With the shadow of a new console looming larger by the day, perhaps it’s no surprise that Microsoft didn’t wow anyone during their annual E3 press conference today in Los Angeles. No, next year’s rumored Xbox 360 successor was not shown, mentioned, or even spotted canoodling with a Kardashian. Instead, the company chose to focus on expanding features and sequels to their mega franchises. The briefing started off with a lengthy demo of Halo 4, including a slick live-action film that segued into actual gameplay. Xbox Live’s Marc Whitten introduced announced Xbox SmartGlass, their integration system designed to sync phones, tablets, and PCs to the Xbox. The demonstration showed how you’ll be able to watch a movie on your tablet, pause it, and instantly send it to your console to start playing where you left off. The tablet then begins showing background info on the film. The Xbox has never had a web browser, but that’s all changing with a new Kinect-enhanced Internet Explorer version for the 360.
Back on the gaming front, we learned more about the future warfare involved with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, as well as the news that the Xbox will continue to get downloadable content before any other outlet. Nike is also partnering with Microsoft for a new workout game, Nike + Kinect Training, that features extensive Kinect integration. That title is due this holiday.
