We are still several weeks away from Microsoft’s E3 press event but what the company will talk about is starting to come into focus. Based on sources inside the company, expect to see new hardware at the event and there will also be a new standard controller that ships with the Xbox One.

The new standard controller will look similar to the current design, which isn’t too surprising, but will likely come in a new color. Considering that Microsoft currently ships a black controller, a white default design seems like a decent mid-cycle refresh for the console to help spur sales.

In addition to an updated standard controller, the company is exploring new interactions between the PC and the Xbox One to further extend the capabilities already present between the two (game streaming). Seeing as Microsoft wants to make Windows 10 on the desktop and Xbox one a ‘killer combination’, they are looking to leverage the ecosystem to create unique experiences for games that are on other platforms too.

The idea is simple, even for games that are not device exclusive, make unique experiences between the console and the PC that PlayStation cannot emulate easily to help differentiate the console from its competitors.

But wait, there’s more. The company also has something else up its sleeve that I still don’t have all the details on but it’s a much bigger deal than an updated standard controller. While the rumors of a PS4K have been running rampant, and I don’t know yet if this new device is set to take on that console, they will have another, much larger hardware related announcement, at E3 this year. I had previously heard that they were working on a new Elite console, they recently announced an Elite bundle, but I am not sure if this is an update to that product or something brand new.

This will be a big year for Microsoft at E3 as the company tries once again to show that its console is the better choice when sized up against the PS4. As I learn more about the new hardware, I’ll make sure to pass it along.

Tagged with E3 2016, Xbox