Xbox at E3: Backward compatibility, Elite controller, Minecraft on HoloLens
Old games are getting new life at the E3 video game expo.
I'm Bridget Carey, this is your CNET Update.
E3, the biggest video game conference in the world is going on now in Los Angeles.
Game makers are showing off new titles and technologies to come, and of course virtual reality is part of that conversation But at this early stage of the technology, we're really just getting teases of what's possible.
Microsoft announced it's going to work with virtuality headsets made by Valve and Oculus, but it also showed off a demo of how Microsoft HoloLens will work with the blocky building game Minecraft.
With HoloLens it can just project an image of your game in front of your view like a floating TV.
But you could even have it project the Minecraft world you created on top of a table in your room, giving you a unique perspective that can be manipulated using your voice and hands.
But there's still no word on when you can get a hollow lens or play this.
And getting back to the real world.
Microsoft also announced that the XBOX ONE is gonna be able to play your old XBOX360 games later this year.
But there is a catch.
Stick in an old game disk and the machine will allow you to download a version for free from the online store.
And there are about 100 games to start.
It's up to the game developers to allow it to be backward compatible.
When the Xbox One came out in 2013, older 360 game disks were useless on the new system.
So this may be a bit of a bummer to anyone who sold or gave away their older games in the past two years.
But it has added incentive for anyone who did not upgrade yet.
This fall Xbox One will also have a new controller called the Elite Wireless Controller.
With four additional paddle buttons that hug the back.
You can also interchange pieces.
It has hair trigger locks and adjustable sensitivity.
Among the many games Microsoft tees, perhaps the biggest this year will be Halo 5 Guardians, where you're on a team hunting down the fallen star of the series master chief, now labeled the trader.
The Halo environment lets 24 people play together in a multi-player mode called War Zone If you're looking for something more creative, check out the game Cuphead.
It's a game designed in the style of old 1920s and 1930s cartoons like Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, Popeye, and Disney's Silly Symphonies.
It's so weird, it might just steal the show from the usual apocalyptic themed games.
These days the end of the world just feels a little mundane.
Speaking of which, there's lots of excitement around Fallout 4, it's a game six years in the making and it's launching on November 10th.
This time you can build your own weapons to survive the nuclear wasteland of Boston.
Game maker Bethesda also just released a free iOS mobile game called Fallout Shelter.
It's sort of like Sim City where you help manage the town's underground shelters, keeping the residents happy and healthy.
That's it for this tech news update.
There's plenty more E3 coverage at cnet.com.
From our studios in New York, I'm Bridget Carey.
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