E3 2017: Microsoft's Highs, Lows, And Biggest Games

Microsoft's E3 2017 briefing took place earlier this week, delivering a lot of big news, game reveals, new trailers, and more. But it also finally revealed Xbox One X, its most powerful console yet. Suffice to say, there was a lot to see.

In this feature we go over our favorite moments from the show, a few of the things we wish Microsoft had done differently, and a handful of its biggest games. This is the spot for a high-level analysis of all things Microsoft had at E3.

To get more information about all of Microsoft's E3 announcements, check out all of the news and from the Microsoft press conference, all of the new Microsoft trailers, and a list of all the Microsoft games seen at the show!

And for our analysis of the other press conferences, check out the roundup of right here of all the highs, lows, and biggest games for the other big publishers and developers, including Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.

Finally, Microsoft announced the official name, price, and release date for Project Scorpio. Now known as Xbox One X, the super-powerful console launches on November 7, priced at $500. We also saw the final form factor of the console--and it's the smallest console that Microsoft has ever made, featuring an internal power supply. [Read more here]

Backwards compatibility support for Xbox 360 games on Xbox One is a popular, beloved feature, and now it's expanding. Microsoft announced that its adding more than 385 games to the Xbox 360 backwards compatibility catalog. Original Xbox games are coming later this year, starting with Crimson Skies. [Read more here]

Anthem, the next big game from Mass Effect developer BioWare, was announced at EA's briefing but had its big gameplay reveal during Microsoft's show. You play as a Freelancer, a member of a group of brave souls who venture into the dangerous wild to protect the world. You're equipped with an exo-suit you can use to zip around. [Read more here]

We didn't see this one coming. Microsoft announced during its briefing that it is re-launching Minecraft as a unified product, with cross-play support between not only Xbox One, PC, and mobile, but also Nintendo Switch. Yes, really. Minecraft has become one of the first console games ever to have cross-platform play for competing console platforms. Microsoft had discussions with Sony about cross-play, but nothing has come of it as of yet. Here's to hoping it does. [Read more here]

The $500 price point for the Xbox One X is higher than some thought it would be. It's a full $100 more than the PS4 Pro ($400), and while Xbox One X is certainly more powerful than Sony's machine, price is important. That difference could be a big deal. Some analysts agree that $500 is too expensive to reach a wide audience. [Read more here]

Microsoft's E3 2017 briefing did not have a lot of big game reveals. In fact, the only major first-party game reveal was Forza Motorsport 7, a stunning-looking game, but an expected one. We knew we weren't going to see the next Halo or Gears of War games at the briefing, but their absence was noticeable.

Rare's ambitious-looking Xbox One and PC game Sea of Thieves had a big presence at Microsoft's E3 briefing this week. An extended gameplay demo showed off more of the multiplayer pirate game, with some cool sequences from the swashbuckling adventure showing action on the high seas and land, with a good amount of griefing, of course.

A big surprise during Microsoft's E3 briefing this year was Metro Exodus. The latest installment in the series, Exodus is set in an open world, unlike the more linear Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. The first trailer blew us away with its stunning visuals and intense, violent gameplay. We're excited to see more of Metro Exodus.

2015's Ori and the Blind Forest was a beautiful and challenging game, and one that we adored. So we were happy to find out at Microsoft's E3 briefing this year that a sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, is in the works. We've seen one trailer so far, and it shows a beautiful, scary world that we're sure will be challenging just like the first game.

It was not a surprise, but we saw Forza Motorsport 7 for the first time at E3 during Mirosoft's briefing. And it was stunning. This game looks incredibly good, running at 4K and 60FPS on Xbox One X, it appears to be a powerhouse of graphical fidelity. It has more than 700 cars in it, making it one of the biggest rosters ever for a racing game. Forza Motorsport 7 launches in October for Xbox One, Xbox One X, and PC.