coming months.

Related: All Minecraft Earth resources at Windows Central

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You might think you're cool, but are you cool enough to wear these?

Recently we were treated to an extended behind-closed-doors look at Cyberpunk 2077. From the creators of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077 is based on a 1988 tabletop RPG, set in a hyper-futuristic dystopia where body modification and transhumanistic digitization has become the norm. Corruption is rife, despair and desperation are endemic, and it's on you, as a character known as V, to cut a bloody path through this tough existence.

Cyberpunk 2077 is first and foremost a first-person action RPG, where choice and consequence permeates every level of play. We caught a glimpse at how Cyberpunk 2077's gameplay options work in practice, as well as some of the deeper mysteries that will grip your soul as you carve through the game's dark plot.

This is Cyberpunk 2077, and it should be at the top of your most-wanted games list.

Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay impressions: Play your way

Cyberpunk 2077 goes quite a bit further than The Witcher 3 in terms of roleplaying, allowing you a high degree of control over how to customize your own personal cyberpunk. The character creation screen is fairly detailed, with more customization on the way according to CD Projekt RED, with a wide array of hairstyles, skin tones, and face options, as well as things like contact lenses and tattoos. You can also choose one of three backstories for V, Mass Effect-style, which affect dialogue options and story encounters throughout the game. One option for V's backstory is that of a street kid, growing up on the rough streets of Night City, while another paints V as an ex-corporate lackey, descending from the MegaCorps that now control the country.

In conversation, dialogue boxes open up giving players a range of responses for every situation. Some are tied to your cyberpunk's skills and abilities, while others are tied to your backstory and knowledge of current events. Investigating side objectives may give you an edge in a more important conversation, helping you gain leverage over another character during a negotiation.

The mission we were shown has V getting involved in conflicts between local gangs. V is asked (we use the term asked loosely), to infiltrate a gangland stronghold in exchange for access to the Voodoo Boys' hacker group's big leader. How exactly you approach this mission remains entirely up to you, and therein lies the most exciting aspects of Cyberpunk 2077's gameplay.

Cyberpunk 2077 has no hard class system. Instead, you tailor your playstyle based on what stats and abilities you choose. You can create a heavy cyborg tank and go in guns blazing, build points in agility and become a cyborg ninja, emphasize hacking and manipulate enemies and their systems to gain an advantage, or gear up a jack of all trades, switching weapons based on the needs or the situation. For our demo, we were shown a couple of archetypes, one which showcased stealth and hacking, and another that prioritized strength and brute force.

The Animals' gang stronghold had several entrances to infiltrate, and your Voodoo Boys contact offered advice via radio link to help you get an idea of where to go. You could either go in through the back sneakily or if you were more confident, bust in through the front door, although you'd be greeted by dozens of superhuman cyborgs and other deadly machines in the process. The demonstrater opted to go around the back, listening to NPC conversations. One carried a stack of pizzas up the stairs for the other goons, even cyborgs gotta' eat.

CD Projekt RED was keen to note that it's entirely possible to go through Cyberpunk 2077 without killing anyone. A non-lethal takedown of the pizza guy, stuffing his body into a trash can to prevent enemy alarms typified this. However, slicing him in two with electrified razor-sharp whips represented an equally valid option.

A simple jaunt through a corridor threw up various new gameplay options too. A security camera lit up the room, preventing further access without alerting the guards. A stealthy player may want analyze where the camera's power source is, and simply disable it that way. A hacking-heavy player would be able to access and disable it remotely, or even turn it against your enemies. A strength-oriented cyberpunk may be able to simply rip the door off to gain access to another route, using hydraulic enhanced cybernetic forearms.

While you can play Cyberpunk 2077 fully in close quarters combat, it also seems like it has robust shooting chops too. Blasting through enemies produces damage numbers which should help you feel your progression, and your weapon choices also dictate the amount of viscera you'll send flying through the air as you cut enemies down. Cyberpunk 2077 is unapologetically violent, should you choose to play it that way. Blood, guts, brains, and severed limbs all give weapons a sense of real impact, that should prove a treat for fans of digital brutality. Flesh-warping heavy machine guns, skull-crushing cybernetic sledgehammers, and bone-slicing blades offered just a glimpse at the full arsenal V will have access to, through various vendors and other means. CD Projekt RED showed how you could simply hack a turret and turn it on your enemies, or literally just rip the gun out of the floor, and go in all Rambo-like, reducing the environment to chunks of crimson-painted concrete.

The demo also showed off how choices made throughout could impact the final outcomes of the mission. Defeating a boss with non-lethal methods might come back to haunt you later in the game. There was also an opportunity to betray the Voodoo Boys, which would no doubt lead to further cascading problems (or solutions) for V. There was a strong showing of choice and freedom in the 50-minute presentation that it's a bit dizzying, and I'm sure I'll remember other details after I've hit publish on this article. There was simply so much to take in.

As awesome as the gameplay seems, it was the story implications which gave me goosebumps.

Cyberpunk 2077 story impressions: A dark world with deep secrets

In Cyberpunk 2077, you play as a mercenary ascending through the ranks of Night City's grimy underbelly. Gangsters, corrupt MegaCorp officials, tech cults, and all sorts of nefarious customers vie for V's services. It's not all about V's career, though, there is a deeper mystery unraveling through Cyberpunk 2077's preview content, hinting at the game's broader plot.

Cybernetic enhancements are commonplace in the Cyberpunk 2077 world and despite the prevalence of affordable cyber tech, the U.S. was devastated by the collapse of martial infrastructure, following a period of global instability and war. To stave off collapse, the U.S. essentially gave MegaCorps free reign to control everything, creating an unregulated capitalistic hell with extreme inequality and injustice. Entire areas of Night City, somewhere in 2077 California, operate completely without law enforcement or government involvement, save for private security forces more beholden to their company's interests.

For V and his pals, this creates an opportunity, albeit a dangerous one. Choosing which factions to ally yourself with may lead to pissing off others, and will ultimately depend on the type of cyberpunk you want to create. In the demonstration we saw, Cyberpunk 2077 created more questions than answers about the game's plot, which now famously features Keanu Reeves himself, as a digital ghost, glitched into V's cybernetically-enhanced brain.

Johnny Silverhand, as he's known, will haunt the player throughout the game Tyler Durden-style, commenting as V heads towards his or her ultimate goal. At least in this point of the game, V has discovered that they're carrying a mysterious, untraceable biochip, that may unlock the secrets to true human immortality. Hunting down answers for this mysterious chip, which the MegaCorps desperately hunt, V opted to aid the Voodoo Boys in an attempt to gain access to the deep net.

In 2077, global internet infrastructure doesn't seem as robust as it is now, separated instead into localized subnets. However, it seems a deeper global layer still exists, and to access it, one has to take a quick dip in an ice bath to jack in.

It's here in cyberspace where Cyberpunk 2077 took an oddly mystical, vaguely supernatural turn. Cyberspace in Cyberpunk 2077's world feels more like the stuff of legends, where hackers exchange rumors and stories of powerful netrunners who were able to transcend their flesh entirely and become fully digitized. Alt Cunningham is one such netrunner, in a call back to older Cyberpunk lore. She created the "soulkiller" program, allowing the user's mind to become fully digitized, taking on its own life on the net. V hunts Alt beyond an area of cyberspace known as the Black Wall, a digital place where no explorer has returned alive.

Cyberspace in Cyberpunk 2077 is an awe-inspiring realm of digital artifacts, and black and red ethereal entities representing other netrunners and cyber citizens. The Black Wall rolled up like a monolithic alien structure, standing at mythical contrast to the high-tech gritty reality on the outside world. It feels like solving the mysteries of Alt, the biochip, and the dark places of cyberspace may form some of the game's most powerful, evocative moments.

More excited than ever for Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be a big event in the 2020 gaming calendar, as CD Projekt RED seek to solidify their place as the gods of RPG gameplay. The Witcher 3 is a daunting performance to follow, though, and while there's still a year left to go until launch, I did notice a fair few imperfections in Cyberpunk 2077's gameplay presentation that I hope get ironed out.

I'm hoping that CD Projekt RED can polish up the first-person camera motions, which seemed far-less polished and smooth than Dying Light 2's, for example, which I saw right after I saw Cyberpunk 2077. I was also concerned about vehicle handling, which seems a bit janky, and enemy A.I., which seemed a little slow to react in combat when stringing moves and other behaviors together. CD Projekt RED did note at the start of the demonstration that it was still a work in progress, and asked attendees to provide feedback to that end towards the end of the show.

Despite some concerns about polish, the core gameplay, the art, the narrative delivery, and staggering world-building have me more excited for Cyberpunk 2077 than ever before. If the whole game is as rich, deep, and varied as what we were shown in this relatively brief demo, Cyberpunk 2077 will be a huge achievement well worthy of every RPG fan's attention, for decades to come. Keep your eye on this game.

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At E3 2019, Microsoft unveiled Minecraft Dungeons gameplay for the first time, showing us that it takes stronger cues from the likes of Diablo than any other similar game. The earlier teaser from a few months ago made me wonder if it was more of a Left 4 Dead-style game, but the isometric 3D action RPG combat in the latest trailer is unmistakable in all the right ways.

As good as Minecraft Dungeons looked on-screen, it felt even better. A small team at Mojang is working on the title, and even though the game is almost a year away from its launch window, the demo I played already had all the depth, polish, and addictive loot to leave me quite honestly desperate for more.

Here's a little glimpse into Minecraft Dungeons, from our hands-on session at E3 2019, ahead of its targeted Spring 2020 launch window.

Minecraft Dungeons nails the ARPG combat feel

Minecraft Dungeons closest possible comparison for Xbox owners is likely Diablo III, with familiar control schemes and even UI elements across the board. However, some key differences help Minecraft Dungeons stand out on its own.

There is no building mechanic in Minecraft Dungeons, instead, the team has focused entirely on its combat systems. Even with a year of development to go, Dungeons already simply feels awesome.

There's no hard class system. Instead, you'll build up your own "class" picking and choosing from an array of Minecraft-inspired weaponry, including pickaxes, fishing poles for hooking mobs, swords, shields, lances, and so on. On top of that, there are also unique artifacts that grant spell-like powers. The sheer variety of options should ensure nobody feels like their personal favorite playstyles are uncatered for. You can be a magic-wielding wizard, prioritizing artifact spells, a heavy warrior with plate armor and a two-handed weapon, or an archer, complete with a personal wolf pet with an emphasis on dodging and agility.

In practice, every weapon and ability we tried already felt polished. Built on the Unreal Engine, Minecraft Dungeons looks stunning, despite its blocky aesthetics. It sports gorgeous HDR lighting and smooth frame rates, with various classic Minecraft environmental biomes represented.

You'll plunder abandoned mines, ancient oceanic temples, and ruined desert tombs, brimming with traps and all sorts of monsters. With fully-realized physics and dynamic lighting, smashing into enemies with a lightning bolt, sending them cascading across the map and into walls or off ledges gives collision a real sense of physical impact. Again, Minecraft Dungeons already illustrates exactly how an ARPG should feel.

In our gameplay demo, we spent the bulk of our time in one of the game's desert-style ruins, which came with all the types of mobs you'd expect. Mummified zombies, vanquished soldier skeletons, and web-spewing spiders stood between us and the procedurally-generated end-goal, with plenty of room for exploration off the beaten path. The game also has unique puzzles and events, which adds variety to the frenzied battles.

Minecraft Dungeons does have a narrative, which revolves around defeating the Arch-Illager leader, representing a faction introduced in Minecraft's Village and Pillage update earlier this year. The story is very light, though, and just adds context to what your heroes are up to. The objectives of one map might be to rescue some villagers, while another might be to vanquish a boss. And oh boy, we caught a glimpse at some of those.

Endermen are already feared combatants in Minecraft's base game, but in Dungeons, they take on a new dimension of danger. Endermen now screw with your visibility using psionic power, in Minecraft Dungeons, and take far more damage than any regular mob, while also teleporting away from all of your abilities. Alongside Endermen are new Necromancer mobs, that can spawn masses of skeletons and zombies, and Wraiths, which spread torrents of fire in an area of effect. Owing to Minecraft Dungeons' procedural generation, these monsters could show up at any time throughout the map, and could also come as a much larger boss variant, complete with unique tactics and special loot. Speaking of which ...

Minecraft Dungeons All that loot and progression

The Dungeons team were keen to stress to me that they aren't going to include any form of "pay to win"-style microtransactions in Dungeons, nor are they adding gambling-style loot boxes. Instead, everything you earn will be found in-game, as it should be, plundering tombs and mines. Minecraft Dungeons has a few interesting RPG mechanics to that end, which fall into multiple categories.

Damage numbers in combat reveal your progression as you grow in power, but additionally, your character sheet also shows your accumulated gear score. That "Power" level also dictates the difficulty of procedurally-generated dungeons, when you're selecting them from your encampment base. A more difficult map for your current Power will yield better rewards, but if you want a more relaxed experience, those will be on offer too.

Minecraft Dungeons has a huge range of weapons and artifacts planned for launch, roughly around 20 per type we were told, for melee, artifact "spells," and ranged weapons. On top of all that, you can also enchant your abilities with unique modifiers. Similarly to the base Minecraft game, you can spend your accumulated levels (not your gear Power) to increase the strength of these enchantments. One such enchantment we tried added chain-lightning effects to melee strikes, while another added homing projectiles to our ranged attacks. Many of these abilities can be charged too for additional variety. One ability added additional projectiles to an artifact that turned our bow into a firework launcher, creating doubled-up explosive arrows.

Each biome also comes with unique named loot and armor that can drop anywhere, either from regular mobs or chests, but is more likely to appear from mini-bosses like the Endermen or map-end bosses, like giant Wraiths. One weapon we got looked like a jagged lance, which when enchanted with the "Echo" ability, gave us additional slashing hits for each trigger pull. And I keep saying this, but again, it just felt so damn good.

On top of regular loot, Minecraft Dungeons will also have consumables like food to keep your health up, as well as a potion on a cooldown recharge. Dungeons will also have unique puzzle mechanics, including a cute Key Golem, which can unlock doors. However, dropping him will cause him to flee back to his spawn point. There also "Piggybank" mobs which serve as loot pinatas, similarly to the treasure goblins from Diablo.

As you ascend in power and complete the story, Dungeons will open up its end-game difficulty scaling options, adding all-new challenges and loot tables for hungry adventurers. Although Mojang refused to comment with a coy smile when I asked, it certainly seemed to me as though there are plans for the Ender Dragon to make an appearance in Dungeons at some point, too. I don't think Minecraft Dungeoneers will be short on content to devour once this game hits store shelves.

Extremely promising Minecraft Dungeons future

The sheer volume of variety in the core gameplay, biomes, mobs, progression, and equipment in our brief 30-minute hands-on session was simply staggering. One thing I've kept hearing since the E3 2019 reveal has essentially boiled down to "I'm not a fan of Minecraft ... but Dungeons looks cool," and I think therein lies how well Mojang has nailed the presentation of this game. It's clearly Diablo, complete with the charm of Minecraft. It's simply a winning formula, if, of course, they land the full game as well as they have this demo build.

Mojang is already planning post-launch support for the game, adding content via paid expansions and free updates too. The game will launch for just $20, or $30 if you fancy the mini-season pass the game is launching with, which will contain two chunks of DLC.

It'll have cross-play between Xbox and PC, with other platforms being explored, and launch on PS4 and Nintendo Switch as well, catering to the broader global Minecraft audience. Microsoft could also very rapidly expand Dungeons across to mobile devices, leveraging the Project xCloud APIs to create touch controls and mobile-friendly user interfaces. Four player co-op, either locally or online, with an unlockable end-game with gradually increasing difficulty, Minecraft Dungeons has the very real capability to be your future big game addiction.

Minecraft Dungeons broad potential appeal and platform ubiquity could see it build up a fanbase far larger than the likes of Halo, Gears, and Forza, which typically steal the headlines from E3 shows. I'd advise you to keep an eye on this one. It could end up being a bigger deal than any other game Microsoft unveiled on stage this year.

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As E3 2019 comes to a close for another year, in among all the amazing game trailers and announcements, Microsoft was sending a powerful signal that stood out above all other things for me. Although the writing has been on the wall for many years for those who have been following along, E3 2019 felt like the first time Microsoft itself was willing to stand up and shout that Xbox is more than just a box under your TV.

The sheer volume of content, features, and announcements that weren't specifically Xbox console-centric far outshone previous years, and perhaps more crucially, everything Microsoft announced for PC and other platforms was good. It's a departure from previous years, where pandering to the prevailing internal Microsoftian, often Windows-led ideology of the time took precedent over what consumers actually wanted.

None of this means Microsoft is forgetting its home console platform, though, revealing the next Xbox, Project Scarlett, for the first time, a codename my colleague Zac Bowden revealed first here on Windows Central.

So what is the real implication of all this? Microsoft's goal is to build platforms and games for literally everyone, everywhere. The entire market, two billion gamers strong, across all sorts of platforms and services. Microsoft wants to be the glue that ties your gaming life together, wherever you are and wherever you play, and they're better placed than most to pull it off.

Project xCloud and the promise of "everywhere"

I finally got to try Project xCloud for myself at E3 2019, hooked up to a Microsoft data center some 400 miles away from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. While there's still some very slightly perceptible latency, I described it as being less significant than running an Xbox to a TV without Game Mode turned on. My colleague Matt Brown perhaps described it best to me, he was able to hit every active reload on Gears of War while playing, which would be impossible with poor latency.

Related: Project xCloud is real. It is insane.

Of course, there's no way to know for sure how good Project xCloud will be in the real world until you have it in the palm of your hands. But let's just assume it works as well as it did for me at E3 for the sake of argument. If Microsoft nails xCloud, make no mistake, it could upend the entire industry in much the same way Netflix and Spotify changed the game for media and TV respectively. The very idea of being able to take your entire game library with you to any device isn't exactly new, but nobody has really delivered on that promise yet. Microsoft appears as though it could be the first to truly deliver.

Redmond's chief competitor right now is, of course, Google, with its Stadia platform. In terms of latency, Stadia is reportedly quite good, but the platform faces an uphill battle to get content, as it will require developers to spend time and effort to port their games to the Stadia platform. For Xbox, the work is already done, for the most part, a developer need only flip a switch to push their game across the service, targetting quite literally hundreds of millions, billions of devices on all sorts of platform.

Game streaming via the cloud well and truly is Microsoft's game to lose right now.

Repairing the damage with PC gamers and devs

Another big slice of the growth pie is on Microsoft's very own platform, Windows PC, which it gave away to distribution platforms like Steam owing to decades of misunderstanding (or simply dismissing) what makes PC gaming great. With gaming at Microsoft elevated to the senior leadership team, for the first time in the company's history, gamers are driving what happens on Windows, instead of Windows execs more beholden to the operating system than what consumers actually want.

Microsoft unveiled a range of new mechanisms and services for PC in the run-up to, and during E3 2019, including Discord-like Gamertag suffixes to give players more control over how they present on Xbox Live. A new Windows 10 Game Bar app gives PC gamers quick access to recording and sharing, as well as performance monitoring and other tools, like Spotify controls. The biggest upgrade is the Xbox app itself, which finally gives core PC gamers a place to find Microsoft titles without having to dig through the frankly awful Microsoft Store for apps (which itself is due an overhaul). Game developers can now bring their games to the Microsoft Store without first porting them to UWP, too, since Win32 programs are now fully supported. Microsoft isn't forcing developers to adopt the Xbox Live APIs either, despite their availability for Win32.

Despite solving its own app delivery mechanisms, Microsoft isn't going to try and compete directly with other PC stores, opting instead to nurture them as part of the wider Windows PC ecosystem. Microsoft is planning to bring first-party titles to Steam, including Halo itself. Microsoft is also exploring a partnership with GOG to bring Xbox Game Pass for PC and even Xbox Live chat integration to a future version of CD Projekt's own PC store.

Hitting other platforms hard

Continuing with its push outside of Xbox's traditional markets, Microsoft is making waves with its remarkable take on Pokemon Go, dubbed Minecraft Earth, leveraging the power of Azure and open street maps to really push the possibilities of augmented reality. We tried Minecraft Earth out for ourselves at E3 2019, and we'll have a full preview up soon. I fully expect Minecraft Earth to be truly massive, though, owing to Minecraft's near-ubiquitous appeal, and the simple fact that it already seems like it's ready for the prime time, ahead of its Summer 2019 beta tests.

Microsoft also made its presence known during Nintendo's showcase, lending its Banjo-Kazooie IP to Smash Bros Ultimate to rapturous applause. This comes during rumors of more support for the Nintendo Switch with some of its own games, as well as quite possibly Project xCloud itself. Cuphead will eventually be the second game, joining Minecraft, to use Xbox Live APIs on the Switch. Microsoft is also publishing Minecraft Dungeons not only on Nintendo Switch, but PlayStation 4 as well, which practically guarantees it'll be a huge sales hit − if the final product is as awesome as it seems, that is.

A platform for two billion gamers, with Xbox as the central pillar

Microsoft may be building out its portfolio to incorporate mobile devices, Windows PC, and maybe even Nintendo Switch down the line, but that doesn't mean Microsoft is forgetting where it earned the bulk of its gaming fans. Microsoft unveiled Project Scarlett during its E3 2019 show, touting 8K resolution, 120 frames per second, and the near-elimination of loading times. Microsoft is also investing more in content than it ever has, picking up another studio, Double Fine, for its in-house roster. It also offered glimpses of Gears of War 5, Halo Infinite, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Bleeding Edge, Flight Simulator, Minecraft Dungeons, and various other first-party titles that will come first to Xbox Game Pass.

Despite this big foray into new technologies with game streaming, and the re-emergence of Win32 and other PC efforts, Microsoft still wants Xbox consoles to offer the best home gaming experience possible. Despite swirling rumors that cloud compute could replace PC and console gaming entirely, Microsoft has reiterated to us that it believes there will always be a market for local gaming, implying very strongly that Scarlett will not be the last Xbox console.

Microsoft not only sees the limitless potential of leveraging its massive data center clout in gaming, but truth be told, I genuinely believe from talking to various members of the executive team throughout E3 2019 that they simply want to make a good set of products. The Xbox of yesteryear has been hamstrung by budget limitations, and support for Windows technologies that were often half-baked at best. The Xbox leadership sees gaming as a unifying force for social good, through the joy of play, intrinsic to our humanity and well-being. That is why Microsoft is championing technologies like the Xbox Adaptive Controller, helping schools to leverage Minecraft as an educational tool, and building interactive tools on Mixer to promote healthy gaming communities.

There's still an argument that Microsoft needs to do more to meet PlayStation and others on upping its in-house game development, but we're already starting to see the fruits of those efforts with Ninja Theory's Bleeding Edge, and Mojang's Minecraft Dungeons, with the big guns likely to drop in 2020 when it has to go up against Sony to make the case for its next-gen console.

Regardless of all that, though, the message is clear: no matter where you want to play, no matter how you want to play, Microsoft is exploring ways to bring that content to you, on any device. It's time to stop thinking of Xbox as that console sitting under your TV − if Microsoft nails its plans, it'll become so much more.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection hits PC later this year, expanding Microsoft's leading Xbox system seller to Steam and Windows 10. The six-piece compilation compiles its mainline hits into a unified 4K HDR bundle, serving up the iconic first-person shooter series its best form yet.

With work on Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC still underway, the game has adopted a staged rollout over months ahead. Halo: Reach kickstarts public testing this summer, packing an extensive lineup of enhancements tailored for Windows. Microsoft's latest E3 2019 showing has now proved it's serious about PC gaming, crafting a healthy foundation for Halo outside the living room.

Injecting new life into Halo: Reach on PC

With Halo: The Master Chief Collection slated for Windows PCs later this year, E3 2019 served our first sample of Microsoft's ongoing porting process. We caught a glimpse of the mid-game mission "Tip of the Spear," an environment demonstrating essential components of the single-player campaign. From close-quarters industrial complexes to scorched vehicle-friendly plains, it's a fitting testing ground for Reach's revival.

Halo: Reach dropped in the latter years of the Xbox 360; an era where games wrangled maximum horsepower from fast-aging hardware. The results attained by Bungie's final farewell remain impressive nearly one decade later, but exhibit clear comprises amid a late-generation power struggle. It's among several Xbox 360 titles that used aggressive motion blur to mask performance snags, scrambling to achieve 720p at 30 frames-per-second (FPS).

How to play Halo: The Master Chief Collection early on PC

Halo: The Master Chief Collection PC extracts the best from Halo: Reach, outputting up to nine times the pixels at 4K resolution. The studio is also targeting unlocked framerates and removal of smeary motion blur, streamlining the shooter to modern standards. The PC debut dabbles with a roster of commonplace PC settings too, including advanced graphical options, dynamic field of vision (FOV), and ultrawide support. Integrating these into Halo: Reach is surprisingly seamless, while gameplay emerges tight and agile in-hand.

Although we're unable to compare the two versions side-by-side, Halo: Reach PC appears to pull higher resolution textures over its Xbox 360 counterpart. The game draws the full potential of Bungie's original assets when stacked upon a resolution bump, spotlighting details on firearms and surrounding vistas.

Microsoft's E3 2019 build provided a work-in-progress glimpse into the port but excluded some features expected for the final release. Finishing touches are still being applied to The Master Chief Collection's new Unreal Engine 4-powered PC interface, restricting us from experimenting with settings after loading into the game. Reach also still lacks common PC standards like scroll wheel weapon selection, but 343 Industries affirms this will be addressed before the first public test.

No thumbsticks, no problems

Investing hundreds of hours into Halo: Reach on Xbox 360, the PC version personally emerges just as gripping as launch day. Synonymous with Microsoft's home console family, a departure from the gamepad was admittedly jarring at first. However, it's sleek and refined across all facets of this vertical slice, translating the full controller-bound shooter.

The resources backing Halo: The Master Chief Collection highlights worthy talent on the PC project, meticulously tuned for mouse and keyboard. Gunplay is snappy under mouse command, with no evidence of acceleration or virtualization trickery under the hood. The fully-remappable keyboard bindings also appear well-tuned, even breaking out some actions under shared buttons into separate keys.

While Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC has been under development for some time, 343 Industries is still ironing the final controls. It's been among several motives for ongoing delays, committing extra time to perfect its inputs. The time has allowed the studio to nail an impressive layout packed with quality of life considerations, guaranteed to impress even seasoned PC gamers. The result is a sleek reincarnation of Bungie's final Halo title, fitting for newcomers and returning veterans.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is set to hit PC later this year, starting with its 4K remaster of Halo: Reach. Fronting its staged rollout over coming months, Halo: Reach PC is expected to cost $10 for access to its campaign and multiplayer modes.

In the meantime, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available exclusively on Xbox One, bundling Halo: Combat Evolved through Halo 4 at 4K and 60 FPS.

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Microsoft's E3 2019 conference wrapped last week, host to the unveiling of its Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. Delivering its latest revision of the premium Xbox accessory, Elite Series 2 packs a roster of handy enhancements. The extensive facelift makes room for joystick tension control, improved hair trigger locks, and an internal battery – paired with a dedicated integrated charging dock.

We've been following the Xbox Elite Series 2 for some time, recently getting hands-on early at E3 2019. Microsoft's leading gamepad emerges sleeker than ever, packing a familiar design and feature set unrivaled by alternatives. It now appears Microsoft has refined manufacturing too, slated to alleviate durability issues that plagued its predecessor.

Principal Designer on Microsoft Devices, Elliott Hsu, has confirmed bumper durability improvements for Series 2 on Twitter, "reinforced" under the latest design. Hsu followed by assuring durability and construction has also improved for the rubberized grips.

Microsoft's original Xbox Elite controller has faced well-documented shortcomings, with buyers documenting peeling rubberized grips, loose bumper buttons, among other issues. Microsoft has failed to formally address concerns facing the first-generation design, despite being a widespread concern.

The Xbox Elite Series 2 is slated for November 4, 2019, providing our first opportunity for extensive testing. While gauging durability improvements comes with time, it's a crucial factor as launch nears. Preorders are now live via the Microsoft Store, priced at $180.

What you need to know

• Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a first-person shooter which should launch in July.
• The game takes place many years after the events of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
• Unfortautnely, it looks like the title features pay-to-win microtransactions.
• You can preorder it for $30 on Amazon.

Updated June 13, 2019: Wolfenstein: Youngblood's social media page said that the microtransactions are cosmetic only. This is contradictory to what MachineGames senior game designer Andreas Ojerfors said. The social media team alleges that you can't "purchase weapon or ability upgrades with real money... As you play, you... collect in-game currency called silver to upgrade your equipment." Silver can't be purchased with gold bars. It's unclear why the game designer is saying the opposite.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is an upcoming co-op first-person shooter from MachineGames. The team successfully rebooted the Wolfenstein franchise and managed to tell powerful stories through Wolfenstein: The New Order and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. The studio's new game seems to take a similar approach, even though it's a little lighthearted in terms of dialogue.

While microtransactions aren't that common in single-player games, they have started to become the norm in recent months. For example, Ubisoft's Far Cry New Dawn featured pay-to-win microtransactions where you could purchase a powerful weapon for your hard-earned currency. Without it, I thought it was impossible to progress further. Unfortunately, it seems like Wolfenstein: Youngblood also features them.

According to a report by VG247, you have the ability to purchase "gold bars with real money." The gold bars can be used to upgrade weapons and slaughter enemies with ease. You can also earn these upgrades through in-game coins, but it's unclear how hard it is to find them.

Let's hope that they don't require significant grinding like Far Cry New Dawn. However, only time will tell. The title launches next month so we should know soon enough. MachineGames senior game designer Andreas Ojerfors didn't think they were a big deal.

How do you feel about pay-to-win microtransactions being part of single-player games? Do they impact gameplay? Let us know. Since it's a co-op shooter, gamers may feel compelled to upgrade their weapons early because they want to be the ones to kill more Nazis when playing with friends.

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During E3 2019, 343 Industries revealed a trailer for Halo Infinite that featured the return of the Master Chief in a brand new suit of armor, as well as a new Pelican drop ship pilot character (who has already become a fan favorite!) that will presumably be Chief's companion. The trailer reveals that a large battle occurred that seemingly wiped out all of the UNSC forces in the area and caused the destruction of a Halo ring, with Chief and the stranded pilot as the only survivors. Near the end of the trailer, the Pelican is attacked by an unknown force, and Master Chief opens the back hatch in order to deal with the threat. Then, in an "epilogue" sequence, Master Chief is shown walking towards a large projection of the broken Halo ring while a heartfelt message from Cortana plays.

The trailer itself was incredible, but after watching it, I have plenty of questions about what it may mean for Halo Infinite's story — and whether or not some other unsolved story threads from other parts of the Halo universe will influence Halo Infinite.

What exactly happened before the events of the trailer?

Arguably the biggest (and most important) question there is to answer about the trailer is, what happened before it? The Pelican pilot has seemingly been stranded for months after what could only have been a huge battle, or potentially maybe even a war on the surface of the nearby Halo ring — and apparently the events in that conflict resulted in the ring's destruction. The pilot notes that the UNSC lost the conflict, and this is reinforced by the fact that he was stranded for so long. The conclusion of the fight also apparently incapacitated Master Chief and left him adrift in space, as the pilot ends up finding him when his Pelican's scanners pick up the signal coming from Chief's armor.

The events of Halo 5: Guardians naturally lead me to believe that the conflict was between the UNSC and Cortana's Promethean military, but that's also a little predictable. Perhaps 343 Industries has a whole new enemy faction for us to deal with in Halo Infinite.

What happened to the characters from Halo 5: Guardians?

Since Master Chief was left adrift by himself after whatever battle occurred before the trailer, I'm curious to know what happened to characters like the Spartans in Blue Team and Fireteam Osiris, as well as the Arbiter, Sarah Palmer, Captain Lasky, and other members of the Halo 5: Guardians cast that were at Master Chief's side when the credits rolled in that game. Many of those characters are fan-favorites and have extensive backgrounds in the lore of Halo, so I doubt that they would be killed off-screen. However, I wonder if they managed to escape the devastating fight that we see the aftermath of in the trailer, and if we'll end up running into them during Halo Infinite's campaign.

Who (or what) attacked the Pelican?

Though it's obvious that someone (or something) attacks the Pelican with an electromagnetic pulse near the end of the trailer, it's completely unclear what the threat itself is. My initial guess was that it was a Guardian under Cortana's control, especially since Guardians are shown using electromagnetic pulses by the end of Halo 5: Guardians. However, the extremely bright light that fills the Pelican after Chief opens up the back hatch makes me question whether or not it is. The EMP blasts that the Guardians have used before don't cause a blinding light like that, and no part of their "body" has been shown to, either. However, it is important to consider that we may not have seen the full capabilities of a Guardian yet. If it isn't a Guardian, then it must be some type of new threat we haven't seen before.

Will Cortana end up being a friend or a foe?

The bit of the trailer that has Cortana commenting on how "she chose right" when talking about choosing Master Chief as her partner suggests a possibility that she may not be as malevolent and evil as she was in Halo 5: Guardians. Though it's likely she will start the game off that way, it's entirely possible that she'll end up trying to become an ally once more. However, when you consider everything she did in Halo 5: Guardians and onward, she may not be accepted by Master Chief and the rest of the UNSC. After all, she has killed countless people and forced the galaxy to live under her reign, and when Master Chief trusted her, she locked him inside of a Forerunner Cryptum so that he couldn't stop her. If this rejection occurs, she may remain an enemy.

Will Halo Wars 2 tie in?

Halo Wars 2, the latest game in the real-time-strategy Halo Wars spin-off series, is absolutely ripe with characters and groups that could make an appearance in, or maybe even be a large part of, Halo Infinite's story. The Brute-led Banished and the battle-weary servicemen and women of the UNSC Spirit of Fire are (as far as we know) currently at war with each other on The Ark, and Professor Ellen Anders encountered one of Cortana's Guardians in the game's epilogue scene. While it's true that none of this has anything to do with the new Halo Infinite trailer itself, I think it's a question that's important to ask about Halo Infinite overall.

When you consider the fact that Atriox and the Banished in particular had an entire comic series dedicated to their backstory and rise to power, it seems likely that 343 Industries has big plans for the Banished. It's definitely possible that they don't want to use the Banished for Halo Infinite and are saving them for a later game, but there's a considerable chance that the Banished will be involved in Infinite, too.

Your thoughts?

What do you think of my questions? Are there any you have that you want answered? Let me know in the comment, and make sure to check out our guide to everything there is to know about Halo Infinite so far. The game is slated to be released during the holiday season in 2020 and should come alongside the new Xbox console, which is code-named "Scarlett." It should be available for that console, as well as Xbox One and PC.

Great Halo games

All the greatest Halo games are available now on Xbox and are heading to PC too throughout 2019 and beyond.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection ($30 at Microsoft)

The Master Chief Collection is a fantastic game that lets you experience the entirety of Master Chief's saga in one convenient package.

Halo Wars 2 ($40 at Microsoft)

Halo Wars 2 is arguably the best real-time strategy title on Xbox One, offering players a wealth of incredibly satisfying, Halo-themed content.

Halo 5: Guardians ($20 at Microsoft)

Halo 5: Guardians is the latest Halo first-person shooter title, and it's got plenty of good content within.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

What you need to know

• "Project xCloud" is Microsoft's upcoming game streaming service.
• Microsoft wants to give gamers the choice of where they want to game.
• Xbox's Mike Ybarra thinks that there will always be a need for dedicated hardware.

With "Project xCloud" and Google Stadia on the horizon, many gamers have been questioning the future of dedicated hardware that sits under your TV. While Google thinks that it's not necessary – despite Stadia's known 166-millisecond input lag – Microsoft thinks differently.

Our very own Jez Corden managed to interview Microsoft's Gaming Corporate Vice President Mike Ybarra and Partner Director of Program Management Jason Ronald to find out more about the company's vision for the future of gaming across Xbox, Project xCloud, and PC. The following excerpt discusses the conversation about dedicated hardware.

Given current streaming technology and the promise of consoles even more powerful than Stadia, it's understandable why many gamers would want to purchase those devices. Additionally, given the fact that you never truly own your titles if they can't be downloaded, that's another reason to keep traditional consoles alive.

With that said, it's up to gamers to decide where they want to play. There's no way to predict what will happen in the future, but this is a transformative period which will change gaming as we know it.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

Square Enix had a pretty big press conference on the first day of E3 2019. During their presentation, there was a ton of Final Fantasy love, with several different games coming to pretty much every platform possible.

Let's take a rundown at all of the Final Fantasy games that Square Enix announced during E3 2019.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

The headliner of Square Enix's Final Fantasy announcements was Final Fantasy 7 Remake, of course.

During E3 2019, Square Enix showed off an extended gameplay demo that gave us a better look at how gameplay works in FF7R. They also revealed Tifa in action, to the delight of many fans.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake also got a release date. It will be available on March 3, 2020 for the PlayStation 4. This remake will be episodic, with the first part taking up two Blu-Ray discs.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Everything you need to know

Final Fantasy VIII Remaster

Fans of Final Fantasy VIII, rejoice! The game is finally getting a remaster, and it will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.

Keep in mind that this is not a remake like Final Fantasy 7. It's only a remaster, so that means HD graphics that will look better on modern TVs, and other improvements. Nothing has changed in terms of gameplay.

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered is coming out sometime in 2019.

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered announced at E3 2019

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

If you were a fan of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles on the GameCube, good news! It's coming back in a Remastered Edition, and it will be available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, iOS, and Google Play.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles features the same single player campaign from the original release, but multiplayer can be done online now.

Crystal Chronicles will be available this winter.

Square Enix announces Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles at E3 2019

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: War of the Visions

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is one of the more popular mobile games from Square Enix, and it is getting its own spinoff called War of the Visions. The game is currently in development.

In War of the Visions, we learn about the kingdoms of Leonis, Hourne, Fennes, Wezette, and Crystal Sanctum, as well as the leaders within each kingdom.

It appears to be a tactical RPG game, similar to Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions.

There was no official launch date or even time frame window of when this game will be released. The E3 demo only revealed that this game will have a worldwide release (except for mainland China), and it will be on iOS and Google Play.

Final Fantasy Brave Exvius getting worldwide launch of War of the Visions spinoff

Get your Final Fantasy fix

No matter which Final Fantasy title is your favorite, there's been a lot of love for the franchise, especially lately. It's a staple of Square Enix, and we're eager to get our hands on all of these upcoming titles once they're released.

Which ones are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments.

What you need to know

• A new cinematic for Gears 5 gives us our first look at a bit of the campaign.
• The cinematic introduces a new character named Fahz with a cheeky exchange.
• Gears 5 is expected to launch September 10 and is available to preorder for $60.

Gears 5 is one of the most anticipated titles of the year from Microsoft's first-party studios, and now we've got our first glimpse of the campaign. In a new cinematic posted to YouTube, we meet a new character to the Gears universe, Fahz. And while it doesn't reveal much about the campaign, it's humorous nonetheless.

The cinematic opens with Fahz sparring against a robot as JD Fenix and company walk into the room. After a brief exchange laced with a bit of Gears humor, Fahz challenges JD to a sparring match. Things don't end so well for the confident Fahz, however, and he storms away in anger before the camera zooms out to continue the playthrough.

We don't know much about the Gears 5 campaign so far, but it looks as if it may span several years given the shape JD is in in the first cinematic trailer we saw at E3 2018. It's likely we'll get more of a look at the campaign as we draw close to launch, along with information about what the "secret mission" is that is referenced in this cinematic. In the meantime, Gears 5 is expected to launch on September 10 and is available to preorder now starting at $60.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

What you need to know

• Microsoft's "spending spree" to acquire more teams for Xbox Game Pass isn't over.
• The company is following a similar model to Netflix.
• Japanese games aren't that common on the Xbox One.
• Head of Xbox Phil Spencer would love to acquire a Japanese developer.

At Microsoft's Xbox E3 2019 Briefing, the company revealed a number of Japanese games like Elden Ring. While all of them appear to be multiplatform, many gamers have been asking for exclusive titles from Japanese developers for quite some time now. The Xbox 360 received a number of excellent exclusives from the country like Lost Odyssey, but the Xbox One has been severely lacking in this area.

At E3 2019, Microsoft revealed that it had acquired Double Fine Productions, the team behind the beloved Psychonauts franchise. It seems like the studio acquisition don't end there, because Head of Xbox Phil Spencer admitted to GamesIndustry that the "spending spree" isn't over. The outlet said there "is no acquisition quota... to hit. Instead, the aim is to find developers that can add something different" to Xbox Game Pass.

Since Japanese role-playing games aren't that common on the platform, buying an established team in Japan would be a great investment. Spencer agreed when he was asked about the possibility. Keep in mind that there are rumors floating around that Microsoft is in talks with PlatinumGames, the makers of Bayonetta and other experiences. He said the following to GamesIndustry.

Microsoft should also try to pursue an acquisition of FromSoftware, the team behind games like Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. That studio is by far the most prominent developer out of them all in my opinion.

Whether a Japanese studio joins Xbox Game Studios will have to be seen. It's good to know that it's not outside the realm of possibility. Acquiring a team like FromSoftware or PlatinumGames would be on the level of Obsidian Entertainment or Playground Games because they're experienced developers who have a reputation of making stellar titles.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

What you need to know

• Banjo and Kazooie were revealed as the latest fighters headed to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
• Rumors of Microsoft and Nintendo teaming to bring the pair to Super Smash Bros. have been swirling for weeks.
• Nintendo also revealed heroes from Dragon Quest will be joining the fight.

Nintendo is tapping Microsoft-owned studio Rare for its next fighters headed to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Banjo-Kazooie will be the next additions to Nintendo's DLC character lineup for the brawler, and the pair look like they're ready to bring the fight to Mario and company.

In a brief trailer shown during its Nintendo Direct stream at E3 2019, Nintendo showed Banjo and Kazooie in action. Kazooie can fire off eggs at enemies for a ranged attack, while Banjo can whip Kazooie back and forth, slamming it into enemies. The pair can also double jump with a little help from Kazooie's wings to get back to safety.

This marks the first time the pair have appeared in a Smash title, but Nintendo is no stranger to tapping properties outside of its own first-party offerings for characters. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features the widest selection of characters of any Smash game so far, with characters ranging from Sonic to Pac-Man and Snake from Metal Gear.

Banjo-Kazooie will presumably be available as part of Nintendo's $25 Fighter Pass, which unlocks all DLC characters for the game. It's likely we'll see the pair available as a separate purchase as well.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is launching in September for Xbox One and PC.
• The franchise features iconic "Lancer" assault rifles.
• The replica launches in September, a few days before the game.
• You can preorder a "Crimson Lancer" for $150 on Amazon.

Gears 5 is launching this September, and it looks like a lot of fun, especially when it comes to the "Escape Mode." However, if you're into acquiring collectibles, the following news should entice you. There is a lifesize Gears 5 "Lancer" weapon replica launching in September from the masters at PDP. It looks absolutely amazing and I just preorder one myself. Then again, a lot of writers at Windows Central are obsessed with the franchise!

If you want to own the Lancer replica, you'll have to spend $150. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with the game, but there are nifty in-game skins that are part of the package.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

During E3 2019, 343 Industries revealed a trailer for Halo Infinite that featured the return of the Master Chief, complete with a brand new suit of MJOLNIR armor and a confident, battle-ready attitude. Since Master Chief is such an iconic video game character, this alone was enough to get people incredibly hyped about Halo Infinite.

As a huge Halo fan, I'm excited about the game, too — but for a completely different reason. While I absolutely love Chief and all of the badass vibes that he carries with him, I think the stranded Pelican dropship pilot's story in the trailer reveals that 343 Industries is going to go in a bold new storytelling direction with Halo Infinite. Here's why.

A human connection

The first half of the Halo Infinite trailer focuses entirely on a pilot of a Pelican dropship, who has been stranded adrift for (seemingly) months after a devastating battle. His only comfort is a message from his wife and little girl, in which both of them tell him how much they love him and can't wait to see him. When the message ends with an emotional "bye bye" from his family, the battery on the message projector goes dead, and the image of his wife flickers out — as does the man's only comfort in his terrifying situation.

What strikes me the most about this beautiful scene is how touched I was by it, and how much of a genuine connection I felt with the pilot character. I don't even know what his name is yet, but I feel like I'm right there with him, smiling as he smiles, crying as he cries, and realizing with sudden horror that this final "bye bye" may be the final time that he sees the people he loves. It's such a human moment, one where I'm able to put myself in his shoes and empathize with him. I don't get that feeling much these days with the games that have recently come out, so to be stricken by it here was a pleasant surprise.

This is what Halo needs

These types of humanizing moments and themes are what I've felt the Halo franchise has needed for a long time. Though some of the games (mainly Halo 2 and Halo 4) have strongly leaned into these ideas, the franchise as a whole hasn't consistently told stories from intimate angles like this trailer. Not only do things like this raise the stakes — if this pilot ends up being an important character, I will fight tooth and nail to keep him alive so he can see his family again — they also allow the player to immerse themselves in the story and establish a genuine connection with the characters.

This type of story direction may end up being perfect for the Master Chief as well. Master Chief may be presented as a badass kick-ass-and-take-names type of character here, but I'm excited to see if Halo Infinite delves into his emotional state and really shows us more of what he's like as a person, as Halo 4 did. Considering it seems like he'll be stranded with the Pelican pilot as they face whatever enemies Halo Infinite's story throws at them, I can see a genuinely amazing narrative sprouting from that. One of the core themes of Halo 4 was the question of whether Master Chief was a man or a machine, and by the game's ending, it was clear that he was a man. Master Chief, despite the stoic outer shell that he presents to others, is human. And if Halo Infinite tells a tale of Chief and this pilot banding together and leaning on each other for emotional support as they face the horrors that await them, desperately hoping for a chance of getting back to the people that they love, you won't find a happier person in the world than me.

Your thoughts?

What do you think about Halo Infinite potentially telling a more intimate, humanizing story? Let me know, and make sure to check out our guide on everything there is to know about Halo Infinite so far. The game is slated for the holiday season in 2020 and should release alongside the new Xbox console, which is code-named "Scarlett." It should be available for that console, as well as Xbox One and PC.

Great Halo games

All the greatest Halo games are available now on Xbox and are heading to PC too throughout 2019 and beyond.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection ($30 at Microsoft)

The Master Chief Collection is a fantastic game that lets you experience the entirety of Master Chief's saga in one convenient package.

Halo Wars 2 ($40 at Microsoft)

Halo Wars 2 is arguably the best real-time strategy title on Xbox One, offering players a wealth of incredibly satisfying, Halo-themed content.

Halo 5: Guardians ($20 at Microsoft)

Halo 5: Guardians is the latest Halo first-person shooter title, and it's got plenty of good content within that most players will have a good time with.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

What you need to know

• Opera GX is a browser built for and tailored to gamers.
• The gaming browser is now available to test in early access.
• It includes features that let you set limits on its RAM and CPU usage, along with Twitch integration and more.

Opera is launching a first-of-its-kind browser built from the ground up for PC gamers. Available in early access starting today, Opera GX not only packs a design inspired by the RGB lights found on many gaming accessories, but it also includes a whole lot of features that give gamers more control over the browser and quick access to things they care about.

The biggest highlight of Opera GX is its GX Control panel, which lets you set how much of your computer's CPU and RAM the browser can use. While other browsers may eat into your RAM usage while running in the background, Opera GX will stay within the limits you define so it doesn't impact your gameplay.

If you like to watch Twitch streamers while you play, Opera GX also allows you to log into your Twitch account and get notifications when streamers go live in the sidebar. That's in addition to shortcuts for Discord, YouTube, and Reddit that also live in the sidebar. Like the regular Opera browser, you'll find messaging services like Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Vkontakte built into the sidebar as well.

Finally, Opera GX also includes "GX Corner," a dedicated place for gaming news, a curated list of deals on games, and information about new releases. Out of the box, Opera GX comes with a dark design accented by red highlights, but you can customize those highlights with practically any color you can think of. There's also a built-in ad blocker and VPN.

Opera GX is launching into its first phase of early access today at E3 2019 and is expected to get a full release later this year. Expect more gamer-centric features to hit Opera GX during the early access testing period. If you cant to check it out for yourself, you can download and test Opera GX from Opera.

What you need to know

• Gods & Monsters is an upcoming Greek mythology game from Ubisoft.
• Watch Dogs: Legion is another open-world title from the publisher.
• The Microsoft Store says both games run at 4K resolution on Xbox One X.
• You can preorder them from the Microsoft Store for $60.

At E3 2019, Ubisoft announced that it was releasing two new "AAA" games in early 2020. Gods & Monsters and Watch Dogs: Legion come out in February and March, respectively, and look like intriguing experiences. Gods & Monsters focuses on Greek mythology and feels like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild because it's an open-world game. Watch Dogs: Legion is also an open-world game set in London, but it allows you to play as anyone as it doesn't feature a main character.

Whenever a major new AAA game is announced, gamers are always curious about what the resolution is on the refreshed consoles. While it's unclear how the game runs on PlayStation 4 Pro, we do know that both titles achieve 4K resolution on Xbox One X. The Microsoft Store listings confirm this. When the company launched the machine a couple of years ago, its goal was to render titles at 4K resolution and provide more stable frame rates. So far, it seems like the Xbox One X is doing exactly that.

Gods & Monsters

In Gods & Monsters you embody Fenyx, a forgotten hero on a quest to restore power to the Greek gods after it was stolen by Typhon, the deadliest creature in Greek mythology. You'll explore the Isle of the Blessed and prove your heroism as you face terrifying foes including fearsome Gorgons, Harpies, and Cyclopes.

Watch Dogs: Legion

Watch Dogs: Legion takes place in a post-Brexit London, where the United Kingdom is a surveillance state and freedom has been replaced with fear. According to Ubisoft, you can recruit and play as anyone. Every citizen is fully simulated and realized so that this is possible.

Are you excited for Gods & Monsters and Watch Dogs: Legion? Both titles look stellar, but we'll have to wait until they launch in early 2020 to come to a definitive conclusion. Until then, we can all look forward to learning more about them in the coming months.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

What you need to know

• AMD announces the "world's first" 16-core CPU for gamers.
• Set to launch in September for $749.
• Uses the same AM4 platform as the rest of the Ryzen lineup.
• 105W TDP matches the 12-core Ryzen 9.

AMD announced its new 7nm, Zen 2 based processors at Computex last month, but at E3 2019 the company went one better. Announced during the company's press event in LA, the Ryzen 9 3950X is what AMD calls the "world's first 16-core CPU for gaming." Mind. Blown.

The previously announced range-topper was the Ryzen 9 3900X, a 12-core, 24-thread CPU with a 105W TDP and a maximum boost clock of 4.6GHz. While this is set to be available on July 7 alongside the rest of the Ryzen 3000 lineup, the 3950X won't be here until September.

It's going to be worth the wait, though. The Ryzen 9 3950X packs 16-cores and 32-threads with a boost clock of 4.7GHz, while maintaining that same 105W TDP that you get in the 3900X. That in itself is incredible, and it's significantly lower power draw than you'll find on a 16-core Threadripper.

What's also special about the 3950X is that it's based on the regular AM4 platform the rest of the Ryzen CPUs are based on, which means if you already have a Ryzen system, you're not going to need to upgrade to a more costly platform to get one of these. The Threadripper series is based on the X399 chipset which is, in most cases, more expensive to get on board with than AM4.

Naturally, much of AMD's presentation was geared towards showing how its hardware is eating Intel for breakfast, but we'll have to hold out for real-world use to make the final decision on that. AMD is doing a lot right, though, and things are certainly looking good for the red team. AMD has hit 7nm before Intel (which literally just announced its first 10nm processors), has a new GPU architecture on the way and will be inside both the next PlayStation and Microsoft's Project Scarlett.

The Ryzen 9 3950X will be overkill for a lot of people, but at $749 it's priced attractively given the hardware on offer. AMD might well have said this is "for gamers," but in reality, folks such as streamers will see the most benefit. If you're not keen on having a second PC to stream from while you game on your main rig, the Ryzen 9 3950X is sure to give you a bigger advantage in a single-PC setup over a comparable Intel system.

Either way, it's great to see AMD firing on all cylinders and injecting some real competition into the market. It used to be really easy to recommend an Intel CPU for a gaming rig, but that's not the case anymore.

The rest of AMD's Ryzen 7 lineup is set to launch on July 7, alongside the Radeon RX 5700 GPUs.

Affordable accessories that'll pair perfectly with your PC

Every one of these awesome PC accessories will enhance your everyday experience — and none cost more than $30.

KLIM Aim RGB gaming mouse ($30 at Amazon)

Whether you're a gamer or not, this is an absurdly good mouse for the price. It's ambidextrous, has a responsive sensor, a braided cable, tank-like build quality, and, yes, it has RGB lighting, though you can turn it off if that's not your thing.

AmazonBasics USB speakers ($16 at Amazon)

These neat little speakers may only pack 2.4W of total power, but don't let that fool you. For something so small you get a well-rounded sound and a stylish design. And they only cost $16.

Razer mouse bungee ($20 at Amazon)

Use a wired mouse? You need a mouse bungee to keep your cable tidy and free of snags. You get no drag on the cable, and this one has subtle styling, a rust-resistant spring and a weighted base, all for $20.

Microsoft's E3 2019 efforts included a new Elite controller, a teaser for Halo Infinite, and various other things, but most notably, it was where the company first acknowledged Project Scarlett. Scarlett has long been known to us as the codename for the next-generation Xbox console family, and while it's still unclear if we're getting a double-console approach as earlier rumors suggested, we do know that Microsoft is already talking about 8K resolutions, 120 frames per second, and the near-total elimination of loading times.

We caught up with Microsoft Gaming CVP Mike Ybarra and Partner Director of Program Management Jason Ronald to find out more about Redmond's vision for the future of gaming across Xbox, Project xCloud, and Windows PC.

The power of Project Scarlett

Very little is known about Project Scarlett so far, save for the information offered during the show. Microsoft describes it as four times more powerful than the Xbox One X, with capabilities that include ray tracing for more dynamic lighting and reflections, and SSD storage to help eliminate loading times and texture streaming. I asked Ybarra and Ronald how important it is for the next Xbox, Scarlett, to be more powerful than the PlayStation 5, which is also reportedly monstrous in its capabilities.

Ronald talked about how Scarlett has been built to eliminate bottlenecks as much as possible, in terms of visuals and frame rates, noting that they hope Scarlett can produce the best possible versions of their games. "As we look across the entire design of the system, everything from the SOC (system on chip), to the memory that we have to the SSD that we've put in there. It's really about eliminating all those bottlenecks, so those game developers can really deliver on their visions, to try and enable developers to make the best possible versions of their games." To round off, Ybarra noted that being able to say "Where games play best" is something very important to the team.

With SSD and ray tracing tech still comparatively expensive, I couldn't help but wonder just how expensive next-gen consoles might end up. While Microsoft is far from ready to talk price, Ronald did talk about pushing boundaries on what console gaming might look like.

"We understand what reasonable price points are for a console and kind of what customers expect about that. At the same time to you, we are innovating we are pushing the boundaries of some of this. We're not sharing any details on price, or, you know, more detailed specs at this point. But I will say that we're very confident in what we're building, something that will set a new bar for expectations of console gaming."

The current rumor is that Scarlett, in fact, incorporates two SKUs, codenamed Anaconda and Lockhart with Anaconda sitting on the high-end premium shelf, and Lockhart being a bit more affordable in exchange for less power. The way Scarlett has been presented so far very much sounds as though there may only be one console on the horizon, however, but there's no way to know for sure. If Scarlett is a bit beyond the budget of a regular console gamer, I wondered how fast game devs might abandon the Xbox One platform. "Ultimately, we let game developers make those choices," Ronald said. "We announced Halo Infinite will ship with Project Scarlett but they've also announced that Halo Infinite will also ship on Xbox One and on PC, that's a decision that they've made. But clearly, we want to make sure that, you know, Scarlett is the best place to play." I asked if meeting players where they are also might include virtual reality, but Ronald reiterated Microsoft's current stance on VR, that PC is the best place for it, for now.

What does the future of Xbox look like?

Like VR, though, the industry is in constant flux. Ray tracing technology has been quite a force in the gaming industry on the visual side, and things like Project xCloud game streaming with competitors like Google getting into the space could bring about some real disruption.

Sony's Jim Ryan recently said in an interview that he wasn't sure if the PlayStation 5 would be the last traditional PlayStation console, in reference to the proliferation of cloud technology.

I wondered if Microsoft had a similar thought process on the medium, considering they're effectively at the forefront with Project xCloud (which by the way, is real, and works extremely well). For traditional console fans, know that Ybarra doesn't think Scarlett will be the last Xbox.

"I believe there will always be a need for local hardware," Ybarra said, referring to home consoles. "There'll be a need for cloud computing too. We need to give gamers the choice to play local, to play via the cloud, to mix it. I'm going to do everything. It's about giving them the freedom, and the choice to game the way they want. If that means local hardware, right? We're there." Ronald impressed that the whole point of streaming is to appeal to gamers who might not want a console at all, not to simply replace consoles. "At the same time, we're trying to appeal to two billion gamers across the world. And everybody plays different kinds of games, some people prefer console, some people prefer PC, there will be customers that will not want to have either device and xCloud streaming is a great solution for them."

Microsoft gives PC gaming another go

I asked Ybarra and Ronald how the team is approaching its PC apps, namely across Windows 10 Game Bar and the new Windows 10 Xbox App, they noted that they're taking a modular approach, prioritizing based on user feedback. Specifically, I wondered where Xbox Clubs, Microsoft's Discord-like community tools on Xbox One, might fit into the new PC applications. "We wanted to take a very mindful approach, focusing on high-quality expectations that often come with PC gaming. Clubs and clans, those kind of features, are things that the team is constantly looking at." Ybarra said.

Microsoft built an entire new back-end messaging system to accommodate messaging speeds that have historically eluded Xbox gamers, in a world where Discord has become the defacto way to communicate among gamers on PC. This strips out some of the Skype infrastructures, allowing the Xbox team to be more agile on adding new features, such as in-line GIF support.

The new Xbox app for Windows 10 typifies Microsoft's consumer-centric feedback-driven approach, designed to address the central criticism of its gaming efforts in recent years: the dreaded Microsoft Store on Windows 10. Using the new app, Xbox finally has a place separate from the gambling mobile games that haven't been updated since the Windows 8 era, to try and build its PC gaming audience, both gamers, and developers for that matter.

To that end, Microsoft has enabled Win32 support for the Store, allowing developers to very rapidly move their games from Steam or GOG to a storefront that comes quite literally built into Windows 10. Roughly half of the games available in the new Xbox Game Pass for PC are Win32 right now, noted Ybarra, but it's up to developers whether or not they want to include the Xbox APIs for achievements and so on.

A chance to relaunch Xbox

In closing, Mike Ybarra said that Microsoft's gamer focus is the company's North Star guiding them forward, and we've certainly started to see the fruits of that pivot take hold in recent years. A dedicated gaming store on PC that allows Win32 titles is something I wouldn't have expected under the old UWP-oriented Windows regime. Nor would I have expected Microsoft to double down its resources on making backward compatibility for Xbox 360 and OG Xbox titles a reality on Xbox One, which has wildly different architecture. I would never have expected such a huge investment in first-party content either, back when Xbox fell under the Windows and Devices group, in what often felt a mere footnote in the company's wider portfolio. In 2019, Xbox is a guiding force for the entire company's consumer operation, shaping the feedback-oriented approach that has taken hold on both Windows and even Office.

Project xCloud bundled with Project Scarlett and a renewed approach to PC gaming could be the springboard Microsoft needs to propel the platform to that mystical two billion gamers number we keep hearing about. Whether or not Microsoft will achieve its aims of appealing beyond the confines of its relatively modest Xbox One platform remains very much to be seen, but it won't be from lack of trying. I for one, am excited to find out if they can pull it off.

Thanks a ton to Jason Ronald and Mike Ybarra for taking the time to see us.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 will showcase its campaign right before launch.
• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate sales spiked after the company's briefing.
• X019 is coming to London in November.
• The new Xbox Elite Wireless Controller: Season 2 has more features and durability.
• New backward compatible games will be added once "Project Scarlett" launches.

Yesterday, Microsoft hosted its Xbox E3 2019 conference where it revealed many new games and provided some details about "Project Scarlett" and "Project xCloud". Today, the company hosted its Inside Xbox show to expand the discussion of some of the upcoming titles and feature. Among the highlights were interviews with the developers of Gears 5 who explained that extensive testing will lead up to the title's launch in September, at which time they will discuss the game's campaign. The multiplayer looks like a lot of fun, but in order to shine, Gears 5 needs a stellar and focused story.

However, that wasn't everything Microsoft shared during Inside Xbox. The company's Executive Vice President of Gaming Phil Spencer said that the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate announcement prompted a record number of individuals to subscribe to the service. He also discussed Project Scarlett and explained that he feels backward compatibility should be a highlight of the gameplay experience going into the future. There are rumors floating around that the device features a twelve-core processor and much more, but Spencer didn't comment on its specifications. It's unclear if the PlayStation 5 will be more powerful than Project Scarlett, or vice versa.

If you love Xbox FanFest-like events, you're in luck. The upcoming "X019" gathering was also discussed today. As many remember, last year's X018 in Mexico City exceeded expectations. X019, which is taking place in London this November, seems likely to be even bigger than last year's showing.

The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller: Series 2 which was revealed yesterday features several enhancements, such as wrap-around grips to make gaming more comfortable, and new hair-trigger locks and thumbstick sensitivity settings to offer gamers more control.

Microsoft also announced that it will not make more original Xbox and Xbox 360 games backward compatible on Xbox One. Instead, the team will focus on making sure that all of your titles work on Project Scarlett. Expect more announcements on the future of backward compatibility in the near future.

Lastly, the show introduced new Gamertags, which will allow you more leeway in the presentation of your moniker, even if it has already been selected by another gamer. The system is a lot like Discord and will be the standard going forward. However, if you like your current Gamertag, you can keep it.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

Microsoft has outlined the foundations of its next-generation Xbox plans at E3 2019, unveiling its upcoming cutting-edge console, Project Scarlett. Driven by AMD's Navi GPU and Ryzen CPU architecture duo, the powerhouse targets 8K and 120 FPS gameplay, four times more powerful than Xbox One X. However, Microsoft remains tight on details, currently on track for a 2020 debut.

Tailing its recent press conference on June 9, executive vice-president of Gaming at Microsoft, Phil Spencer, has provided further details on its next-generation ambitions. Speaking at E3 2019 in Los Angeles, the Xbox head reaffirmed plans to retain backward compatibility, spanning original Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One games, alongside accompanying accessories.

"We thought out our design for Project Scarlett, we definitely wanted to make sure that we were compatible across all the generations," said Spencer. "Not just with the games, but the accessories." The move allows existing Xbox One controllers and headsets to work with Project Scarlett – including the newly-unveiled Xbox Elite Controller Series 2.

Speaking to Windows Central at E3 2019, Partner Director of Program Management at Xbox, Jason Ronald, further expanded on the decision.

It further indicates that, while a generation leap for Microsoft, Project Scarlett remains heavily rooted in existing Xbox One efforts. With internal teams rapidly shifting to tackle Scarlett's challenges, it's the device to watch for the year ahead.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

Revealed during Square Enix's E3 2019 showcase, the next game from the creators of Bulletstorm is called Outriders. From what we've seen so far, it looks like it borrows a little from Destiny, and a little from Borderlands, set to be a 1-3 co-operative shooter.

In a press release, Square Enix described the Outriders universe as "dark and desperate," complete with drop-in co-operative mechanics. The trailer offered a glimpse at some of the game's makeshift tech, gigantic hulking alien forms, and strange cultist-like enemies.

Creative director Bartosz Kmita had this to say about the game, which takes place on the planet of "Enoch," as players hunt down a "mysterious signal."

Players will be able to create their own "Outrider" to experience the world, although many further details of how the game works and what makes it stand out in an industry brimming with similar titles remains a mystery, for now. Square Enix noted that it will release more information towards the end of 2019.

"Outriders" is targeting a 2020 launch on Xbox One, PC, and PS4, and it looks as though it'll sport a "Mature" / 18-rating.

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.