Microsoft's E3 2012 presence may not have been wholly impressive, but it was absolutely informative. If you read between the lines made up of Halo 4 and Black Ops II, the future of the Xbox 360 becomes fairly clear. Microsoft entered E3 in expected fashion, but walked out of it silently saying it's in a transitional period. Xbox 360 is more divided than ever, and the corporation has set its sights in a slightly different direction as we look toward 2012 and into 2013.
These are the most important things IGN noticed about Xbox at E3 2012.
Smart Glass
There are a few notable things about Microsoft's announcement of Smart Glass. First off, by integrating tablet usage with the console and its games, Smart Glass is encroaching on the Wii U's territory. The devices may serve separate functions, but there's no denying Microsoft is aware of the value here. It recognizes that it's part of the future of games.
More importantly, Smart Glass was its own announcement -- this is software releasing without new hardware. Rather than forcing functionality via some brand new Windows tablet, Microsoft is enabling users with existing mobile devices. You don't need to do anything special -- or expensive -- to activate Smart Glass on your 360. It'll work on whatever you have, it's coming for free, and it will function with games you want to play.
You just get it. Clearly, so does Microsoft.
The Kinect Effect
In past years, Kinect exhausted attendees at Microsoft's media briefings. This year, the motion device was so ignored that we almost missed it. It really only got attention during an awkward Wreckateer demo and painful Nike+ presentation, but was never actually the focus of anything.
This doesn't mean there's no focus on Kinect, of course. Dance Central 3, Wreckateer, and The Avengers: Battle for Earth had a prominent presence at Microsoft's booth. By specifying the focus would be on Xbox 360 and only Xbox 360, it's clear our attention was meant to be elsewhere at E3 -- on the games, the entertainment, and the apps. We're meant to look at right now. We weren't meant to think about any kind of hardware, whether it's next-gen, a Kinect successor, or how unwieldy Kinect can be during demos.
Xbox 360's Price
Speaking of ignoring hardware, how about the utter neglect of Xbox 360 hardware? Microsoft just rolled out its subscription initiative for buyers of the $99 Xbox. With this experiment in place and a new bundle on the way, it's no wonder we didn't hear a peep about a price drop for the console proper. That said: Why didn't Microsoft mention, linger on, or highlight these console movements?
Again, you're not supposed to be thinking about tech of any kind. Microsoft's E3 presence tried to direct current owners' eyes at what they can have now and very soon.
Ignoring XBLA
Aside from the Wreckateer demo and empty teasers for Matter, LocoCycle, and Ascend: New Gods, Xbox Live Arcade was totally snubbed at the media briefing. The show floor had a ton of incredible XBLA games, including Quantum Conundrum, Joe Danger: The Movie, and the Summer of Arcade lineup. Games are taking a back seat to other things. Even Gears of War: Judgment only showed a teaser trailer, and XBLA seems to get less and less love every year. It's still a huge drive, of course, with weekly releases and frequent promotions, but the spotlighting of XBLA is dying.
This is for a very specific reason...
Entertainment Is the Future
All of this points to an Xbox 360 Microsoft further emphasized during its E3 2012 presentation: Entertainment is the future. Your Xbox has slowly evolved over the past decade, and as Xbox Live embraces various other forms of entertainment, the console is becoming much more than a gaming device.
We're moving toward something IGN speculated about earlier this year, where even Microsoft's main focus on Xbox isn't games anymore. Sports apps, Xbox Music, more movies and television, and even watching IGN content on your 360 -- this is taking priority over games simply because it makes up the majority of what your Xbox can do. Gaming is, of course, just one small part of the entertainment puzzle that is Xbox 360.
What does Microsoft's E3 2012 presentation say to you about Xbox 360? Speak out in the comments below, and let IGN users know what you want for the future of your console.
Source : ign[dot]com
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