Microsoft Xbox at E3: New game exclusives, Oculus VR, Early Access, backward compatibility plans

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Microsoft seems to be taking note of fans' requests as the company revealed its plans for its Xbox game console during its press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015. 

Games

The press event started with the gameplay trailer reveal of the highly anticipated "Halo 5: Guardians," led by Bonnie Ross from 343 Industries. Based on the trailer, 24 players as well as a number of AI-controlled enemies will be present in the game. It will also present the biggest and most extensive maps in the entire "Halo" series, including the Warzone that is now playable during the E3 2015. 

"Halo 5: Guardians" will become officially available for Xbox One starting October 27.

The event then moved on to a video showing another Xbox One exclusive game from Comcept and Keiji Inafune called "Recore." The space-oriented game is said to be ready by spring 2016.

Backward compatibility

After the two videos, Xbox's big boss Phil Spencer made the biggest announcement for the night, saying that they will start offering backward compatibility to allow all Xbox 360 games to be played using the Xbox One. 

According to Spencer's speech, all the digital titles will show up in the dashboard during the event, including "Mass Effect." All the Xbox 360 retail discs can be used in the new-generation console as well. 

Xbox One Wireless Elite Controller

Then a video announcing the new Xbox One Wireless Elite Controller was presented in front of the press. It reportedly comes with a number of customizable controls, added weights and balancing options, as well as triggers with improved accuracy. The hardware is said to come out in the latter part of the year. 

More games

After that, Todd Howard from Bethesda walked onstage to discuss the developments of "Fallout 4." Howard claimed that the next installment in the "Fallout" series will be "bigger than Skyrim" due to its larger areas meant for traversing, as well as additional villains. According to Bethesda's rep, the upcoming "Fallout 4" is the "most ambitious world we ever created." He also mentioned that its release on Xbox One will include the "Fallout 3" game.

EA's Peter Moore also came out to talk about the EA Access, "Titanfall," and "Dragon Age: Inquisition." "Titanfall" is reportedly available for access, while "Dragon Age: Inquisition" is expected to come out this summer. EA Access, on the other hand, will be available for all Xbox Live Gold players for free during the entire E3 2015 schedule. 

Moore also presented an exclusive trailer for "Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2."

Microsoft's press conference also talked about the release of "Forza 6" on Sept. 15. Trailers for popular game titles were also shown, namely "Dark Souls 3," "Tom Clancy'sThe Division," as well as "Rainbow Six: Vegas and Vegas 2," which will come out on Oct. 16. 

Behemoth Games' Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive game "Gigantic" was also shown, as well as Gone Home's lunar-based "Tacoma" game. 

Microsoft will also start offering the Early Access program, which lets players try the game before they ultimately decide to buy it. Some of the titles that will be offered in this program include "DayZ," the "Long Dark," as well as "Elite: Dangerous." 

The highly anticipated gameplay trailer for the "Rise of the Tomb Raider" was also shown during the press event, and it was announced that it will come out on Nov. 10 exclusively for Xbox One for a certain period. 

Other big announcements also include the release of "The Rare Collection" on Aug. 4, the development of Rare's "most ambitious game it has ever created" called "Sea of Thieves," as well as the other Windows 10 and Xbox One cross-compatible and cross-play title called "Fable Legends." 

Oculus VR

Kudo Tsunoda also appeared onstage during the press panel to talk about Valve's collaboration with Xbox to make the upcoming Windows 10 operating system as "the best platform for VR." Tsunoda also discussed the company's deal with Oculus VR, which will include a wireless controller for Xbox One upon release.

More

It was also revealed that the next version of "Minecraft" will be developed exclusively for HoloLens, where players can start enjoying the game in most places. 

The Coalition also announced the release date of "Gears of War Ultimate" edition on Aug. 25, while its new content was launched for public beta on June 15. The new game under the franchise, dubbed as "Gears 4," is scheduled to be released on Christmas 2016. 

The Microsoft E3 2015 press conference was held at the Gallen Center in Los Angeles.