Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have converged on Cologne this week for the biggest gaming expo in Europe, gamescom.
They were keen to see this year’s plan from Xbox One and to get hands-on with some of the blockbuster titles coming to the platform. And they were not disappointed.
After announcing that “Rise of the Tomb Raider” will launch in holiday 2015, exclusively on Xbox One, Xbox reaffirmed its commitment to being the No 1 gaming destination by revealing bundles featuring some of the most-anticipated of the year, “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” “Sunset Overdrive,” and “FIFA 15.”
But it wasn’t just about the games. As the console continues to evolve, more exciting updates are on the horizon. All designed to make it easier for users to connect with friends and access their TV and entertainment.
Here are the four key features developed to revolutionise your Xbox One experience:
1. “Friends” – keeping track of your friends activity and game play on Xbox has never been easier, thanks to this new dashboard upgrade. To further encourage friendly competition, a new Gamerscore leaderboard lets you see at a glance how you compare to your friends in earning Gamerscore for the month.
2. Xbox One Digital TV tuner – markets that will receive the Xbox One Digital TV Tuner this autumn will also have the ability to stream their TV programs from their console to the Xbox SmartGlass app, allowing another person to use the TV to play games on Xbox One. Booting directly to TV and adding TV listings from cable and satellite apps to OneGuide are also coming.
3. USB and DNLA support – soon, Xbox One owners will be able to watch videos, listen to music, and browse photos from USB and DLNA with the most popular file formats, including .MKV by the end of the year.
4. Pre-order / Pre-download – in response to customer feedback, fans will be able to pre-order and pre-download “Forza Horizon 2” prior to its official release on September 30. This will also be available for “FIFA 15,” with more titles to come. Pre-order and pre-download enables gamers to download ahead of availability, so they can begin playing immediately upon the release of the game.
In addition to news about this year’s biggest games and console updates, Xbox unveiled “ScreamRide” from Frontier Developments coming in spring 2015, and shared new details on two of 2015’s most anticipated exclusives from top European studios: “Fable Legends” from Lionhead Studios and “Quantum Break” from Remedy Entertainment.
“While this holiday delivers an unprecedented line-up of incredible first and third party titles, 2015 will also see Xbox at the forefront of gaming innovation,” said Microsoft Corporate Vice President Phil Harrison.
“From the radical, time-bending entertainment experience that is ‘Quantum Break,’ to dynamic new multiplayer gameplay mechanics in ‘Fable Legends,’ to the ascension of one of gaming’s biggest icons in ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider,’ Xbox will remain the home of the best games, both today and in the future.”
Elsewhere, at the Xbox One Play Day, fans could get hands on with some of the most exciting titles coming to the Xbox One this year.
Stay tuned for big game launches this autumn, including open-world racer “Forza Horizon 2” , psychedelic shooter “Sunset Overdrive” and the return of a legend in “Halo: The Master Chief Collection”.
