Published , by Josh Hawkins
Published , by Josh Hawkins
With PlayStation absent from E3 2019, the conference is ripe for the taking. But will Xbox step up to the plate and deliver on Xbox boss, Phil Spencer’s promise to “go big”? Here’s what Xbox fans can expect from Xbox at E3 2019.
It’s a big year for Xbox, if the past few months are any kind of indicator. Microsoft has been on a bit of a spending spree lately, picking up developers like Obsidian and Ninja Theory to add to their collection of first-party development studios. We can also expect to learn more about the upcoming Gears 5, as well as Halo Infinite.
Of course, games aren’t the only big thing we should see this year, it’s also possible that Microsoft will finally reveal their newest piece of Xbox hardware. With Sony taking a raincheck on E3 this year, it’s the perfect time to reveal the new console and get eyes on it. I can’t think of any better way to show it off than with Gears 5 or the new Halo running on it, so hopefully Microsoft doesn’t miss out on the chance.
If the rumors are to be believed, the newest Xbox (possibly called Xbox 2, or whatever else Microsoft comes up with along the way) is more powerful than the new PlayStation, which we’ve already seen in loading time demos. Performance isn’t the only thing we’ve seen rumored about Xbox’s big plans, though. Rumors have also arisen about the next Xbox actually being two separate consoles, one of which would be a lower-powered all-digital, cloud-based console called “Lockheart”. Of course, the primary offering people will probably care about is codenamed “Anaconda” and is rumored to be a spiritual successor to the Xbox One X, with all the features you’d expect of a premium console.
We also expect to see more about Project Xcloud, Microsoft’s streaming service that is planned to bring Xbox games to any device with an internet connection. We expect that we’ll see more about the service—how it works, what it will cost, and possibly even a release date.
Overall, Microsoft is in a really good place to absolutely dominate the gaming news industry next week, and hopefully Xbox takes advantage of the opportunity that it has been given. I’m still holding out to see news of a new Fable game, and I’m absolutely stoked about the fact that Gears 5 and Halo Infinite are releasing on PC. Everything is coming up Microsoft, the company just has to be willing to take the steps needed to grab the crown and claim itself king of E3. Don't miss out on the Xbox E3 briefing when it airs next week.
We’ll keep a watchful eye on Microsoft and Xbox as the week progresses and update this article with any additional information or expectations that arise.