LOS ANGELES — The Electronic Entertainment Expo, the video game
industry's biggest event of the year, kicked off Saturday with a slew of
new game releases and hardware updates.
Here's an early look at what you or the gamer in your life may be spending time and money on:
Microsoft says the console boasts a 6 teraflop graphical processing unit, 12 GB GDDR5 of graphic memory, and an 8-core custom AMD central processing unit. For those of us who have no idea what this means: your games will look a lot better, load faster, and show a lot more visual details. It also means games will appear in native 4K resolutions.
The move shifts Microsoft toward a two-tier model with its Xbox One: the lower-cost Xbox One S, and the Xbox One X. All controllers and accessories you currently have for an Xbox One will work on either console.
The big question: Is $499 too much to ask Xbox enthusiasts to take the plunge for Xbox One X? “It wants to regain the initiative with console enthusiasts that it lost way back at launch,” said Piers Harding-Rolls, analyst with IHS Markit, referencing the 2013 launches of Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4, when Microsoft offered its device at $100 more than its rival.
Mizuho analyst San Phan says while Xbox One X “bests the technical specifications” of the PS4 Pro with native 4K and an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, the price may be too much. “It’ll cost $100 more than the (PS4 Pro), which we expect will have stronger exclusive titles over the next year.”
Details on the list of games were not revealed, other than the classic Crimson Skies. We're waiting for the original Halo and Counter-Strike.
Not only does Star Wars Battlefront II promise a separate, single-player campaign told from the side of the Empire after the events of Return of the Jedi, but users will see a steady stream of free updates to the game's competitive mode. This includes new heroes, new planets and new vehicles. It starts with an expansion tied to the movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
But, really, watch the trailer below for the awesome Darth Maul cameo.
The obvious question is whether a first-person shooter, where you are often required to move and react quickly, will feel disorienting in VR. Game director Marty Stratton says the experience will feel as "brutal and rewarding" as any other Doom game. It will launch later this year on PlayStation VR and HTC's Vive.
Meanwhile, the full experience of Fallout 4 — a game featuring dozens of hours of action — has been reimagined for VR. The systems used for crafting gear, augmenting weapons, and fighting were redesigned to fit playing with a VR headset. It launches in October for HTC Vive.
Here's an early look at what you or the gamer in your life may be spending time and money on:
This is Microsoft's next Xbox console
Project Scorpio is now Xbox One X. It goes on sale November 7 for $499. Microsoft was not shy in describing it as “the world's most powerful console.”Microsoft says the console boasts a 6 teraflop graphical processing unit, 12 GB GDDR5 of graphic memory, and an 8-core custom AMD central processing unit. For those of us who have no idea what this means: your games will look a lot better, load faster, and show a lot more visual details. It also means games will appear in native 4K resolutions.
The move shifts Microsoft toward a two-tier model with its Xbox One: the lower-cost Xbox One S, and the Xbox One X. All controllers and accessories you currently have for an Xbox One will work on either console.
The big question: Is $499 too much to ask Xbox enthusiasts to take the plunge for Xbox One X? “It wants to regain the initiative with console enthusiasts that it lost way back at launch,” said Piers Harding-Rolls, analyst with IHS Markit, referencing the 2013 launches of Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4, when Microsoft offered its device at $100 more than its rival.
Mizuho analyst San Phan says while Xbox One X “bests the technical specifications” of the PS4 Pro with native 4K and an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, the price may be too much. “It’ll cost $100 more than the (PS4 Pro), which we expect will have stronger exclusive titles over the next year.”
You'll be able to play original Xbox games on One
Two words that often get video game players excited are "backward" and "compatibility". It's an option on newer consoles where the device supports games from earlier consoles. For example, Xbox One backward compatibility lets you play several Xbox 360 games. Soon, that will also include games made for the first Xbox launched 16 years ago (wow, we are all getting old).Details on the list of games were not revealed, other than the classic Crimson Skies. We're waiting for the original Halo and Counter-Strike.
'Star Wars Battlefront II': I have a good feeling about this
The common argument against the original Star Wars Battlefront was there just wasn't enough content for a full game. It appears developers listened.Not only does Star Wars Battlefront II promise a separate, single-player campaign told from the side of the Empire after the events of Return of the Jedi, but users will see a steady stream of free updates to the game's competitive mode. This includes new heroes, new planets and new vehicles. It starts with an expansion tied to the movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
But, really, watch the trailer below for the awesome Darth Maul cameo.
'Doom' and 'Fallout' in VR
While Microsoft avoided virtual reality during its press event, publisher Bethesda Softworks was eager to kick off its showcase with new details on two VR projects featuring classics Doom and Fallout. Let's start with Doom, which looks every bit as creepy as it would without a headset.The obvious question is whether a first-person shooter, where you are often required to move and react quickly, will feel disorienting in VR. Game director Marty Stratton says the experience will feel as "brutal and rewarding" as any other Doom game. It will launch later this year on PlayStation VR and HTC's Vive.
Meanwhile, the full experience of Fallout 4 — a game featuring dozens of hours of action — has been reimagined for VR. The systems used for crafting gear, augmenting weapons, and fighting were redesigned to fit playing with a VR headset. It launches in October for HTC Vive.
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