Kratos, VR and revamped consoles: The biggest news from E3 2016
Fan favorites like God War and Zelda returned, but all eyes were on virtual reality and new Xbox hardware.
E3 2016 was a big show, with a spotlight on virtual reality, new console hardware and the return of some fan favorites. While everyone had their favorite games and announcements, these were the most-important big-picture stories from the biggest week in gaming.
Xbox
At least one new console from Xbox was rumored before E3, and Microsoft wasted no time announcing it. The Xbox E3 press briefing kicked off with the new Xbox One S. This revamped console promises to be an improvement on the original, with a 40-percent smaller body, no external power brick, and 4K video support.
Project Scorpio is coming...in 2017
But even after one new Xbox, Microsoft was not done with hardware announcements. After the Xbox
, we heard about Project Scorpio, purported to be 4.5 times faster than the Xbox One. Coming in 2017, it will be able to support virtual-reality gaming, while still being backwards compatible with current Xbox One games and accessories.
PlayStation VR gets a launch date and a growing library of games
While consumers have been able to preorder the PlayStation VR for a while now, the exact launch date was still a mystery. Sony now says that the PlayStation VR headset (which works with the existing PS4) is coming to the US, UK, and Australia October 13, and the company also announced the platform will support 50 games by the end of the year.
VR stole the show, thanks to Fallout 4, Star Trek and Resident Evil
Very few people have VR headsets yet, but that doesn't mean game makers aren't investing in virtual reality. For fans of Fallout, the big news was that Fallout 4 VR is coming. Star Trek Bridge Crew allows you to command the ship in VR. And don't forget Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which is coming to VR this year and promises to one of the more scary VR experiences ever.
God of War is back and feels a little bit like an RPG
Kratos is back and is older, but that's not all, he also has a kid now. The new God of War, teased at Sony's press conference, looks like it'll have less button-mashing and more elements of an RPG. The graphics look incredible, and the different look and feel impressed us during the demo.
Hideo Kojima is back and has a new game for the PlayStation 4
Death Stranding was one of the more mysterious titles announced at E3 2016. For starters, Norman Reedus of Walking Dead will be starring in the game, picking up the partnership the two had with the now-cancelled Silent Hill. The oddly named Death Stranding will be exclusive to PS4, but won't be launching for quite some time. Sony was more then happy to have a legendary figure like Hideo Kojima onstage and at E3 this year, and the audience agreed, welcoming him with a huge cheer.
Nintendo showed off The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild
Nintendo went all-in on The Legend of Zelda this year; their entire booth was dedicated to it, while people lined up for hours to try it out. It will be launching for both the Wii U and the Nintendo's next-generation console, which is codenamed NX. And while Nintendo was more than happy to talk about a key franchise, they kept pretty hush-hush on the new console. Along with the new Legend of Zelda, the company also announced Pokemon: Sun and Moon.
E3 2016 was another big show for the PC and console gaming industry, with just over 50,000 attendees on the show floor, plus another 20,000 at the open-to-the-public E3 Live event held nearby in downtown LA (the main E3 show is only open to media and the members of the games industry). For more, check out all of our E3 2016 coverage.