7 Ups & 4 Downs For Gaming In 2020 (So Far)

DOWNS

4. Microsoft's Xbox SX "Gameplay Showcase"

Talk about the perfect storm of missing the mark.

You had an audience starved of next-gen gameplay, an event announced to show what's being worked on... and a last minute swerve that ruined everything.

Yes, although you could find mention of Microsoft clarifying that this was a third party-only showcase beforehand, it was immediately clear that millions watching thought otherwise.

Even outside of that perceived "deception" though, what is still held up as a "gameplay showcase" had anything but, and its "main event", Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, might as well have not shown up.

The vast majority of titles shown here - although promising enough - shouldn't have been labelled "Xbox Series X gameplay". They either looked totally capable on current-gen hardware, or straight-up didn't feel enticing through genre or what was highlighted.

Here's to July's "proper" Xbox SX event, and a healthier next 6 months for Microsoft.