Gamescom 2019 is now officially underway, and that means a load of game announcements and hardware reveals have already taken place. On day one of the event, we got a look at a ton of trailers from the Inside Xbox and Gamescom Opening Night Live streams, along with some refreshing new PC hardware from Alienware.
While there was certainly a lot to pay attention to throughout Gamescom's first day, we've picked out some of the biggest reveals you should be paying attention to.
Halo co-creator unveils new game called 'Disintegration'
Nothing quite catches your attention like learning that one of the co-creators of Halo has a new game. It's even better when you get a peek at the action.
That's what we got today, as Marcus Lehto, who founded independent studio V1 Interactive in 2014 after leaving Bungie, unveiled "Disintegration." The game is a sci-fi first-person shooter that put players in the command of mechs and robots.
Throw in a single-player campaign and "frenetic PvP multiplayer" involving other pilots and crews, and you have a recipe for what could be a solid title.
Disintegration is expected to launch in 2020.
Everspace 2 takes off in 2021
Everspace is already a beloved game among a fans of space shooters, and there's now a sequel on the way in 2021.
Everspace 2 switches things up by expanding to an open world, where players can traverse vast distances with some role-playing elements mixed in. Don't worry if you like the rogue-like gameplay of the original, however; Rockfish Games cofounder Michael Shade says that the studio is aiing to "remain true to our DNA and offer exactly what out fans love."
Everspace 2 is expected to hit Kickstarter on September 9 with a €450,000 funding goal. The game is expected to hit Xbox One, PlayStation 4 in 2021 and is slated to hit Steam Early Access for PCs in 2020.
In the meantime, you can check out the original Everspace as part of Xbox Game Pass.
Borderlands 3 offers peek at new endgame mode
Borderlands 3 is up there with the most anticipated games of the year, and Gamescom gave us a look at a new game mode coming for endgame content: Proving Grounds.
The challenges seem like they'll operate a lot like horde modes in other games. You'll have to take on missions to find ancient Eridian writings that will give your coordinates to proving grounds. Once there, you fend off waves of enemies. The longer you last, the better loot you'll be rewarded with.
Borderlands 3 is set to release on September 13, and there will be six proving grounds at launch. You can preorder the game now for $60 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Prepare for the fight of the galaxy
Borderlands 3 looks to be releasing sooner than a lot of us expected. Pick your new favorite Vault Hunter and get ready to save the worlds. No pressure or anything. Oh, and watch out for the wildlife.
Metro Exodus "THe Two Colonels" expansion launch
Metro Exodus hit consoles and PCs earlier this year, but there's still plenty of story left to explore.
"The Two Colonels," a new expansion for the game, was revealed to be launching on August 20 at Gamescom. The story of the DLC tells the story of what happened to Novosibirsk, an irradiated city that was a bit of a mystery in the game until now.
Metro Exodus is part of Xbox Game Pass, but you'll have to pick up the Two Colonels DLC separately. You can also check out the game on its own for $29.
New DLC on the horizon.
Find out what happened to the station below the dead city of Novosibirsk in Metro Exodus' latest DLC. Metro Exodus brought the series from the underground up to the nuclear-devastated surface as Artyom and other survivors searched for a home.
New Xbox Game Pass games
Xbox Game Pass is getting new games all of the time, but Microsoft had some heavy hitters to announce today.
Some of the new games being added to the subscription service in August include Devil May Cry 5, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, Blair Witch, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance. We even got a preview of what's coming in September with Dead Cells.
Xbox Game Pass is growing all of the time, and you can now play games in its catalogue across both Xbox and PC. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate adds Xbox Live Gold into the mix for $15 per month.
New Xbox controllers are looking sharp
Microsoft isn't shy about its affinity for new Xbox controller designs, and it had a fresh pair to show off at Gamescom today.
The two new controllers come in Night Ops Camo or Sport Blue. The former takes on a dark, urban military camo pattern, while the letter is similar to previous sport controllers we've seen, but with a contrast between dark blue on the front and light blue on the rear.
Both controllers look pretty slick and are available for preorder now for $70 a pop. The Night Ops Camo controller is expected to launch on October 8, while the Sport Blue controller is expected to launch on September 17.
Alienware stuns with Aurora design overhaul
Alienware is trying to make a splash with its new "Legend" design language that has been rolling out across its laptop lineup this year, and now it's bringing it to its desktop PCs.
The new Alienware Aurora R9 made its debut at Gamescom, and it's a stunner. The case has been completely revamped with a rounded aesthetic that stands out from the rest of the pre-built PC crowd. Oh, and there's a hint of RGB lighting to go around.
Aside from the redesign, the new Aurora R9 packs plenty of potential power with up to an Intel Core i9-9900K processor, dual NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics, and up to 64GB of RAM.
The Alienware Aurora R9 is set to go on sale starting August 20 starting at $970.
A Legend
The Alienware Aurora R9 shakes things up with a new design that not only looks fresh, but brings some significant improvements to airflow throughout. Combined with a solid slate of hardware, the Aurora R9 looks to be a capable pre-built gaming rig.
Alienware's latest monitor is a 55-inch OLED behemoth
A 55-inch gaming monitor might just sound like a TV by another name, but Alienware's new monster packs in plenty of features that set it apart.
For starters, it's equipped with an OLED panel, which means scenes are going to be crisp and colorful with an almost infinite contrast. The monitor also packs in AMD FreeSync, a 4K resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate.
The only downside? It's going to cost you a pretty penny. The Alienware 55 OLED gaming monitor is expected to launch on September 30 in North America for $4,000. Ouch.
Gears Pop! launches this week on Android and iOS
Gears 5 is still a few weeks away, but you can whittle away the time with the franchise's first mobile foray, 'Gears Pop!', starting this week.
The game, which is a bit like a Gears of War take on the Plants vs Zombies formula, is set to launch on August 22. It's full of real-time multiplayer matches that look fairly fun. The game also includes cute little versions of more than 30 characters from across the Gears series.
Gears Pop! will be free to play when it launches on August 22.
They're kind of cute
Mobile fans can finally get a taste of Gears of War with Gears Pop! on iOS and Android. It's not the hyper-realistic gore you're used to as this time it's in collaboration with Funko.
Trailers galore and more
Aside from what we've highlighted so far, Gamescom 2019's first day was filled to the brim with new gameplay trailers and reveals.
There was our first look at gameplay footage from Need for Speed Heat, the reveal of Little Nightmares 2, Kerbal Space Program 2, and many others.
We also got an in-depth look at the companion system for GreedFall, an extended trailer for The Surge 2, and we learned that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is getting cross-play between consoles in October.
What were your favorites?
Those were just some of our top picks, but what were your favorite picks from day one of Gamescom 2019? Let us know what you liked in the comments, or what you're hoping to see from the rest of the show.
