E3: Xbox and PS4 observe wary truce

Microsoft may be planning a full assault on the game market, targeting a more flexible style of gaming in the coming years, but Sony has held back from another direct head-to-head with the company.

In the next two years, the Xbox One maker will launch not only but two new versions of the One, with the One S – a slimmed down device with a larger hard drive – coming within weeks, and the 4K-enabled Project Scorpio project coming in the next year. The enhanced console will run 4K-native games and support virtual reality, but will continue to play the same games as the existing Xbox One consoles.

Until recent days, Sony had been widely expected to unveil the PlayStation Neo, a 4K-enabled console, at its E3 press conference. But the company chose to focus on games and the upcoming launch of its virtual reality headset Playstation VR.

That doesn't mean that it isn't working on a 4K consoles; in fact, executive Andrew House said in an interview with the Financial Times that an upgraded PS4 was on the cards.

Games

The company's press conference ahead of the official kick off of E3 revealed a new Hideo Kojima game Death Stranding starring Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus, and revealed an October release date for much-anticipated game The Last Guardian. The latter title has been in development for nine years, but delays meant the game - originally slated for the Playstation 3 - was shifted to the Playstation 4 release schedule.

Among the titles coming to the PS4 are Marvel's Spider-Man, God of War and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.

Microsoft, meanwhile, detailed a scheme that will see users get a copy of a game they can play on both Windows and the Xbox One when they buy certain games. The Xbox Play Anywhere will allow gamers to buy once and play on Windows 10 and the console.

At its press conference, the company showed off Gears of War 4, along with Forza Horizon 3 as expected.