Summer Game Fest LIVE: The best Xbox, PS5, Nintendo and PC announcements from gaming's biggest week
Summer Game Fest is running all week – here's the latest on what's been announced and the games you need to look out for
Xbox goes back to its roots for special edition console
There's a new Xbox Series X model coming later this year that pays homage to the best colourway for the original Xbox.
The Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition will have a translucent green case and will be released as part of the brand's 25th anniversary celebrations. There will be a matching Xbox Wireless Controller too.
It might not have been the Project Helix tease we'd all hoped for during the showcase, but anyone of a certain age will appreciate this design nod.
New Star Wars – oh yes!
It probably went under the radar a bit, in comparison with the bigger game announcements, but Star Wars Zero Company caught my eye.
A single-player turn-based strategy game, Zero Company is set as the Clone Wars are coming to an end and features an original story with a new cast of operatives.
We also see the reveal of a returning character at the end of the trailer, so make sure you check that out.
A return to exclusives by Xbox
The Xbox Games Showcase was a jam-packed affair, and as expected many of the titles did show the PS5 logo at the end of each trailer. However, it was also clear that the new, refreshed Xbox strategy will see a return to platform exclusives.
Indeed, CEO Asha Sharma appeared in the showcase herself to confirm that Gears of War: E-Day will be an Xbox exclusive for its console release – a swerve from previous plans. You'll still get a Windows version, of course, but the first-party game will not be available on PlayStation. Nor will the interesting looking Clockwork Revolution by another Xbox studio, InXile Entertainment.
The reworking of Halo: Combat Evolved – Campaign Evolved – will be available on PS5 as well, though. Considering it will release on 28 July, it was far too late in the schedule to change intentions.
Valve quietly reminds everyone it exists
While not part of Summer Game Fest itself, Valve surreptitiously dropped arguably the best gaming news of last week.
Its Steam Machine (and the Steam Frame mixed reality headset) are still on course for summer releases. There were question marks on each, thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis, but a post about the Steam Verified program confirmed the release window.
How much and exactly when are still up in the air, but if you've been holding off for a Steam Machine (rather than opting to build your own, as I did), there should be further announcements soon.
PlayStation sets the stall for Summer Game Fest
One of the first showcase events to tie into Summer Game Fest, the most impressive PlayStation State of Play of the year really set the stall for what was to come.
Trailers and gameplay demos for the new Tomb Raider, God of War, Wolverine, and Until Dawn 2 were particular highlights, but it was Rayman Legends Retold that arguably ticked my boxes more.
Coming on 1 October and available for preorder now, it completely reworks one of the best 2D platformers ever made and even includes a remastered version of Rayman Origins, its immediate predecessor.