The console wars at E3 saw Xbox snag headlines with two new console announcements as well as a redefining new way to play games in the new Xbox Play Anywhere program, which allows gamers buy a game once and play it on both their Windows 10 PC and Xbox One console with shared progress, game saves and achievements. “Gamers have never had more choice in how and where they play,” said Spencer. “We are bringing our biggest games lineup ever to Xbox One and Windows 10, uniting gamers across networks on Xbox Live and expanding the Xbox One family of devices with the addition of Xbox One S and Project Scorpio to give gamers more choice in how and where they play. There’s never been a better time to be an Xbox gamer.” Games are already set to include Ark: Survival Evolved, Forza Horizon 3, Gears of War 4, Halo Wars 2, Killer Instinct: Season 3 and ReCore.

“The trick for Microsoft will be that the games have to be truly cross compatible – and that they gameplay, stability and other important factors – are seamless from platform to platform,” said Eli Weisman, VP, Interactive TV & Content at Trailer Park. “Games will have to be built from the ground up with this cross compatibility in mind unless Microsoft gets very strict with their approach to porting existing games to the PC.”

The anticipated unveiling of new Xbox One hardware included Project Scorpio, launching in 2017 in time for the holidays, and “will be the most powerful console ever created, with 6 teraflops of GPU delivering a premier console gaming experience including true 4K gaming and high fidelity virtual reality.” The Xbox One S, meanwhile, will offer a sleek new design and “robot white” color, for a 40 percent smaller console that has an internal power supply and supports 4K Ultra HD for Blu-ray movies and content streamed from partners like Netflix and Amazon Video.