If there are two things that define a Microsoft press confrence at E3, it’s usually the touting of a new console variation on the horizon and some kind of Halo game. As luck should have it, both made a showing this year. The difference is, the new console (currently dubbed “Project Scarlett”) is actually coming down the pike, sooner than you’d expect. As for the game, Halo Infinite, Master Chief appeared in all his glory. It was the usual way Microsoft ends their presser, but this time instead of looking for audience acceptance, they stood tall, convinced their products could speak for themselves.
We begin with the game itself. While Xbox is exceedingly popular on it’s own, a console legacy is only as strong as the games that define it. There simply isn’t a bigger game than Halo for any device that Microsoft puts its name on. No if’s, and’s or but’s about it. Master Chief’s mug is synonymous with that looping circle with an X. So it makes sense that the next big foray into the game marketplace starts with Halo Infinite. I mean, just look at this video below! The switch, to what appears to be the “gameplay” look of the game, mid-cutscene, is gorgeous. Hopefully it’s emblematic of the game as a whole.
Of course, as great as any game can potentially be, it’ll need a beast of a machine to run it flawlessly. That’s where Project Scarlett comes into play. The next console is an incremental advancement, the way the Xbox One X was. No, this is a full on jump, head-first, into the next console generation. Microsoft also had a handy-dandy announcement trailer, to make the tech geek set potentially tear-up, in anticipation.
The best part of that video is that the team behind Project Scarlett are saying all the right things. That should be a given, but Microsoft has a way of fumbling through well intentioned messages. One only needs to think back to the fiasco that come from the Xbox One reveal, years ago, to see how far they’ve come. Yes, it’s all techspeek. Yes, there wasn’t much shown in the way of the console itself. No, the future of game titles or features wasn’t unveiled here. There’s several more big game shows this year, do to that at. This was more so about the prospect of things to come. A tease of what the future holds. From that aspect Microsoft did the best thing imaginable: they created positive hype.
Are you all ecstatic over the thought of a brand new Halo game? Do you plan on plunking down a giant wad of cash for Microsoft’s new system? What features must it have, in order for you switch sides from PS4 or PC to this console? The comments are open to your hopes and thoughts. We’re a ways off from these two coming out, so attention shifts to PAX West, Gamescom or The Game Awards for future updates. Till then, be sure to stay tuned to all things E3 here on Boom Howdy!
Halo Infinite and Project Scarlett (or whatever the console ends up being called) are set to launch Holiday 2020. Start saving your pennies, now.
