E3 2013: Microsoft’s Press Conference
Ashley Crocker ’15 / Emertainment Monthly Staff
The Xbox One was announced in May with little more to offer than a black box. But with the E3 conference, Microsoft gave their fans a lot more to get excited about. Let’s run down the big things we learned at Microsoft’s E3 conference.
Xbox 360
Just because the next generation of Xbox has been announced doesn’t mean Microsoft forgot about the 360. Announced at E3, the Xbox 360 will welcome the popular PC game, World of Tanks free-to-play for Xbox live Gold members. Also for the gold member: two free game downloads a month starting with Halo 3 and Assassins Creed II. The Xbox 360 also got a remolded to be sleeker, smaller, and quieter. It’s available starting today!
Xbox One
Now to the main event. Since the reveal of Xbox One in May, fans have been anxious to hear what the Xbox One will offer. One of the biggest interests: the games. Here is a list of some of games announced at the Xbox conference.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Dead Rising 3
Ryse: Son of Rome
Titanfall
Project Spark
Forza 5
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
Quantum Break
A New Halo
Crimson Dragon
Sunset Overdrive
Below
Minecraft for Xbox One
D4
Kinect Sport Rivals
Battlefield 4
Killer Instinct
Dark Souls 2*
World of Tanks*
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood*
*Released for Xbox 360
All of the games featured looked very promising. Titanfall, MGSV, and Ryse: Son of Rome received special highlights. Several of the games are Xbox One exclusive and others offer early releases or in-game bonuses for Xbox One players. According to SpikeTV, with the recent E3 conference, Xbox One has announced a total of 40 games compared to the Playstation 4’s 44 games. Playstation has yet to hold its conference which airs June 10th 6pm PT/9pm ET.
The Xbox One will also feature a fully incorporated Kinect system as well as the SmartGlass system. Capitalizing on the social gaming world, new Xbox One games thrive on social gaming allowing your friends to “play” against you, even if you aren’t on your Xbox – seen in games such as Forza 5. The Xbox One also features built in Twitch.tv which allows you to instantly stream and share your games.
Also on the stage, Xbox announced that it will replace Microsoft points with real currency. Xbox live accounts will transfer from the Xbox 360 to the Xbox One. And the biggest reveal: the price. The Xbox One will hit the market at $499 USD.
The Xbox One will hit stores November 2013.