Microsoft confirmed its plans for Gamescom 2018 while you were toiling away in spreadsheets at work today. The gist: expect a lot of game details, at least two new Xbox One bundles and, possibly, a refresh of the Xbox Elite Controller at Europe’s biggest video game trade show this August.
Xbox confirmed its plans for Gamescom 2018 in a post on Xbox Wire. The company will have a booth with 25 games for attendees to try. Forza Horizon 4, a new mode for PUBG, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps will all be playable at this first both. Mixer, Microsoft’s video game streaming service, will have a booth all to itself. The Xbox Gear Shop, a physical place for fans to buy the clothing available on Xbox.com, will also be at the show. I can’t act like, I haven’t dreamed of buying a hoodie from this shop ever since Microsoft debuted all this gear with a physical shop at E3 2018, gaming’s last big show.
As far as I can tell, the next generation Xbox Elite Controller rumor is conjecture. Microsoft does say that it plans to reveal new “accessories” at the show. That’s why folks are getting their hopes up about a new Xbox Elite Controller. Revealed at E3 2015, the Xbox Elite Controller has grips, metal joysticks with interchangeable surfaces, an interchangeable directional pad and switches to speed up the response time of the left and right triggers. I’ve had one since 2016, and it’s too legit to quit.
A refreshed Elite Controller still makes total sense, though. It doesn’t have the headset jack that other Xbox controllers have today. It’s also missing Bluetooth, so you need an Xbox Wireless Adapter to pair it with a PC. Those are big caveats for a controller that costs $149.99. That being said, there’s nothing in the announcement that hints at new Elite Controller specifically. That’s why I’m surprised that is the first thing everyone’s mind jumped to.
Microsoft does explicitly confirm new Xbox One bundles are coming.
The Xbox Gamescom 2018 Media Briefing kicks off on August 21st at 10:30 AM Eastern Standard Time. I won’t cover the announcements in real-time on The en, but I’ll have recaps of the important announcements ready for you by the time you arrive home from work.
