4. Microsoft
Microsoft opened the show with the most powerful console ever built. Project Scorpio finally got an official name reveal as Xbox One X, which was somewhat predictable, yet still managed to be a bit disappointing. We got to hear more talk about all the things it can do, including how it was going to benefit the entire library on Xbox One even if users don’t have a 4K television. A price point of $500 is steep for an upgrade, though, so after showing off the box it was time to make the sale, and that revolved around games, games, and more games.
Microsoft took to the stage during E3 2017 and showed off over 40 games, 22 of which had some form of exclusivity with the Xbox and Windows 10 platforms (timed, launch, console). However, the exclusives didn’t all have that “wow” factor that’s needed to sell consoles, something that the company has been struggling with for the last two years. Strong showings like Forza 7, Crackdown 3, Ori and the Willow of the Wisps, and a few others were impressive to look at, but predictable and not what some fans were looking for. Major new IPs, returns of major franchises that may have missed the mark, or even some major third-party exclusives would have really put the company over the competition. Instead we got a lot of PC games that are making their way over, tons of indies that got little to no explanation, and some release dates for games that were announced way to long ago.
Don’t get us wrong, it was far from a bad showing. It just wasn’t the greatness that you’d expect from a company trying to push some brand-new hardware. The games that garnered the biggest responses are available elsewhere, and since Xbox is far from the lead it doesn’t necessarily have the desired effect of making the console more appealing. There are still Gamescom and TGS left for Microsoft to really sell the Xbox One X, it’s just unfortunate that they didn’t completely seal the deal during their press conference at E3 2017.
