E3 2016: What Was Revealed At The Microsoft Press Conference?

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Microsoft begins the second day of E3 press conferences and they started and ended strong. Focused on games similar to last year's presentation, they had an ample about of surprises that kept it entertaining. It would have had a more lasting effect if the leaks weren't all over the place hours before though. Here's the rundown.

Xbox One S Announced

Microsoft kicks off the show instantly by announcing a slimmer Xbox One console. It's out in August and is 40% smaller than the original console. 

Xbox Anywhere Program Announced

This was an interesting reveal. Xbox Anywhere essentially let's you unlock the Windows 10 and Xbox One version of a specific game if you buy it once digitally. The first game to have this will be Gears of War 4.

Gears of War 4 Demo, Elite Controller, and Cross-Platform Play

Gears of War 4 takes the stage and gets a new campaign demo. We are also given a look at a Gears of War 4 Elite Controller reveal, and confirmation that Gears of War 4 will be cross-platform play with Xbox One and Windows 10. Gears of War 4 will be out on October 11.

Killer Instinct - General Raam From Gears of War Joining the Fight

Out of nowhere, Killer Instinct hits the stage and announces a new character joining the ever expanding roster of characters. General Raam would have been a weird choice, but thanks to the recent release of characteres, it's fine. He's available now.

Forza Horizon 3 Announced for Xbox One and Windows 10

Forza Horizon 3 was announced and they featured a seamless drop-in drop-out co-op system for the 4-player campaign. The game is out on September 27 and is available for pre-order. If you do go for the pre-order, you get to start playing on September 23 and snag a Car Pass, VIP Membership, and more.

This title is also included in the Xbox Anywhere initiative.

Final Fantasy XV Boss Battle Demo 

Final Fantasy XV takes the Microsoft stage and they say this will be the first time we'll be seeing the game on the Xbox One. It's a boss battle against what looks like the Titan summon and it's the weirdest demo I've seen in this conference. Take a look for yourself.

We Get A ReCore Gameplay Trailer

Last year, they announced Recore and not much was shown after it's title flashed in the screen. This year, we get a demo and it's looking pretty interesting. 

The Division Gets Screen Time for The First Paid DLC Underground

Despite it's release, it still hit's the press conference stage. It's the first paid DLC that goes with the season pass and we get a trailer showing agents...shooting things. 

Battlefield 1 Hits The Stage, Same Trailer Really

This was a weird one. If you attended/watched the EA press conference, then you'll be seeing a repeat on the gameplay trailer for Battlefield 1. Just in case you haven't though, here it is below.

New Features for Xbox Live

More features are coming to Xbox Live. During the presentation they mentioned features like:

  • Clubs: A new way to pair up with gamers and make their own public or private communities with similar interests and playstyles.
  • Looking for Group: It's pretty much self-explanatory. Place an ad to find players for a multiplayer game to tackle a specific content.
  • Arena:. A new online tournaments platform designed for everyone, from novice to aspiring pro, Arena on Xbox Live brings competitive gaming to Xbox One and Windows 10 devices. Sign up for tournaments directly through the Xbox UI or the Xbox app and play for prizes and bragging rights.
  • Cross-play: Gamers on Xbox One and Windows 10 can now play select multiplayer games together. “Gears of War 4,” “Forza Horizon 3,” “Sea of Thieves” and “Scalebound” all support cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, and now “Minecraft” players on iOS, Android, Windows 10 phone and Windows 10 devices can all join together in cross-device multiplayer fun.
  • Cortana: The popular digital assistant Cortana is coming to Xbox One, featuring familiar voice commands available on Windows 10 devices and new gaming-specific scenarios for Xbox One. Cortana will initially launch on Xbox One in the U.S. and U.K. with additional markets coming soon after.
  • PC games (Win32) in Xbox Live: With the Xbox update coming this summer you’ll see the top PC games on Xbox Live, with more added every month. Use the Xbox app to see what PC games your friends are playing, view game clips and upload your own, and message and voice chat with friends across games.
  • Language Region Independence: Based on overwhelming fan feedback, we’re enabling Language Region Independence to give gamers even more control over their Xbox experience and how they engage with their Xbox One. Language Region Independence gives gamers the freedom to choose any supported language on Xbox One, regardless of their location.

Xbox Design Labs - Customize Your Very Own Xbox One Controller

Pretty neat. If you're that kind of person that love to customize, know yourself out with Xbox Design Labs.

Limbo Devs' Next Game Called Inside Is Coming

Inside, from the creators of Limbo, will be out on June 29. Also, Limbo will be free right now for Xbox players from June 13‒20.

ID@ Xbox Video Montage

As expected, more indie support from Microsoft, with a series of interesting titles coming to Xbox.

We Happy Few Looks Amazing

Revealed before but disappeared from the light suddenly, We Happy Few hits the stage for Microsoft's Xbox Preview program, which is pretty much Xbox's take on Steam's Early Access. It's set in a dystopian, mod 1964 England that lost World War II and there's this happy drug called "Joy". It's coming first on Xbox One and Windows 10.

Minecraft Realms Announced

Minecraft hits the stage and announces Minecraft Realms, which allows players to play together on PC, console, and through mobile. Thanks to Xbox Live and th realms service, Win 10 and mobile Minecraft players can host their own multiplayer worlds on private, cloud-based servers and play with friends currently offline.

Xbox live accounts can try Minecraft Realms right now on mobile and Win 10 for free  for one month through the minecraft app. 

Gwent Is A Full Game Now

Remember the mini-card game found in The Witcher 3? Yes, it's addicting and the devs knew how much the community loves the card game. So, they made it a full card game now. Well played.

Tekken 7 Getting A Cinematic Story Mode

We get a pretty impressive cinematic trailer for Tekken 7 with Akuma battling Heihatchi. It seamlessly transitions to actual gameplay and it was definitely a treat to see. Story mode will be included for the console version of Tekken 7 and is planned for an early 2017 release. For Xbox Gold members, they will get Tekken Tag Tournament 2 for free with backwards compatibility.

Dead Rising 4 Announced, Frank West Is Back

Everybody knew this was coming since they simply could not put a lid on Dead Rising 4. It's real and Frank West is back to run down the hoard. The game is being developed by Capcom Vancouver.

Scalebound Demo Shows 4-Player Co-op Boss Battle

Platinum Games consider this boss fight their biggest boss battle to date. Okay. But it was crazy to see all those dragons battling this massive creature. Scalebound will also be part of the Xbox Anywhere initiative.

First Gameplay Footage For Sea of Thieves

Last year, Sea of Thieves was revealed but didn't show much. This time we got some gameplay footage and they state that they dumped players playing the game for the first time. Sea of Thieves is also part of the Xbox Anywhere initiative.

State of Decay 2 Announced 

Post-apocalyptic zombie setting with community survival management features? The first game was amazing and this was quite a surprise.

Halo Wars 2 Is Coming, Beta Out Now

Halo Wars 2 gets a new trailer and the beta is out now if anybody is interested. It has a February 21 release date and will be on Xbox One and Windows 10. 

Project Scorpio, The Strongest Console Is Coming Holiday 2017

To end the show, they reveal something we were not expecting - An upgraded Xbox One. Named Project Scorpio, the console will feature 6 teraflops GPU, 4K resolution support, and VR support. It will support all Xbox One games and accessories together with the original Xbox One and the just announced Xbox One S. No price was announced.

That's a wrap for Microsoft's E3 2016 press conference. What did you think?