As in recent years, Microsoft took the stage at E3 2016 a few hours before its rival Sony, as the pair readied their gaming portfolio for the masses in Los Angeles, California. Consequently, many wanted to see if Microsoft's Xbox platform would be laying down the gauntlet for Sony's PlayStation to try and match. Whether or not it has in fact done so, remains to be seen, as many of the Xbox hardware announcements are slated for release down the line.

Project Scorpio and Xbox One S

In particular, this includes Project Scorpio, which Microsoft has christened as the "Most Powerful Console ever." Project Scorpio (hopefully a better name is in the works) has already been sent to a select number of game developers, as Xbox wants them to take full advantage of the 4K resolution gaming, along with 6 teraflops of processing power that the SoC (System on Chip) can reportedly muster. 

With developers and gamers both salivating over the prospect of Project Scorpio, the console is currently in line for a late 2017 release.  

Moving onto what's more readily available, Xbox kicked off the show by showcasing its slimmer Xbox One S. As far as this new console offering goes, there are a few notable numbers to jot down. It's 40% smaller than the original Xbox One, has up to 2 TB of storage depending on the model you opt for and can support Ultra HD (4K) content. 

The Xbox One S is currently available for pre-order in its native United States with a $399 price tag, and will hit retailers in that area from August onwards. Our hope is that this console does not take as long to reach SA as its predecessor did.  

Play Anywhere

For the better part of a year now, Xbox has been talking up the advantage of having Windows 10 as a companion platform. Last night, their cross-platform gaming vision began to take shape, with Play Anywhere and Windows 10 compatibility for a select number of games. The former allows users that sign up and purchase the service to play titles on either their Xbox One or Windows 10 PC/notebook. 

There are currently 12 titles that sport Play Anywhere functionality, including Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3 and Scalebound.