E3 Starts today - Microsoft & EA

E3 begins today, and I expect there to be a ton of new news and content as Microsoft will kick off their conference first, then a couple of dev studios, then Sony. I'm currently in a training meeting, so I'll try to keep the website updating especially through the Microsoft and Sony conferences with the big named stuff. Keep an eye out in the next couple hours for updates.

Rich 


UPDATED

Xbox One/360 (I will only be posting a few big name things as there is a lot to cover)

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Starting off here, Microsoft announced the Phantom Pain for the Xbox One, and showed off some interesting new gameplay. Also to note, if you previously didn't know, Keifer Sutherland will be voicing Snake.

Sunset Overdrive - In something that is sure to be surprising, the former Sony exclusive developer, Insomniac, is bringing a new IP to the Xbox One as an exclusive called Sunset Overdrive. It reminded me somewhat visually of the EPIC game that wasn't released, Fort Nite, mixed with some crazy action and gunplay.

Halo - Not much else is known, other than there will be a new Halo in 2014. I'd look to a holiday release for this. 343 Industries is still at the helm for this, and is promising a new Halo for a new generation. Hopefully its more Halo, than Call of Duty this time around.

Titanfall - The much awaited game from Respawn Entertainment (the guys who made Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2) is an Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC exclusive. There's mechs, soldiers, and a whole lot of explosions.

Ryse: Son of Rome - I was able to watch some of this at lunch, and it looks pretty decent. Roman era combat, mixed with some great graphics, and crisp combat. The only thing I was a little worried about was their was a lot of quick time event button pressing involved in the combat. That kind of stuff gets old awfully quick.

Minecraft - The Minecraft craze will continue exclusively on the Xbox One, featuring bigger maps and more multiplayer functionality. Not much else is known.

Dead Rising 3 - This is one I personally am greatly exciting for, I almost jumped out of my seat during training. It will follow a new protagonist named Nick who in vein appears to be doing the same thing that happened in the previous installments. Hopefully, they do abandon the time sensitive shoot yourself/someone up with Zombrex bit every so often, and go more open world.

Pricing/Release Date - Finally a price. The Xbox One will release on November 21, 2013, retailing at $499.99. Further information found is -

      
This report of what comes with the Xbox One’s $499.99 launch day bundle comes from Siliconera:

• Xbox One system (500GB hard drive)
• Blu-ray drive
• In-unit wireless
• Kinect peripheral 
• Free 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial
• Xbox One Wireless Controller

Players that reserve the Xbox One for purchase on launch day will receive a commemorative bundle with some digital incentives and special black packaging.

• Exclusive “Day One” achievement for bragging rights
• Ryse: Son of Rome: Special multiplayer map, weapon, and stat boosts
• Forza Motorsport 5: Four cars tuned for high performance
• Dead Rising 3: Exclusive Frank West and Chuck Greene Tribute Packs with enhanced attributes.

That's the important stuff I took away from the Xbox presser. Up next...

EA/EA Sports - (The majority of these are all multiplatform)

All the Sports - EA showed off all their sports franchises with a lot of detail. All were present including UFC and the much maligned NBA Live series that's been dead and dormant for some time now. The titles look crisp, and it appears they're trying to prevent the same backlash that they got from the launch lineup with the Xbox 360. These will launch on all next gen and current consoles.

Star Wars Battlefront - The rumors had been circulating that a new Battlefront was in the works, and the title has been confirmed. DICE will be taking control of the title, which is probably the greatest possible news. Not much was shown other than a small clip of a soldier on Hoth, and an AT-AT foot crashing down. No word on release dates.

Need for Speed Rivals - A new Need for Speed was announced, running on the Frostbite 3 engine from DICE, and being made by a new EA studio call Ghost Games. The game will similarly focus on pursuits between racers and law enforcement.

Mirror's Edge 2 - A new Mirror's Edge game was announced. The cult classic showed a trailer of the free running star moving through environments and battling foes. No word on release, as it was stated at the end "when it's ready"

Battlefield 4 DLC - In a somewhat odd twist, Battlefield 4 has DLC announced, before much of their multiplayer has even been shown or talked about. Named Second Assault, it is Xbox One exclusive and will be released at some point after launch. It is however only 4 remastered maps from Battlefield 3, which will probably end up being on other hardware at some point.

Presenting: Xbox One

After much hype and anticipation, the new Xbox has been revealed, now known simply as the Xbox One. It was rumored it could have been called the Infinity, Fusion, 720, but they decided to go with One, as in the "All in One" console.

So here's what we saw:

The console itself - Touting the actual thing, unlike Sony did for the Playstation 4, it looks like how you would expect it to. It's a big black glossy box, with the Xbox Symbol on it, and some vents. It does look huge, but it's got a lot of tech inside it so it's probably on par with what the PS4 will be. 

Kinect 2.0 - It will be bundled with all Xbox One's, and will apparently need to be connected to the system for the system to work. In other words, if its not plugged in, your new Xbox One won't function properly. It does appear to have enhanced capabilities, better body and facial recognition, and a design synonymous with the new console. 

Games - So far we saw the new Forza Motorsport 5, and Quantum Break, which were actually the only console exclusives shown  almost all EA sports games were shown off in a prerendered trailer form, but with the oddly notable not present NHL series, but did include the new UFC title from EA, and Call of Duty: Ghosts. Other than that we didn't see much in terms of games.

User Interface - It looked similar to the Xbox 360, but now everything can be controlled with voice and hand gestures, but can also be done with the remote. Switching back and forth between TV, Movie, Games, YouTube  and back to the home screen are done with ease. Not much else seems to have changed other than that.

Mandatory Game Installation - this is leading to the idea of no used games with the One. When you pop in your new game, you'll need to download the title. Major emphasis on the new. Apparently the new idea behind this, is that you can buy used games, but when you install them from a used disc, you will have to pay a fee. Sounds pretty awful right? There will be more information made available at E3 soon. Microsoft has said they have a plan for used games. If it's anything like what it appears to be, its a botched one. 

Controller - the controller doesn't look too changed, other than maybe being a little bigger, and a minuscule redesign. The buttons are pressure sensitive now, and the triggers each have their own rumble sensor. The battery in the back also moved from the back central, to the top rear part. I really don't understand the use of exterior batteries at all anymore if that's what they're using. 

Backwards Compatibility - the Xbox One will not play your Xbox 360 games. That's all you need to know. 

Blu-Ray - the Xbox One has made the leap from the regular DVD drive to the originally exclusive Blu-Ray drive. So look forward to finally getting to use your Blu-Ray discs on your new One.

TV - Tv and other applications will be an integral part of the system. Microsoft wants to work closely with cable providers to give seamless transition from TV, movies, games, apps, and everything in between. ESPN, and NFL are two major names tacked on to give the One some spark. 

Here's what I don't know yet.

Pricing - they said nothing about this. You have to figure there will be multiple bundles. A base one, stripped of everything good coming in probably around $350-400. A middle Tier from $400-450. And an elite tier probably from $450-500. This is just speculation, but it's what Microsoft has been doing when offering the 360. Different hard drives, wireless vs. wired controllers, games, better headset, customized outward appearance, and a couple other little features. We'll find out more at E3.

Always online - the dreaded words no one wanted to hear. There's been some hush hush talk about it is or it isn't happening. Some have said it has the capabilities to be always on, but they're leaving that up to the developers. Some have also heard rumors that it will be always on all the time period, which is why their would be a connection to your cable provider, and Kinect. This one is still open for talk.

Release date - I along with probably every one else, is assuming late October to mid November. Games are being listed for the systems around then, and it's going to be a holiday nightmare finding these. Which in turn is exactly what the companies want.

Online - a big reason why some people choose to not use the Xbox online is that it costs money to access the Gold membership account. They haven't stated whether or not the pay model will return, but since it's only $60 for a year, I don't see why this won't be back. 

Overall, those are the main talking points. There are a few more, but I didn't consider them to be too substantial. If you have any other concerns feel free to ask and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.

Lastly, I hate to say it, but I wasn't really impressed with their conference. Other than some application functions, they didn't say or do anything to wow me. The whole Kinect 2.0 scheme they're trying to pull on the Xbox crowd is going to be its make or break function. I just don't think it's going to work as well as they're showing it to. Especially when what they were doing actually seemed to be prerecorded. The presenter was doing his hand grab to stretch open and close motions while also talking to the Xbox One. Which was fine, except when he said you could do it on the fly, he said something along the lines of Xbox, watch ESPN. It instantly flicked over to ESPN. Sounds fine, and awesome at that. But what was showing? A basketball game. Cool, it's playoff time afterall. Well, it was of two teams not in the playoffs, of which I can't remember. He snapped to a game, which was already in progress of a car driving. Who was playing the game? Why was it automatically playing? Who was actually playing it? Honestly, I don't have a clue. Then back to ESPN. A completely different basketball game. This time it was the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets. Two teams eliminated from the playoffs. It was also 10:30 A.M. in Washington where the conference was being held. If I had to guess, at this time there would've been Sportscenter playing. He snaps to a movie which is playing. One cool thing to note, is that he did minimize the movie, brought up a clean UI of the One's dashboard and took an incoming Skype call in a smaller window in the top corner. 

I'm pretty baffled by the press conference. I don't know what to make of the new Xbox One. Part of me is semi excited, and another part is full on disappointed. A company that size, with that much power in their teams, put on a show like that, with few mentions to any notable games other than the yearly releases, and a couple of voice and gesture activated features has me worried for them. I guess, and we'll hopefully be finding out more about the console at E3 in a couple weeks.