Microsoft certainly came out swinging today at the Xbox E3 media briefing with the showcasing of not only Halo 5 Guardians but the news of backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 products. Being in the crowd you could feel the excitement and should they have chosen to do so Mr. Spencer could have dropped the mic and strutted off stage left. It was a strong opening to the next hour and half without a doubt. At the end of it all though there was plenty left to talk about.
One thing you can’t help but notice is how Microsoft is really looking to bridge that gap between a console gaming experience and a PC gaming experience. One could even argue that in some facets of this they are looking at doing things even better than the PC market. Now before you jump down my throat with all that #PCMasterRace nonsense let me explain myself.
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“By allowing players to access short demos, or giving them a bit of playtime before committing, you are allowing the consumer to try before they buy. Peace of mind is a big deal and I like the idea of believing in the product I’m going to support whole-heartedly.”
I’m not arguing that they’re trying to compete with the PC market or with the power of PCs either. That’s ridiculous. What I am saying is they’re looking at some of the things the PC market, Steam in particular, have been doing and they’re tweaking it in a way that not only benefits the people who play games but the people behind them too. Case in point for this is the early access program that was announced for the ID@Xbox titles. Steam has been doing early access for some time now but when a consumer chooses to invest in a game (and the team behind it) they don’t always know what they’re really jumping into. By allowing players to access short demos, or giving them a bit of playtime before committing, you are allowing the consumer to try before they buy. Peace of mind is a big deal and I like the idea of believing in the product I’m going to support whole-heartedly.
Other ways you’re seeing the connection of PC and console is the new Xbox Elite Controller. A PC programmable controller with hair triggers, paddles, custom settings, and interchangeable parts. Now we all know that companies like Scuf and Evil Controllers have been doing this for a while but this is Microsoft fully acknowledging and supporting this with their own infrastructure.
One of the biggest reactions of the show was to Todd Howard, Game Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios, announcing that the world of mods was crossing over to consoles. That is huge. One only has to look at Bethesda Games Studios’ last epic, Skyrim, to see what the possibilities of mods opens up. This is something that PC gamers have enjoyed (and mockingly held over the heads of console gamers) for years. Bringing Fallout 4 mods seamlessly to the Xbox One is no small announcement. In this case, Mr. Howard could have dropped the mic and strutted off stage right. The fact is that if Sony doesn’t bring this same feature to the table, which at this point is doubtful I think, anyone who has the option of both consoles will choose Fallout 4 on their Xbox One. It won’t put Fallout 4 dead in the water on a PS4 but it will certainly put momentum in Microsoft’s direction.
Finally, we will see cross platform play over Windows 10 for PCs and the Xbox One. The focus at the media briefing was over the upcoming Fable Legends but undoubtedly this will open up even more in the future. PC Master Race and Console Peasants lovingly shaking hands and playing together, or quite possibly shooting each other in the face, but doing on their platforms of choice.
Now we still have a lot to see, especially with rumours floating that Microsoft has something big to announce at tomorrow’s PC gaming show, but it’s undeniable that the boys in green came out with some great moves this morning. I’m positive Sony will be answering the call to action with some great announcements of their own this afternoon. No matter where you game it is a great time to be a player.