LIVE BLOG: Xbox E3 Press Conference

The Microsoft E3 press conference is about to kick off and it’s tipped to be a corker. Join our live blog for all the announcements as they happen.

2.20am
Xbox E3 conference is about to kick off. Unfortunately we’re unable to post any photos until it starts so stayed tuned.

We’re expecting to see a host of games in detail but we’re really looking forward to more on the whole Oculus VR partnership that was recently announced, as well as how Windows 10 fits into Microsoft’s gaming strategy.

What are you guys expecting to see? Tell us in the comments!

2:30

Here we go! Disembodied lady voice just warned that the show may contain gore and swearing.

2:35

Snazzy video intro starring Marcus Fenix, Master Chief and Lara Croft.

2:36

And it’s straight to the big guns with Halo 5: Guardians! Gameplay footage looks properly slick. Highlights reel is epic.

2:40

343 Industries’ John Holmes is now talking up Halo 5’s single player mode which will follow two separate heroes: Master Chief and Spartan Locke. Apparently it’s the biggest campaign in Halo’s history.

2:43
And now we’re getting our first look at Recore; an exclusive first-party franchise for Xbox One. It appears to be a futuristic shooter (natch) starring a plucky heroine and her faithful robotic companion who can be built and customised into all sorts of critters. Looks like puzzles will feature heavily.

2:47
XBOX ONE WILL NOW BE BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE WITH XBOX 360! This is huge, huge news! We’re now looking at the original Mass Effect running on Xbox One — players can capture screenshots, game DVR and the game will be compatible with Xbox Live features on Windows Phone.

There will be no charge to play games you already own. Hurrah! It’s coming out this holiday period.

2:51

A new controller just got teased – the Xbox Elite wireless controller. It’s highly customisable and will likely ship with the Oculus.

3:00
Bethesda’s Todd Howard is now talking up Fallout 4 — the game’s PC mods will be transferable to Xbox One. Wow.

3:04
EA just showed off the latest Madden, which should delight roughly three Australians. EA Access Vault can be accessed for free all week by Xbox Gold members.

Plant Vs. Zombies GW2 looks properly bonkers. But is it really a “console” game?

3:08

Forza 6 is making the crowd go bananas. An actual Ford GT just got airdropped onto the stage.

3:10
The game announcements are coming thick and fast! Dark Souls III! Tom Clancy’s The Division!

Ubisoft on The Division: “an action RPG that feels personal.” It’s set in New York after the fall of society as we know it. The beta will be exclusively released on Xbox One this December.

Ubisoft also showed off Rainbow Six Siege — which will come with backwards compatible versions of Rainbow Six and Rainbow Six 2 on Xbox 360. Those games are so old now, but we suppose it will be nice to have the complete collection in one place.

3:10
The game announcements are coming thick and fast! Dark Souls III! Tom Clancy’s The Division!

Ubisoft on The Division: “an action RPG that feels personal.” It’s set in New York after the fall of society as we know it. The beta will be exclusively released on Xbox One this December.

Ubisoft also showed off Rainbow Six Siege — which will come with backwards compatible versions of Rainbow Six and Rainbow Six 2 on Xbox 360. Those games are so old now, but we suppose it will be nice to have the complete collection in one place.

3:20

Indie games a go-go on ID@Xbox! There are more than 1000 developers actively working for the platform. Titles range from slick 3D first person shooters to dinky 8-bit throwbacks. We particularly liked the look of Cuphead; a retro platformer that takes its visual cues from 1930s animation.

3:25
Flaky internet connection is flaky.

3:30
And we’re back! During the WiFi dropout, we were shown more ID@Xbox stuff and the first extensive look at Rise Of The Tomb Raider. It reminded us of the Stallone movie Cliffhanger. Also, was that quick-time event combat we just saw? Tch.

3:36
Rare are releasing a games collection dubbed Rare Replay that will include 30 games from when Rare was actually good. Yay! Didn’t see any Ultimate Play The Game titles though. They also showed off a new game called Son Of Thieves which is a pirate MMO and apparently the most ambitious project that the studio has ever worked on.

3.45
Fresh off its partnership with Oculus VR, Xbox has now teamed up with Valve VR “to make Windows 10 the best platform for VR gaming”, according to Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda. He continues by saying Microsoft wants to put its “high-precision gaming controller [Elite Wireless] at the centre of VR gaming”

Tsunoda also brings in the Microsoft HoloLens, which was announced in January. Microsoft seems to want to dominate the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality gaming space.

Audience getting excited with the HoloLens demo with Minecraft. Users can create objects in Minecraft though HoloLen holographs. Pretty impressive stuff!

3.51
Microsoft’s Rod Ferguson just announced the Gears of War Ultimate edition, featuring a remastered Gears of War rebuilt in 1080p, 60fps in multiplayer. Beta will be out today.

3.55
Gears of War 4 is on show. Looks fantastic and it seems you will be getting a female sidekick in the single player campaign.

4.00

And we’re out! It’s got to be said, that was Microsoft’s most solid E3 conference in years. Sony is going to have to pull something pretty special out of its hat if it hopes to compete.


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