It’s just about that magic time folks, the time when Microsoft rolls up its corporate sleeves and reveals what it has in store for the next generation. With the race between the various platforms razor close, a lot of questions remain to be answered. What is this thing even called? (Xbox 5.0, book it!) How much will Kinect factor into the experience? Will the new system still be able to play my massive collection of HD-DVDs? Can Silver membership possibly get any lamer? Will the new Xbox be able to make up lost ground on the unrelenting juggernaut that is the Wii U? And perhaps most importantly, am I ever going to get those Velocity Girl stickers? Let’s find out together!
2:04 – Well, guess that’s it everybody. Having not seen the PS3 reveal live I can’t do an apples to apples comparison, but I can’t help but walk away from this feeling a little disappointed. Everything looks like an iteration on the previous generation’s technology, and while it seems like there’s a lot of smart improvements on both the hardware and software end, there really wasn’t a big WOW moment to set this apart from the PS4. “It’s like a Kinect, but it works” is a fine idea, but I’m curious to see if they have an ace in the hole for E3, or if this generation is going to follow the previous one and have the big innovative tech appear as an add-on down the road.
2:03 – Yep, looks like a Call of Duty game.
1:59 – Aw yeah, those are some beautiful arms!
1:56 – America’s military has been crippled and the country is in disarray, so you have to gather a collection of special forces bad-asses to fight back. Isn’t that the plot from both Modern Warfare 3 AND Black Ops 2?
1:55 – Dammit, Call of Duty. I am terrible at this.
1:53 – Here we go, come on Viva Pinata…
1:52 – That’s it? Wow, LOT of stuff being held back for E3.
1:50 – Microsoft definitely knows where it’s bread is buttered. When America’s your most successful market, anything NFL can only be a plus.
1:48 – Halo live action TV show, with Spielberg involved in some way. Interesting move, but we’ve been down the movie-collaborator road before (with Spielberg no less), so might be smart to keep those expectations tempered.
1:46 – Halo allows you to tell hundreds of stories, as long as all of them involve the Covenant.
1:41 – Fifteen Microsoft games year one, 8 of which are new franchises. That only leaves 7 for Halo and Gears to split!
1:39 -I have no idea what that was, but I love that Remedy put FMV in their game trailer. Stay awesome guys.
1:37 – Nope, Forza. Gotta say though, even though there’s probably a lot of smoke and mirrors going on, I think the graphical upgrade is going to be a bigger selling point than some critics may have thought.
1:35 – Come on Viva Pinata…
1:32 – So…better animation and 3D crowds then.
1:28 – Holy shit, EA releasing FIFA, Madden, NBA and UFC for the new Xbox. STOP THE PRESSES!
1:26 – Also, shared membership with current system, but no words on backwards compatibility as of yet.
1:25 – Search for game while playing another game? Not quite sure how I feel about that.
1:23 – Whoa whoa, integrated battery compartment? Really hope that doesn’t mean non-swappable batteries, because nothing beats throwing away a controller when the battery dies.
1:22 – This is rocket science level stuff. How you like ‘dem apples NASA?
1:21 – Blu-Ray drive confirmed, Sony executives high-fiving as we speak. Trojan Horse!
1:20 – The most important controller devices: Kinect, the controller, and Smart Glass. Yeah, remember Smart Glass? No, me neither.
1:18 – As someone who pretty much only watches Netflix/Amazon Prime, curious to see what kind of search functionality those will have. A cross-program movie finder would be sweet.
1:17 – “Xbox, watch Primetime.” “Watch filthy porno?” “NO!!!!!”
1:15 – We’re getting into Fantasy Sports territory folks, I have no barometer for how sweet this may or may not be.
1:14 – Also, thus far the interface looks remarkably like the current ad-heavy box layout.
1:13 – Pulling from the iPhone for the gestures seems like a smart play, but it’s all gonna come down to reliable recognition.
1:11 – No more waiting on system updates? That’s an interesting claim.
1:10 – Gotta admit, the system looks sharp. It also looks a lot like a 360, 360 Controller and Kinect.
1:09 – Hey, what are you playing on The One? Rolls off the tongue.
1:08 – We have a name folks: XBOX ONE. No, really.
1:07 – Too fragmented, too complex and too slow? Sounds like the 360 Dashboard, am I right folks?
1:05 – Continuing to lead the industry in sales…in all the countries that matter baby!
1:02 -Remember folks, if you’re not crying and screaming at your new Xbox, you’re not ALIVE.
1:00 – I think moments and seconds are the same thing Tina, but what do I know.
12:59 – Goodbye sweet generic guitar licks, hello reveal!
12:55 – Alright, time for a drink and bathroom run. After that, we use the bottle.
12:53 – Anyone else catch that weird test pattern earlier? I think it may have been subliminal messaging, because I have a powerful urge to buy Microsoft stock and kidnap Miyamoto.
12:51 – Enjoying this ominous countdown music, but needs more BWARP.
12:50 – After arduously typing in that message over the course of 45 minutes on my chatpad, have switched to PC. Damn you chubby fingers!
12:45 – Thought it would be fun to watch the stream for the new Xbox on my old 360. May it be shamed by the glory of its successor!
Credit to Mike Poresky for the image.
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