1. The Rumors Of Xbox's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated.
Microsoft played it safe this year, opting to build up much needed credibility in terms of them actually being a company that cares about video games. And that they did, showcasing tons of games coming in 2014, then moving on to games coming in 2015, and also highlighting bunch of indie titles that could be coming out who-knows-when. There wasn't a focus on 'media experiences', and Kinect was only barely mentioned in passing. This was a press conference dedicated to showing off games, and letting the games do the talking. *Phew*, right? If you're an early Xbox adopter you can finally wipe that sweat collecting on your forehead and let out the sigh of relief you've been holding in since you dropped half a grand on the thing. This conference was about games, and games you'll be able to play soon, and seeing those games demoed on stage made the promise of the Xbox One finally tangible. Which is good and bad. Seeing new games being played is cool, but after a few minutes, watching someone play the new Call of Duty can get a little boring, kind of like being shown 'an exclusive clip' of an upcoming big-budget blockbuster movie and nothing more. It's also little upsetting to the imagination to see pretty much every innovative idea they sold the console on; Kinect, voice commands, TV integration etc. completely pushed aside. While there will surely be announcements in the coming week, for those that bought the Xbox One on the promise of its media features in addition to its gaming purpose, not seeing them highlighted felt a little underwhelming. But the major takeaway here is that if you're an Xbox One owner - or thinking about being one soon - E3 gave you confidence in Microsoft's big black box when it comes to delivering quality and exciting games. What did you guys think of the conference? Excited? Underwhelmed? Do any of these make you want to invest in the console? Let us know in the comments!
