Well, it’s that time of the year again. We’re just a few days away from E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo. If gaming were a religion, E3 would be its holiest of holidays. Thousands of loyal disciples make the pilgrimage to the Los Angeles Convention Center to witness miracles unfold, bestowed by the biggest names in the industry. Naturally, in the weeks leading up to the event, rumors abound, stemming from leaks and “inside sources.” Some may prove true, and some may not. Here is a list of the 5 most popular predictions for Microsoft/Xbox at E3 2016.    

1.      Xbox Scorpio (aka Xbox 1.5) and Xbox One Mini

Here’s the big one, folks. When it became apparent that the PlayStation 4 would be getting a facelift in the form of the PlayStation “Neo,” naturally, its primary competitor would have to answer with its own updated console, right? Well, things have been foggy on that up until recently. At a Microsoft press conference earlier this year, Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer was asked if there were any plans to compete with the possible release of a more powerful PlayStation 4. “I’m not really interested in an Xbox One and a half” he replied. But, speculation over a more powerful Xbox console never really went away. Finally, a few weeks ago, gaming website Kotaku reported that insider sources claim there are not one, but TWO upcoming Xbox consoles to be released between 2016 and 2017, the first being a smaller version of the current Xbox One. Make that 40% smaller to be exact, if the rumors hold any weight. This “Xbox One Mini,” as its been lovingly nicknamed, is said to also have a 2 terabyte hard drive, and have the capability to support 4K video streaming. This seems most likely. As an Xbox lover myself, I’m willing to admit the considerable size of the current console makes traveling with it a bit of a chore. A smaller structure with a larger hard drive would make for a great incentive for consumers arriving late to the current generation.

And what about Microsoft’s answer to the all but confirmed PlayStation 4 “Neo”? If these reports hold any water, that would come in the form of the Xbox “Scorpio,” which is slated, (as slated as a rumor can be), for a 2017 release. This little bundle of speculation is said to be an Xbox console 4x’s more powerful than the current Xbox One, even more powerful than the PlayStation “Neo.” This, of course, begs the question: Is this essentially a new generation of Xbox? 4x’s the power of the current console sure sounds next-gen to me.

2.      Xbox + Oculus = Xbox VR       

It was only a matter of time until these two took the walk down the aisle. When its largest competitor boasted of future support for virtual reality, it’s only natural Microsoft would return fire. Oculus Rift seemed the most likely candidate. The two have already shown signs of a partnership, as Rift users are able to use the Xbox One controller for playing their VR games. If true, the Xbox “Scorpio” would be the machine to bear the load, answering PlayStation Neo’s reported 4.19 teraflops, with a staggering 6 T’s. If these specs are real, that would put the “Scorpio” well ahead in terms of power. The fact that critical darling, and Xbox One exclusive Superhot is being adapted to VR only throws more fuel on the speculative fire. 

 3.      Sea of Thieves    

People get excited when news breaks of an upcoming project by the wizard developers at Rare Ltd. The reveal of their upcoming adventure epic Sea of Thieves at E3 2015 was met with nearly universal enthusiasm. Since then, however, not much information about the game has been released. And by not much, I mean almost entirely nothing, save for the occasional rumblings of “Don’t worry! This is still a thing!” One can only hope that that all this silence surrounding the project only means there is going to be a real showstopper announcement. Maybe even a 2016 release? We’ll find out at Microsoft’s presentation on June 13.

 4.      Gears of War 4

Well, if it isn’t Halo, it’s has to be Gears. For all the radio silence regarding Sea of Thieves, it’s been quite the opposite for the fourth installment in the Gears of War franchise. People just won’t shut up about it. New info and rumors regarding the game bleed out daily from all the major gaming outlets. It’s no surprise, as Gears of War is a pillar in the temple of Xbox. It simply NEEDS to work. New properties like Sea of Thieves need established names like Halo and Gears of War to work for the sake of their own success. You can’t bring new ideas to life unless the old ones are selling. And considering Gears 4 will be starring an all new cast of characters, you better believe Microsoft will be doing everything they can to sell Xbox gamers on the series’ new direction. Expect to see a lot of it at E3. Except for the possible announcement of a new console, Gears 4 may be dominating the conversation, (whether we like it or not), until its release on October 11, 2016.

 5.      Further Integration Between Xbox and Windows 10

It doesn’t take an eye-popping presentation at E3 to know this is coming. With Windows 10, Microsoft is hoping to further integrate their various pieces of hardware, allowing for a more fluid flow of data between them. Imagine buying a game for your Xbox and automatically having it on your PC as well, or vice versa. Saving your game one platform, and later, picking up where you left off on the other. Microsoft, if anything, is developer focused, with 10 being the most developer-friendly iteration of Windows yet. The Developer Mode Activation app on the Xbox One essentially allows people to turn their consoles into dev-kits. The price of the app? Oh, yeah. It’s free. This kind of developer centric advancements could make for a revolution in gaming. It certainly is exciting.  

Conclusion

Clearly there are many more predictions floating around out there than what are mentioned on this list. This is simply a collection of the most common. Will they prove true? Untrue? Could there be something huge on its way that no one is expecting? Be sure to follow Gamer Laugh’s E3 coverage to find out!