E3 2016: Xbox Press Conference

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Microsoft had a very solid presentation at this year’s conference covering console updates, new Xbox Live services, and of course the game announcements that we watch these events for. Take a scroll through the list and discover or rediscover all of the great things Microsoft has in store for us in the months and years to come!

The first bombshell announcement came with the Xbox Play Anywhere Program where selected games in the Xbox library will be available as part of a cross buy initiative. Starting with Gears of War 4, you’ll be able to buy the game once and play on both the Xbox One and Windows 10 PC’s with shared saves and achievements. This will be particularly helpful for those who game on the go with Microsoft providing a way to save the wallet where it counts.

Speaking of Gears of War 4, developer The Coalition stepped on stage to give us yet another great showcase of one of this fall’s many highlight games. Take a peak at this eight minute demo and let us know what you think. Are you excited? Or does the Gears franchise not appeal? For me, I was thinking about selling my Xbox, and this game is making me reconsider that choice.

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This may seem like such a small cosmetic announcement, but the ability to design my own Xbox One controller has me incredibly excited. Since I bought my Xbox, I’ve been riding the use of the one that came with the console. If I want to be able to host hangouts with some of my friends I’m going to need a second controller, and I think now it’s finally time to make the purchase.

This one is shaping up to be a great new franchise for Microsoft with its quirky cast of characters and the quality of world design. ReCore finally got a release date and indeed it is coming this fall! That date is September 13. Along with the release date, we got a brand new gameplay trailer reveal. Be sure to check it out above.

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Some cool new features for Xbox Live were introduced mid-way through the presentation. Soon every player will be able to listen to music in the background while they play and Cortana will be integrated in order to allow for more stable voice commands and search functionality. The big items are completely new to the Live service and are features that are going to come in handy for anyone who wants to share in their gaming experiences.

Xbox Clubs will allow you to create your own gaming communities where you can cultivate and establish new and old friendships in order to experience Xbox together. You’ll be able to tune your club to your own interests and invite others that share the same.

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The Looking for Group feature, (the most useful in my opinion), will help you search for other players to play those complicated missions with and to challenge new opponents in your favourite multiplayer arena.

For everyone that played last years The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, most will acknowledge that the included side card game of Gwent was one of the most fun and engaging activities in the large open world designed by CD Project Red. Well, the game is back, but this time as its own singular experience and I could not be more excited. Check out the announcement trailer below, and be sure to hop back into the Witcher 3 to get some practice in in time for the official launch of the Gwent standalone experience.

Dead Rising 4 was officially revealed along with a noticeably absent term in the marketing message. Nowhere did it say that Dead Rising 4 was an Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive, suggesting perhaps that the game will also release on the PS4. Perhaps DLC will come to Xbox first? We’ll find out as we get closer to the game’s launch slated for this Christmas’ holiday season.

Microsoft and Xbox had two major console announcements to make in today’s presentation. The first came at the beginning in the form of the Xbox One S. This is a slimmer model of the current Xbox One console which is headed for release later this summer. A limited special 2TB edition will be available for US$399 along with a 500GB option at US$299 and a 1TB option at US$349.

The second console announcement ended the presentation, and boy was it big. The long rumored Project Scorpion was revealed to be very real, and the power this console is promising to have is going to be bringing many memorable gaming experiences when it launches next year in Fall of 2017. Take a look at Project Scorpion’s announcement video below.

For more E3 news and updates, be sure to stay tuned to theyoungfolks.com, our social media pages, and our new twitch channel https://www.twitch.tv/tyfofficial.

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