Microsoft E3 2017: Xbox One X, Cuphead, Minecraft and more
Microsoft's Project Scorpio is now called the Xbox One X, and the company has a bunch of games to go with it.
It finally has a name.
For a full year, we've known the system only by its codename -- Project Scorpio. And we know some specs. Now it's being called the Xbox One X. The device, which will cost $499, will be released November 7. (UK and Australian pricing wasn't announced, but that converts to about £400 or AU$650.) The older Xbox One S, meanwhile, has had its price reduced to $249.
Microsoft says the new Xbox One X won't just be the most technically capable device but also the physically smallest as well.
Microsoft is also planning to make some games from its original Xbox games available to play on the Xbox One, though the company didn't say when. It began making games from 2005's Xbox 360 available in 2015. The company said that more than half of Xbox One owners have played one of the hundreds of Xbox 360 games on their device so far.
Microsoft also announced a slate of more than a dozen games, including crowd favorites like the upcoming Assassin's Creed game from Ubisoft --which is coming out later this year -- and the hotly anticipated cartoony game Cuphead, which is planned for this September.
The company didn't make any announcements regarding its key sci-fi military action and shooting franchises Halo or Gears of War, but it did show dozens of other titles.
Here are the games announced at Microsoft's event:
Forza Motorsport 7 will be coming this holiday as part of the Xbox One X launch. The racing game isn't just good looking, but will also apparently run extremely fast as well.
Metro: Exodus is a post-apocalyptic shooting game planned for the Xbox as well. It doesn't yet have a release date.
Assassin's Creed Origins, a game based in ancient Egypt, is a prequel for the decade-old action adventure series. It's coming out later this year, from Ubisoft.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds got some time on stage as well, to highlight Microsoft's game streaming service Mixer. The game is already avaialble on PC, and will only be available for consoles on the Xbox later this year.
Deep Rock Galacticis a game apparently about playing as dwarves surviving hordes of monsters as. It's a shooting game, but much more cartoony. It'll be available on PC and Xbox later this year.
State of Decay 2 is a zombie apocalypse game where you fight of hordes, build a home base and, you guessed it, defend it. "In this world of the living and the dead, how will you survive?" The game asks. It'll be available for PC and Xbox in spring 2018.
The Darwin Project is a new multiplayer arena battle game coming for the Xbox and PC. No release date.
Meanwhile, Minecraft is getting a visual upgrade this fall to 4K higher quality visuals, in addition to other changes coming soon.
A new fighting game is coming to the Xbox as well, from the world of the super popular anime cartoon Dragon Ball Z. It's called Dragon Ball Fighter Z. Coming in next year.
There's also a new multiplayer online fantasy game coming called Black Desert. Not many details nor a release date.
There's The Last Night, a 2D futuristic platformer.
The Artful Escape is a psychedelic platformer that'll be released "when it's damn ready" the title card said.
Sea of Thievesis a visually beautiful if cartoony multiplayer game that'll be available on the Xbox and PC. How cartoony? "Every player's decisions and discoveries will be different," the game announcement video says. It's coming in 2018.
Tacoma seems to be an adventure game, but it was on screen for very little time before we got the title card saying it's being released August 2. I'm not kidding, watch the video yourself:
Playful's VR game Lucky's Tale is coming to the Xbox, too. Only now it's not VR. To be clear, this is a new game called Super Lucky's Tale and it's coming in November.
Cuphead, the platforming game designed with the feel of an early 20th century cartoon will finally be released in September.
Crackdown 3 is a futuristic running and shooting game that will feature actor Terry Crews. It's coming out on November 7.
The company also showed a bunch of games from smaller developers though its ID@Xbox program.
Ashen is an adventure game where you face off against monsters as well as explore caves and woods. It doesn't have a release date as of yet.
There's an upcoming adventure game from Final Fantasy maker Square Enix called Life is Strange: Before the Storm.
We also got to see new gameplay video of the upcoming Warner Bros. game, Middle Earth: Shadow of War, which is a prequel of sorts to the "Lord of the Rings" series. It's also a followup to the popular 2014 game, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Shadow of War comes out in October.
There's also a new installment in the Ori and the Blind Forrest franchise of artistic adventure games, called Ori: Will of the Wisps. No release date though.
Electronic Arts also showed more detailed gameplay for Anthem, a new game from its BioWare division. The game happens on an alien planet filled with all sorts of wildlife and enemies, which you explore in a mechanical suit -- called an exosuit -- that you can design and customize. The game's world is massive, EA says, and designed to be explored with real-life friends over the internet. Its release is planned for 2018.
For more on E3 2017, check out complete coverage on CNET and GameSpot.
Originally published June 10, 8:00 a.m. PT.
Updated June 11, 2:22 p.m. PT: Details from the press conference.