Microsoft E3 Conference Recap

Microsoft certainly came out of the blocks swinging at E3 with a strong library and even firmer intent. Here's a recap of all the goodness as it happened...

  • Backwards compatibility on Xbox One. Select Xbox 360 games will be made available on Xbox One from this holiday. Around 100 games will work when it launches. 
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider will be released November 10th 2015, exclusive to Xbox One
  • Microsoft Holo Lens will be working with Games on Xbox One and an exclusive version of Minecraft has been designed to work with it. Players can also use Surface and jump into the same game. Holo Lens allows Augmented Reality in Xbox One games. For example, with Minecraft, you can raise your Minecraft world up from your dining room table or out from your wall
  • Gears 4 has been confirmed and will release Holiday 2016 with new characters 
  • Gears of War Ultimate Edition, a Remaster of the original game, will release August 25th 2015, with updated visuals, improved visuals, broadcasting and standard current gen features. A playable Public Beta will be available from today.
  • Halo 5 Campaign will feature drop-in/drop-out co-op, and allow players to select Marines on two sides of a war. Play as either a Marine led by Master Chief or a Marine led by Spartan Block. Players take on an actual role in the story, and campaign progress will carry over into the multiplayer. 
  • Rare are releasing a 30 year collection of their best games in one box, including Battletoads, Banjo Kazooie, Kameo and Viva Pinata. It's due out in August.
  • Rare are also releasing a brand new, piratey-themed IP, that reminds us a lot of a cartoonified Black Flag, and it's called Sea of Thieves. The biggest surprise? Not a Kinect in sight...
  • The Division will get an exclusive Beta on Xbox One in December.
  • Rainbow Six: Siege will also come with both Rainbow Six: Vegas 1 & 2 for free, exclusively on Xbox. Both original Rainbow Six: Vegas games will work with the backwards compatibility previously announced.  
  • Recore, a new game from creators of Metroid Prime and Mega Man, is coming exclusively to Xbox 
  • Fallout 4 mods created on PC can also be played on Xbox One
  • A new Elite Xbox One controller will be released that will let you swap out thumbsitkcs, D-Pads and adjust trigger sensitivity.
  • Titanfall coming to EA Access this week. Dragon Age Inquisition will also be joining EA Access by the end of the Summer.
  • Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2 coming in 2016 and will be exclusively on Xbox One (at least until it ends up launching on PS4)
  • Forza 6 will launch September 15th with 25 tracks and 450 cars in full 1080p
  • Dark Souls 3 was confirmed and is coming to Xbox One and PS4 in Spring 2016.
  • Huge Indie support, including Behemoth's next game, Fullbright's new IP exclusively on Xbox One and WIndows 10, Beyond Eyes and Cuphead. 
  • Xbox Game Preview also announced (similar to Steam Early Access) which lets developers put their games up early on Xbox Marketplace to get feedback as the game develops, however the playable build will be completely free, unlike Early Access. The Long Dark and Elite Dangerous will be the first to join the scheme and will be available from today. Sheltered and Day-Z will be coming within a year.
  • Fable Legends coming this year and will feature cross-platform support with Windows 10 and Xbox One. It's still free to play.