Here's what you missed at the Xbox E3 2016 press conference

By Matt Brown
published

Earlier today Microsoft held its Xbox E3 2016 media briefing, providing an insight into the next year of Xbox releases. As expected, this year's press conference was a big one for the company, with some new game reveals, the announcement of two consoles and a range of other accessories. While this year's pre-show leaks were plentiful, Microsoft still kept a couple of surprises under the radar for Xbox fans.

Project Scorpio

Maybe the biggest announcement of the conference was the unveiling of Microsoft's Project Scorpio - an upcoming console and hardware upgrade for the Xbox One. While few details were provided about the device, the console is scheduled to ship in 2017 offering a performance upgrade to 6 teraflops.

Xbox One S

Microsoft also announced the second iteration of the Xbox One, in the form of the Xbox One S. The thinner console is 40% smaller than its original counterpart, with HDR gaming and 4K video output.

Game Debuts

The media briefing also birthed four game announcements, although none come as a massive surprise. A common theme for today's conference was a lack of Xbox One exclusives, as Microsoft's console continues to converge with Windows 10 on the PC.

  • Dead Rising 4 is official, with jingle bells and zombies
  • Forza Horizon 3 goes Down Under on Xbox One and Windows 10
  • State of Decay 2 goes back to Trumbull on Windows 10 and Xbox One
  • Gwent from The Witcher 3 is coming in September as a standalone game

Game Trailers

As always the conference was packed to the brim with trailers for upcoming games - many releasing in 2016. The conference also hosted many gameplay videos for Xbox One console exclusives ReCore, Sea of Thieves and Scalebound. Major third-party publishers such as Bandai Namco Entertainment and Square Enix also took to the stage to demo their upcoming titles.

  • Sea of Thieves trailer shows gameplay footage for Xbox One, Windows 10 game
  • ReCore coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 on September 13
  • Scalebound demo provides a look at its cooperative gameplay
  • Halo Wars 2 open beta launches on Xbox One and here is the trailer
  • Gears of War 4 coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 with cross-buy and cross-play
  • Crackdown 3 confirmed for Windows 10 as well as Xbox One, pushed until 2017
  • Final Fantasy XV demo showcases its action-packed battles
  • Tekken Tag Tournament 2 free for Xbox Live Gold members, Tekken 7 due in early 2017
  • Limbo creator Playdead's next game, Inside, to be released on Xbox One on June 29
  • Lots of new ID@Xbox and Xbox Game Preview titles revealed at E3 2016

Xbox Live

Microsoft's Mike Ybarra stepped up to announce upcoming Xbox Live social features, designed to help find players over Xbox Live. There was also a focus on the 'Play Anywhere' feature, unlocking access to the Windows 10 and Xbox One versions of select titles alongside a purchase of the game on either platform.

  • Xbox Live to add Clubs, Looking for Group, Arena and more in future updates
  • Here are all the Xbox Play Anywhere games with Xbox One and Windows 10 cross-buy support

Tying up loose ends

And finally, the Xbox One controller got its fair share of love this time around, with a new Gears of War themed Elite controller. The Xbox controller 'Design Lab' was also released, allowing gamers to create and purchase their own custom controllers on the official Xbox website.

  • Gears of War 4 Xbox Elite Wireless Controller announced at #XboxE3, pre-order now for $200
  • Design your own controller with the Xbox Design Lab

And while that concludes Microsoft's offering at their E3 2016 media briefing, the company still plans to make some smaller announcements over the coming week. What did you think of this year's Xbox E3 showcase? Make sure to tell us in the comments!

Matt Brown
Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.