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Microsoft's Xbox One will go head-to-head with Sony's PlayStation 4 next week as the E3 games convention gets under way in Los Angeles.

Both consoles will be battling to sway gamers with a clutch of announcements rumoured to include both software and hardware.

The Xbox a may be step or two behind Sony's machine (recent stats suggest it's being outsold nearly 2:1 ) but a strong line-up could help turn things around.

Most of the big news will be revealed during Microsoft's official press conference taking place on Monday, June 13th at 5.30pm.

Here's what we're expecting to see.

1. A slimmer Xbox One console

The Xbox One is an undeniable brick of a console. Conceived as an all-in-one home entertainment system, it looks massive when compared to Sony's sleek and slim PS4.

Sources speaking to tech site The Verge have suggested a new version that's 40% smaller will be revealed at E3.

Apparently, the mini Xbox will have a whopping 2TB hard drive and be capable of handling 4K resolution.

It could follow this up next year with an even more powerful console version codenamed Scorpio, according to Polygon .

2. Gears of War 4

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When it comes to Xbox exclusives, Gears of War is one of the biggest. The fourth installment is well on the way and the creator's have promised they'll be showing it off at E3.

"Last E3, we brought you the first teasing glimpse into the world of Gears of War 4 with our E3 stage demo – today, we’re excited to confirm we’ll be showing you another brand new stage demo during the Xbox E3 2016 Briefing!" wrote development studio The Coalition this week.

The game is slated for release on October 11, 2016.

3. More about HoloLens

Sony has its PlayStationVR virtual reality headset but Microsoft is going a different route - favouring the augmented reality (AR) approach similar to Google Glass.

We've already seen a lot about HoloLens and Microsoft has been cagey about how it will interact with the Xbox.

"I'll say for us, we don't know really what's going to work, but where we start is: what do we think HoloLens is as a platform?" Xbox chief Phil Spencer told Gamesradar .

"It's untethered, it's a standalone device, so we should look at experiences that let you move, because that's what the device is about."

Microsoft has made a big deal about connecting HoloLens to Minecraft so E3 could be a chance to show more of the futuristic headset's gaming credentials.

4. Sea of Thieves

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Rare is a game development studio responsible for beloved video games like Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark.

Last year, it revealed a brand new pirate-themed multiplayer adventure for the Xbox One called Sea of Thieves. It's an exclusive for Microsoft's console and could prove to be very popular.

Unfortunately, we've heard almost nothing about it since last year's conference. So fingers crossed we'll get an update and a fixed release date.

5. Forza

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Microsoft is readying a brand new Forza racing game. Which is handy - because Sony's got a new Gran Turismo title on the way as well.

This time around we reckon it's Forza Horizon 3.

Microsoft has been coy about releasing details of the game but we know the Lamborghini Centenario is the car that'll grace the box art.

"We're not quite ready to unveil the title or any big details on the next Forza game yet -you'll have to wait for our Xbox media briefing at June 2016's E3 for that," the company said.

But it did go so far as to confirm that this year's installment will have the "largest and most diverse car list of any video game franchise this generation."

Big claims.