E3 2017: Microsoft Press Conference Review

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After leaving people stunned last year by ending the Microsoft press conference about Project Scorpio, as expected, Microsoft kicked off their meeting by talking about console now known as “Xbox One X.” That moment became hilarious when specs were being talked about with little to no response. I understood some of the specs, but it’s clear the audience had no idea what was said and went with it. On cue, Forza Motorsport 7 was shown and the visuals were impressive, but the dynamic weather is what got my attention, as the last racing sim to do this was Driveclub. It ended with the worldwide showing of the new Porsche. While some may laugh this off, I see it as a good thing for gaming. Porsche could’ve debuted the vehicle at any well-known car show, but they chose E3. To me, that shows how mainstream gaming has become, somewhat.

After that, Microsoft decided to borrow Sony’s playbook, as they started showing game after game with some talks from the developers. I was hoping no one was taking shots every time a game trailer started with “Exclusive,” but as the trailers went on, some I were interested in, while others were there for show. I can applaude Microsoft for trying to showcase different genres of games. The game to catch me by surprise was Dragon Ball Fighter Z. All I wanted was a true 2D fighting game and my wish has been granted. Not only that, but the game is being developed by Arc System Works (Guilty Gear). The thing that Microsoft has lacked in the past E3 meetings were Japanese games. Last time I’ve seen this much Japanese support was on the Xbox 360.

Once the trailers stopped, Phil Spencer came out and talked about backwards compatibility. While people were thinking this was him saying thanks, he continued to say that feedback has been heard and soon Xbox One will play original Xbox games. This would get the biggest pop for the entire conference. This was my moment of cheer, as I still have my Xbox library. Hopefully, I can replay my library, unlike my Xbox 360 library only having three of my twenty games that are compatible.

I noticed as the conference came close to ending that the Xbox One X’s price hasn’t be announced. I guessed $499 when it was announced, and the guess turned out to be official. While I feel Microsoft did good with the show, I feel after learning about the Xbox One X I don’t regret using the money to building a mid-range gaming PC. Remember most of the Xbox One’s “exclusive” games are coming to PC. With the games supporting the Xbox One family, I don’t see most games taking full advantage of the X. I understand why they did it, but unless you own a 4K/HDR 10 TV, I see no reason to upgrade your current Xbox One.

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