E3 will be opening its doors to the masses for the first time this year. But if you really want to get up close and personal with your favorite Xbox goodies and paraphernalia, try to be one of the lucky 500 chosen for Xbox Fanfest this year.

Fanfest kicks off this year on June 11, the same day at the Microsoft press conference, and will run through the start of E3 on June 13. For the first time, the event will be employing online registration to help "streamline the process" and let people know ahead of time whether they are getting in. If you are 21 years old and have an Xbox gamertag, you are eligible to sign up.

Starting on Wednesday of this week, starting at 6 a.m. PT / 9 a.m. ET, tickets will start becoming available in "drops" throughout the day. There will be 500 tickets available, with 400 of them coming through these drops. Microsoft wants you "glued' to #XboxFanFest on the official @Xbox Twitter account to know when the dros are happening. The remaining 100 tickets are being held back for promotions and giveaways.

If you make it through that process and are one of the lucky 500, you will get to attend the Xbox E3 briefing on Sunday, and get "a custom-built backpack full of gaming swag." You'll also get early access to Project Scorpio and a private gaming event on the evening of June 12th.

If you don't get in and still make it to E3, Microsoft is switching halls this year and will have a different layout than in years past to accommodate the influx of extra fans.