Microsoft Announces Xbox Play Anywhere Inititative June 13, 2016

After announcing the new Xbox One S this morning at their E3 Press Event, Microsoft revealed the Play Anywhere initative.  In it, major Xbox One titles purchased digitally can also be played on the Xbox One, and cross platform multiplayer and cloud save syncing will be possible between the two.

I guess Microsoft was happy with how gamers responded to a similar initiative with Remedy’s Quantum Break.

Gears of War 4 was the first title to have been announced as part of this initiative.  Looks like you Windows 7 and 8 users finally have an excuse to accept the Windows 10 upgrade you’ve been putting off.

Xbox One S Announced June 13, 2016

This video just opened the Xbox E3 Media Briefing. Enjoy:

That’s right a slimmer Xbox One with limited 4K support, HDR, and an integrated power supply is coming in August.  We don’t know all the details about the new console’s 4K capabilities but the video promises that video playback and streaming will be in native 4K.

Personally, I’m hoping for 4K disc support but I can’t tell yet if that’s part of the console’s ability from just watching the video.

DOOM Demo Out This Week Only June 13, 2016

Last night at the Bethesda E3 Press Event, the guys over at id Software announced that they would be offering a demo for the newest DOOM game for exactly one week. Today, I can confirm that demo is currently available for download on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam, so get it now while you still can!

The limited time demo includes the first level of DOOM‘s single player campaign.  It weighs in at over 6GB so you may need to free up some space on your hard drive before installing it.

DOOM is out now for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

PREY Announced June 12, 2016

This trailer just launched at the Bethesda E3 Press Event and blew me away. Enjoy.

PREY is coming next year to PC, Xbox One and PS4.  More will be shown at QuakeCon in August.

Quake Champions Announced June 12, 2016

Bethesda kicked off their E3 press event with a huge announcement trailer.

Quake Champions will be offering cutting edge performance on PC with unlocked framerates at 120hz.  More will be announced at QuakeCon this August.

Quake Champions is coming to PC.

EA Play 2016 Star Wars Showcase June 12, 2016

EA had assembled a tour de force of incredible developers to create a slew of new games for the Star Wars franchise. Everything is currently being explored ranging from new content for games like Star Wars Battlefront and The Old Republic to new third person action adventure games from studios like Visceral.  Take a look at what is coming and who is working on it.

These games have no names and no release dates but EA did mention Visceral’s new Star Wars game is currently scheduled for 2018.

Mass Effect Andromeda Behind the Scenes June 12, 2016

The fourth game in the Mass Effect series is in development, and it is unlike any of the previous games in the series. In this new game, you’ll be a part of a team colonizing Andromeda. Now, you’re the alien.  Here’s a look behind the scenes:

Mass Effect Andromeda is using the powerful Frostbite Engine, which has powered a lot of EA’s recent titles.  The game is coming Fall 2016.

Titanfall 2 Single-Player Campaign Announced June 12, 2016

EA has just shown the single-player trailer for the new game Titanfall 2 at the EA Play 2016 press event, and they have turned a lot of heads when they announced that the game will have a single player campaign…and it will be coming to PS4.

A multiplayer technical test for the game is expected to release before launch. You will be able to sign up at Titanfall.com, but the site was not active at the time this article was posted.

Titanfall 2 coming October 2016 to PC, Xbox One and PS4.

E3 2016 Press Event Schedule June 12, 2016

Today marks the start of the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo, and there will be several major conferences taking place over the next 36 hours. So where do you go and what do you do if you want to check them out?  Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

Sunday

EA Press Conference 2016 – 1PM PT/4PM ET. See it on Twitch.

Most pundits are speculating the next Mass Effect game will show at this event.

Bethesda Press Conference – 7PM PT/10 PM ET. See it on Twitch. 

Monday

Xbox Press Conference – 9:30PM PT/12:30PM ET. You’ll have a few options to watch this. Event will be broadcast on the Spike TV cable channel and in the console’s Xbox Live Events app. You can also See it on Twitch. 

Halo Wars 2 and Gears of War 4 are expected to show.

Ubisoft Press Event – 1PM PT/4PM ET. You’ll have a few options to watch this event. You can watch it on Ubisoft’s E3 Website or on Twitch.

Watch Dogs 2, which was announced just a few days ago, is confirmed to show at this event.

Sony PlayStation Press Event – 6 PM PT/9 PM ET.  Sadly, it doesn’t look like they’re doing a theatre showing or releasing an exclusive PS4 app this year, but you should be able to watch the event on the PS4’s Live Events Viewer app. Just make sure to preorder the events in advance through the app. The E3 events are all free.  If you don’t have a PS4, you can watch it on Twitch.

Sony has been pretty hush hush about what might be shown at this event but PlayStation VR is expected to be demoed.

Square Enix is also planning to show Final Fantasy XV during one of these press events, and possibly announce the premiere of the second episode of the traditionally animated series BROTHERHOOD – Final Fantasy XV. While we don’t know for sure which event will premiere it, it is highly likely to be at Sony’s Press Event.

Now you’re probably also wondering what’s going on with Nintendo?  Nintendo won’t be doing a press conference or a prerecorded Nintendo Direct event this year but they promise that they will be previewing the new Zelda and Pokémon games starting on the 14th.  We will cover that more as we get closer to the event.

While most of these events have been broadcast on television in the past, very few of these events are planned to get a television broadcast this year, and that is unbearably disappointing.  I never thought I would say this but I miss G4.