Microsoft Plans “Biggest E3 Showing Ever”

Microsoft Plans "Biggest E3 Showing Ever"

How could Microsoft possibly out-do previous E3 conferences, where it introduced the Xbox One S and Xbox One X? I have no idea, and the software giant isn’t providing any clues. And yet that is exactly what it is promising: E3 2018 will be Microsoft’s “biggest showing ever,” the firm claims.

“Since Xbox made its first appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2000, Xbox has had a major presence at the show, delivering exclusive and powerful ways to let fans in on what we’re up to, and 2018 will be no different,” Microsoft’s Mike Nichols explains. “In fact, it will be our biggest showing ever.”

According to Microsoft, it is “creating an entirely new show experience” that will cater to both those who attend E3 and those who watch the proceedings virtually. This new experience will take place in the Microsoft Theater (formerly the Nokia Theater) in downtown Los Angeles, right across the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), where E3 is held, and the Staples Center.

Microsoft says that it will also have a “meaningful presence” at the LACC, including a booth dedicated solely to Mixer, its game streaming service. But the move outside of E3, and concurrent to E3, is indeed an interesting and unprecedented step. That it was apparently made with the blessing of the Entertainment Software Association, the organizers of E3, is likewise very interesting.

Microsoft’s Xbox E3 briefing is set for June 10, 2018, at 1 pm PT/4 PM ET. I would love to get to LA for this show. But something tells me that won’t happen.

 

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Conversation 26 comments

  • Chris_Kez

    Premium Member
    14 March, 2018 - 10:16 am

    <p>I'm not even really a gamer but I think I'm more excited for E3 than I am for Build. </p>

    • wolters

      Premium Member
      14 March, 2018 - 10:22 am

      <blockquote><a href="#253059"><em>In reply to Chris_Kez:</em></a></blockquote><p>Same here. And more excited about Google I/O than Build. I think I started to lose interest in Build when the consumer end of Microsoft starting scaling back, starting with Windows Phone's slow and painful death. </p>

      • Chris_Kez

        Premium Member
        14 March, 2018 - 11:02 am

        <blockquote><a href="#253062"><em>In reply to wolters:</em></a></blockquote><p>The reduced focus on consumer stuff also contributed somewhat to my declining interest in Build, but the primary reason is lack of interest/engagement from developers. Microsoft keeps rolling out new stuff and it doesn't go anywhere. There just doesn't seem to be a critical mass of developers who can (or want to) do anything with it. </p>

        • VancouverNinja

          Premium Member
          14 March, 2018 - 11:40 am

          <blockquote><a href="#253085"><em>In reply to Chris_Kez:</em></a></blockquote><p>That's a mistake. Everyone still misses the fact that mobile users are either using a Windows PC (85%) or a Mac (13-14%). Skipping the PC development side is short sighted. I personally love the fact that I can use Spotify on my iPhone, Xbox, Alexa, Cortana and PC. Same goes for many other apps I use. Nothing is more irritating to a mobile device user that discovers the app they use on their phone is not supporting their PC. They live with it but they do not like that they can only access the app on a mobile device. Fitbit is a great example of this – while their app is solid on my iPhone it is a much better experience to use it and review it on my PC -like no comparison better. ;-)</p><p><br></p>

          • Chris_Kez

            Premium Member
            14 March, 2018 - 12:08 pm

            <blockquote><a href="#253101"><em>In reply to VancouverNinja:</em></a></blockquote><p>I would agree with you. I can only hope that PWA's help close the gap, and that Microsoft enables some cool stuff for PWA developers. It seems like they've just lost the most recent generation (or two) of developers given how little new app development there has been on the Windows side relative to iOS and Android. There's obviously a ton of factors that go into all of this. I just hope it improves.</p>

            • VancouverNinja

              Premium Member
              14 March, 2018 - 2:19 pm

              <blockquote><a href="#253115"><em>In reply to Chris_Kez:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I think it will improve. </p><p><br></p><p>Everyone wants everything now. Nadella has made it clear that the right solution takes precidence. The only area remaining for them to have the perfect ecosystem is the mobile solution and I firmly believe we are going to see this happen soon enough. If they do launch this I think it is a whole new ball game. They will have their equivalent of the Pixel, Galaxy, and iPhone – but most likely a next gen vision that third party vendors can produce and see as a new way for them into the mobile space. Android is really an orphan – if MS gives Windows a viable mobile device it has a good chance to move strongly into Android territory with a much stronger profit proposition for developers than Google can offer. iPhone will always have their grossly profitable niche.</p>

              • shameermulji

                15 March, 2018 - 11:05 am

                <blockquote><a href="#253178"><em>In reply to VancouverNinja:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>"The only area remaining for them to have the perfect ecosystem is the mobile solution"</p><p><br></p><p>I agree and this is one area where I think MS, and MS ONLY, should do its own hardware. Don't license to 3rd parties.</p>

        • Eric Rasmussen

          Premium Member
          14 March, 2018 - 12:08 pm

          <blockquote><a href="#253085"><em>In reply to Chris_Kez:</em></a></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I feel exactly the same way. When I go look at what's happening with Xamarin, there are changes being made and promises for a future direction, but promised features from a year ago still haven't happened. Xamarin Forms was supposed to be extended to support writing Linux and classic Windows desktop UI apps, for example.</p><p><br></p><p>So then I go look at something like Ionic. There are thousands of developers in the forums, millions of users using Ionic apps, and tons of support from seemingly every company (including Microsoft, ironically).</p><p><br></p><p>Xamarin is awesome, but everything Microsoft touches seems to go to [email protected]#$. I'm glad they bought it and made it free, but I feel like they made that move about 5 years too late. Everyone gave up on mobile .NET and moved on to free tools that worked.</p><p><br></p><p>If Microsoft loses developer mindshare, they're sunk. I hope to see them get people excited again somehow, but I've become cynical over the years. :)</p>

          • Chris_Kez

            Premium Member
            14 March, 2018 - 12:49 pm

            <blockquote><a href="#253116"><em>In reply to Eric_Rasmussen:</em></a></blockquote><p>I think they've clearly lost developer mindshare. I've been saying for a while that they need to make a <strong><em>massive</em></strong> long-term investment in attracting and grooming the next generation of developers. Take the approach that pro sports teams do- identify talented kids around the world and give them the tools and support to become the future of the platform. Look at MLB's baseball academies in Latin America, the AAU basketball structure, tennis camps, soccer development leagues, etc. These teams spend millions of dollars to create sports stars, and Microsoft is bigger than any pro team in the world– by several orders of magnitude. I don't get it. </p>

            • karlinhigh

              Premium Member
              14 March, 2018 - 1:45 pm

              <blockquote><a href="#253133"><em>In reply to Chris_Kez:</em></a><em> I think they've clearly lost developer mindshare</em></blockquote><p>Microsoft platforms have been short-lived in recent decades. Why pay any attention to things Microsoft puts out when they often end up trying to kill them off within 5 years? The Donald Knuth "fixed reference point" quote, the SQLite guys saying our grandchildren should be able to use the databases we make with their stuff – now THAT'S the longevity I want to see.</p>

              • VancouverNinja

                Premium Member
                14 March, 2018 - 2:27 pm

                <blockquote><a href="#253165"><em>In reply to karlinhigh:</em></a></blockquote><p>MS got caught in a technology shift and tried piece meal solutions. Highly successful for Apple but no good for Microsoft. That is in the past and they are now offering a better long term solution than any other OS producer. They clearly messed up and now they have a better vision than any other firm. </p><p><br></p><p>We honestly could not imagine another platform for success going forward than Windows 10 including Surface Hub, Xbox, HoloLens and the MR platform; but that still includes the mobile OSs of Android and iOS. These two are simply support OSs for Windows from our perspective and no way the primary OS for support..</p>

  • T182

    14 March, 2018 - 10:46 am

    <p>I'm getting to the point where when MS says they're going to have the biggest and best %eventname% ever, that I brace for a 'meh' event. Hopefully I'm wrong. </p>

  • Bart

    Premium Member
    14 March, 2018 - 11:01 am

    <p>I guess under promise, over deliver doesn't apply to E3 then</p>

  • Tony Barrett

    14 March, 2018 - 11:32 am

    <p>Nothing like trying to drum up some interest in the run up to a show. Can't see how they're going to make it their 'biggest show ever' though – maybe it will turn into the 'biggest disappointment ever' instead.</p>

  • Mestiphal

    14 March, 2018 - 12:04 pm

    <p>Hopefully the plan isn't talking about a bunch of MS IP which gets cancelled two months later</p>

  • Mike_Peluso

    14 March, 2018 - 1:53 pm

    <p>Thinking about Xbox One X, the focus on their own venue (which can be more easily secured), Sony's progress, etc.. my money says that hardware will be a part of the announcement. Since MS spent last year working on VR for the PC, but didn't feel like it was refined enough for Xbox at the time, I suspect there will be a refresh, or a ver 1.5 model for Xbox. I wouldn't be surprised if it included some variant of wireless. Admittedly that could be wishful thinking on my part as well. </p>

  • vidmate

    15 March, 2018 - 12:23 am

    <p>this one many people used </p>

  • vidmate

    15 March, 2018 - 12:25 am

    <p> and one thing not free for all XBOX windows</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • shameermulji

    15 March, 2018 - 11:06 am

    <p>I wonder if this has anything to do with it:</p><p><br></p><p>"<span style="color: rgb(66, 66, 66);">Today, the software giant is unveiling a new gaming cloud division that’s ready for a future where consoles and gaming itself are very different to today."</span></p><p><br></p><p>https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/15/17123452/microsoft-gaming-cloud-xbox-future</p&gt;

  • Sherlitt

    16 March, 2018 - 1:43 am

    <p>Stop working for somebody because it might waste your time. Find the easiest way of working at home and earn money fast and easy, check out this website Emini S&amp;P Trading Secret.</p><p><br></p>

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