The super huge, always anticipated and undeniably hype filled video game extravaganza E3 officially started today with Microsoft’s Press Conference.

Designed as a showcase for the future of the Xbox into 2012 and 2013, Microsoft didn’t necessarily wow with amazing new titles or showcase new hardware (as Nintendo will be tomorrow), but they made a big play for your living room.

Here’s a quick summary of what went down.

-Hey, Those Games You Like? You’re Getting More of Them!

Microsoft peppered their press conference with trailers celebrating their 2012-2013 slate, which definitely mirrors what you’ve seen before. Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Madden NFL 2013, Tomb Raider, Gears of War: Judgement, Forza Horizon, Dance Central 3 (with USHER!), Resident Evil 6 and Splinter Cell: Blacklist were all examples of new titles in well worn franchises.  They didn’t all look bad, however, as Halo 4 seems to have flourished under their new developer (343 Industries, taking after Bungie) and the new Tomb Raider seems to be a gritty, tough as nails game that pushes survival instincts to an extreme. That new Splinter Cell looked nice, too.

-Microsoft Will Take On EVERY Device You Own

Have a Roku? Great, now you won’t need it with the NBA and NHL coming to the Xbox. Use a WiiFit? Screw you, they’ve got Nike+ Kinect Training. Use Spotify? Meet Xbox Music. Wanna browse the web? They’ve got Internet Explorer now. (No word on dubstep.) Have a smartphone or tablet? That…that’s where it gets interesting.  The new Xbox SmartGlass technology allows users to use their smartphone as a second screen for games, music, movies and other interactive content. You can browse a map of Westeros while watching Game of Thrones or call plays in Madden NFL 2013.  And you won’t need a Windows Phone or Windows 8 Tablet - they’re releasing apps for iOS and Android devices too. If SmartGlass pans out, it could be the most exciting thing Microsoft releases for the system that isn’t a game.

-There Are Some Cool, ORIGINAL Games Coming, Too!

While featured far less than the cavalcade of blockbuster sequels, there seemed to be some really cool, new games coming, including a bizarre ball based puzzle game from director Gore Verbinski called Matter, and a absolutely hilarious looking new South Park game, an RPG titled South Park: The Stick of Truth.

All and all, I admit, there wasn’t anything truly amazing, jaw dropping or surprising to come out of Microsoft’s conference, but I can say that if the SmartGlass technology works out, it could be huge. They’d be going right after the heart of Nintendo’s Wii U, without having to require a new system, new controller, any of it. They’d adapt their current system to the items you already own…and that is HUGE.

The press conference fun continues tonight at 9pm Eastern with Sony.

Source: The Verge