Microsoft Buys 4 Games Studios as Work Starts on Next Xbox

However, Microsoft has always been working on the HoloLens augmented reality headset, which lets you overlay virtual objects onto your real-world environment. Brad also says he was able to “view content that highlighted several unannounced Microsoft products that are coming in the next two years”. The service isn’t flawless, however – for one, a number of gamers to this day complain about latency issues, and the games library sure could be better.

Despite having the most powerful console of all time, and despite making some very pro-consumer moves as of late, the Xbox One is trailing its competition by millions of units.

At its event, Microsoft featured 50 games, including 18 exclusive titles and 15 world premieres. Gears 5 showed almost five minutes of cinematics and gameplay cut together as well. More importantly Microsoft announced the acquisition of five studios, finally giving MS some first party weight.

Forza Horizon 4 was also shown, and my goodness does that game look handsome.

Ninja Theory, the studio behind Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, confirms that it’s working on new games and that the partnership will free them up to work on ambitious things.

Pre-ordering video games is especially recommendable for the special and collector’s editions.

But most importantly, Microsoft’s 2018 E3 showcase was a promise for the future.

On Saturday, Electronic Arts unveiled just such a service. Historically, game consoles have maintained backwards compatibility either by implementing a complete previous-generation console in hardware (Sony took this route with the PlayStation 2 and early PlayStation 3) or by creating a software emulation layer suitable for running last-generation games on the modern platform.

We’re seeing a return to the familiar art style, and the new engine will play a big role in the gameplay. Of course, Xbox seems to have noted this as well, which is why the entire press conference could be summed up with one word: exclusives. Gamespot reports that this game will be made by Projekt Red, creators of the popular gaming franchise The Witcher.

MORE: Nintendo E3 Recap: Smash Bros. While the recent release of the Xbox One X suggests that we’ll have a few years to wait, that may not be the case.

The company, however, did not give a specific timeline on when the service will be available.

All in all, E3 2018 offers plenty of great games to play, and it speaks to a fantastic lineup of titles for 2018, 2019 and beyond. Here are the big winners and losers of this year’s show.