E3 to the power of X
The big annual video game expo E3 is getting under way in Los Angeles, but there was plenty of big news over the weekend. Top of the list: the new Microsoft Xbox One… X. Yes, X, not S. And yes, it’s got it where it counts: 12 gigs of GDDR RAM, a six-teraflop GPU, full 4K and HDR output, and, perhaps surprisingly, it’s smaller than the Xbox S. But perhaps the biggest feature is how the X Xbox will make your old games even better.
Microsoft says the new console will play all your old Xbox and Xbox One games, and all that new horsepower will help make those games look better than ever. Additionally, all your old gear – controllers, headsets, and so on – will work on the new machine, so you won’t have to “re-buy” a bunch of new stuff. Check out our full coverage of the Xbox X at this link, and start saving up: it’s going to hit stores and online retailers on November 7th for $500.
Fly like an eagle, battle Darth Maul
Sticking with E3 now, there was, of course, no shortage of new game announcements, and we’ve piled all the best trailers into one big bucket for you to enjoy. Check out gameplay and cinematics for Bioware’s Anthem, the latest version of Assassin’s Creed, which takes place in ancient Egypt and the super dark Metro Exodus from 4A games. Man, stay off the subwayS in Moscow!
And we didn’t forget the new Star Wars Battlefront 2, which features some amazing action and takes place in the time frame between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. This version of Battlefront looks better than ever. We’ve got much more to show you, including Crackdown 3, Sate of Decay 2, and The Evil Within 2, so hit this link and be sure to take it all in full screen with some good cans on.
Suddenly less Essential
If you’ve been saving your nickels for Any Rubin’s new “Essential” Android smartphone, we have some… not-so-great news for you. USA Today talked to Essential’s president Noccolo de Masi and came away with this essential fact: the new phone will only be available on the Sprint network in the US. Why? Apparently they weren’t able to close deals with the top carriers ahead of the phone’s release.
It’s actually a fairly complicated matter, but the short version is this: what looks like a cool phone that couples with a matched smarthome hub and a slick 360-degree camera is going to hit the US market with a severe carrier handicap right out of the gate. There are rumblings that Sprint and T-Mobile could merge at some point, which would of course broaden the base for the phone, but for the moment… well, good luck, Andy.
But hey, if you’re a Sprint customer right now and you’re ready to upgrade, you can get started on Rubin’s “Essential” ecosystem for $700 for the phone and just $50 more for the matched 360-degree camera… all due out later this summer.
