According to Michael Pachter, research analyst at Wedbush Securities, gamers shouldn"t expect a lot of gaming-related content from Microsoft at the company"s E3 press conference. Instead, Microsoft will focus on services on Xbox Live during their press conference.
In yesterday"s episode of Bonus Round on Gametrailers, Pachter stated that that Microsoft invited him to a preview event for content they plan to reveal at E3. "And they told me don"t expect a lot of game stuff," Pachter said. "Expect a lot of dashboard, interface, multimedia. So I think you"re going to get exactly that." Earlier in the episode, Pachter stated that Microsoft"s goal is "to own the living room, not just for gaming, but for everything. So I actually think that"s what all the announcements are going to be... is all about multimedia capability, changes to the dashboard, access to new services."
Former G4 host Adam Sessler agreed with Pachter, saying he expects Microsoft to focus on multimedia capabilities on the Xbox 360. Sessler felt Microsoft may be ignoring the hardcore gamer, and specifically questioned Halo 4"s launch date, as it launches just a week before Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Tom Warren of The Verge recently reported that Microsoft will be announcing a Zune replacement service at E3, with a focus on streaming music in a manner similar to Spotify. Microsoft has already stated they will not be discussing the successor to the Xbox 360 at E3. In the same episode of Bonus Round, Pachter stated that he expects a Spring 2014 release for Microsoft"s next console. Pachter also stated that he expects Microsoft to sit back and wait for Sony to launch its next console in order to see what Sony"s strategy is.
Microsoft is scheduled to host its E3 press conference at 10 a.m. on June 6. It is currently scheduled to be the first press conference at E3.