I’m no psychic or industry expert, but I am a gamer. Having followed via various magazines and paid attention to Microsoft and E3 over the years, it’s easy to make predictions. These are what I think is going to go down this year (in no certain order):

Xbox One Two/Slim/Scorpio, focusing on compatibility for 4K TVs and Oculus Rift/HoloLens, as well as higher and more powerful hardware to compete with Sony’s PS4 Neo: We all know that Xbox One hasn’t been the all-powerful console that we were led to believe it was going to be. The hardware performance just hasn’t been up to par with the PS4—we’ve ALL seen the comparison videos whenever a new multiplatform game comes out and it’s inevitable that Xbox One doesn’t come out on top. Technology changes all the time, and Microsoft has to do its best to keep pace – if not surpass itself and its competition. An improved console with better specs is inevitable. With peripheral tech such as 4K HD televisions and VR (Oculus Rift and Microsoft’s own HoloLens leading the charge) on the rise, Microsoft has to stay competitive.  Since Sony is coming out with an improved PS4, Microsoft has to do the same. Hopefully they’ve learned from their mistakes with the One—and it will be smaller and cheaper. Expect this reveal at E3.

More HoloLens: We were all blown away last E3 when HoloLens was shown off. The Windows Holographic platform isn’t Virtual Reality so much as it is Augmented Reality. While it’s not quite at the level of Gibson’s “Virtual Light” (an awesome book that I wholeheartedly recommend), it’s an emergent technology that we’re bound to see more of—especially because it’s just so damn cool. Hopefully they show off more than a Minecraft demo this time.

Gears of War 4, Crackdown 3, ReCore, Halo 6/Halo Wars 2, Elder Scrolls 6: We all know what E3 is all about: GAMES. All the games I listed have deep roots with Microsoft. Gears was announced last year and the beta ran earlier last month, so expect for it to be showcased. The history and success of Halo and Xbox are deeply intertwined. Since MS basically owns the IP, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new Halo game to be released every year, just like with the competing CoD: MW and CoD: BO titles—plus, if you played Halo 5, you know how woefully brief the campaign was and how it was a setup for a follow-up game.  Last year Bethesda revealed Fallout 4 on stage with Microsoft, the only way to top that is to do it again, this time with their OTHER mega-successful RPG franchise. ReCore was another game showed off last year. It’s an exclusive with an impressive pedigree, coming from the designer of the first three Mega Man games and Mega Man X. It was supposed to be released earlier this year, but was delayed. It’s too cool of a game for them to not want to keep it in the public consciousness.  Like Gears and Halo, Crackdown 3 is another game (and successful franchise) from Microsoft Studios. The multiplayer is set to be released this summer, so they’ll want to show it off. Personally, I can’t wait to play this game.

ACTUAL cross-platform play: Like the Montagues and the Capulets, console gamers are split into two camps. We all have friends that we’d love to be able to play with that don’t share our platform choice. The announcement that Microsoft made in March in regards to opening up Xbox Live to PC, PlayStation, and other multiplayer platforms (here’s looking at you Nintendo) was met with much rejoicing. Sony’s response was to remain open to options, which is a good thing. Hopefully this time around that cross platform play will be more successful than the boondoggle that was “Games for Windows – Live”. I still remember trying to play Shadowrun on 360 against PC players and how painful of an experience it was. This is big news. Expect for it to be talked about at E3.

To channel Dennis Miller, “…that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.” I’ll be covering the Microsoft presentation again this year, so we’ll see how much it I got right and how much I got wrong. If I’m right, maybe I’ll start playing the lotto. Stay tuned!