E3 2015: Microsoft Xbox press conference - as it happened

Including backwards compatibility for the Xbox One and a mind-blowing HoloLens Minecraft.

After Bethesda started the show early on Sunday night, today sees the traditional gauntlet of E3 conferences, with Microsoft starting the show followed by EA, Ubisoft and Sony later on Monday.

What can we expect? This year, Microsoft is said to be pushing more of its own exclusive line-up than third-party games. But that's not to say it'll be lacking - in fact, the showcase is said to be so packed that 90 minutes isn't enough.

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We can easily expect strong first looks at Halo 5: Guardians, Forza Motorsport 6, Fable Legends and Rise of the Tomb Raider, which are launching later this year and are all perfect to show off on an E3 stage.

Follow our ongoing coverage of E3 2015

You can keep track of the announcements with the live stream above, or via our blog updates below. The conference will start at 5.30pm UK time (ET: 12:30pm, PT: 9:30pm).

19:05And we're done. No Call of Duty at all, which is highly unusual. No FIFA either. But that was a very solid showing. What interests you the most there? Can't get past how ridiculously cool HoloLens looks. See you back here for EA's shindig in a few hours.

19:01Quantum Break, Crackdown and Scalebound to be shown at Gamescom, if you missed them

19:00And we're wrapping up. "If you've been waiting to move from your Xbox 360, now is the time," says Phil Spencer like a man who just cooked a rather tasty meals and knows it

18:59It's Gears of War 4. Out Christmas 2016. Maybe by then we'll see some of the game.

18:58I would love to tell you what was going on, but I can't see a thing. There's a moon. There's chainsaws. There's grunting

18:55New Gears demo now. So dark it's practically an audio game.

18:54

Microsoft a donc recruté le dude de Big Lebowsky. #E3 pic.twitter.com/f5jvChEMdH
— Daniel Andreyev (@kamuirobotics) June 15, 2015

18:53

It's official: @Minecraft is coming to Microsoft #HoloLens. #XboxE3 pic.twitter.com/VSyAlmdu2s
— Microsoft HoloLens (@HoloLens) June 15, 2015

18:52Gears of War: Ultimate Edition coming August 25th. Original game, rebuilt in 1080p for Xbox One with 60 fps multiplayer. Beta starts today

18:51More Minecraft HoloLens news at Minecon in a couple of weeks. This stuff is seriously impressive, though.

18:51

This technology is new and strange and scary to me BURN IT BURN IT ALL BURN THE WITCH! #E32015 #XboxE3
— Jim Sterling (@JimSterling) June 15, 2015

18:50Minecraft is now properly like Lego rather than just being a bit like Lego

18:48HoloLens lets you display games anywhere. Trippy demo this - shows Minecraft world on a table, as player walks around it, looks inside and manipulates with hands.

18:47

So far the biggest megaton of E3 is that it's pronounced MOYANG
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) June 15, 2015

18:47Hololens now taking centre stage with Minecraft still the focus.

18:46Microsoft has clearly thought 'sod it, let's hedge our bets' on the VR front. Oculus, Valve, everyone's good as long as they're not Sony

18:45

Find daring in danger with #FableLegends [RP] on #XboxOne and #Windows10. #XboxE3 pic.twitter.com/7WWg1IPRMv
— Xbox (@Xbox) June 15, 2015

18:44So Microsoft is working with Valve as well as Oculus. Intriguing

18:44It's Kudo! Fable Legends' free-to-play is on the way.

18:42Sea of Thieves is a cutesie MMO pirate game, it seems. Intriguing

18:40Out August. We're now on to a new game, though. The jungle is massive

18:39Rare Replay collects 30 of Rare's games for the price of one game. Can't say fairer than that.

18:38Rise of the Tomb Raider going up against Fallout 4 too in release terms. Take November off now

18:37Ah Rare, how we loved you so

18:37

This year, discover the legend within. Xbox Exclusive | Holiday 2015 #TombRaider [RP] #XboxE3. http://t.co/RwtUPQqhU2 pic.twitter.com/CaRQwxPnCh
— Xbox (@Xbox) June 15, 2015

18:37Very quick-time eventy but Rise of the Tomb Raider looks good. Timed exclusive out this year, remember

18:36Ha, totally nicked the 'water flowing out of the side of a cliff' bit from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom there

18:35It's Uncharted: Cliffhanger Edition. Exploding ice, rope slides and lots of grunting

18:33Oh hang on, there's some gameplay

18:33Except this is a cut scene and not quick-time event gameplay

18:32OK Lara Croft is apparently in the opening scene of Call of Duty 4 here. Get your crampons, we're going ice-wall climbing

18:31

Rise of the Tomb Raider #E3 pic.twitter.com/bF2WceW9b6
— Complex (@ComplexMag) June 15, 2015

18:31That new Dean Hall game is called Ion, by the way. "Coming soon".

18:30Crystal Dynamics. Rise of the Tomb Raider demo incoming

18:29

Microsoft have had some shocking E3s over recent years. This is a genuinely good one. The fightback is on.
— Kristan Reed (@kristanreed) June 15, 2015

18:28So from zombies to space exploration. Interesting

18:28"I want a game that is not a game". It's Day Z's Dean Hall. Hello Dean!

18:27Xbox Game Preview, Microsoft's Steam Early Access answer, to include Elite Dangerous and Day Z. Light whooping. Elite Dangerous available later today apparently

18:26Platform actioner with a really nice distressed old cartoon art style. I keep using the words 'art style' but there's a lot of nice art styles

18:25Cuphead, now. Accompanied by mad jazz score. Very much my tempo

18:24Beyond Eyes. Watercolour-tinged indie about a blind girl exploring environment, surrounding revealing themselves as you do a la Unfinished Swan. Interesting concept.

18:23Oooh like the look of that. Open-world indie RPG action with a very nice art style

18:22Tacoma seems like a sci-fi door-opening simulator. Very brief demo. We're now on to Ashen, nice faceless art style and eerie atmos

18:19It's Steve Gaynor from Fullbright. Hello Steve! Tacoma following up Gone Home on ID@Xbox

18:19

#Gigantic [RP] lands exclusively on #Windows10 & #XboxOne this August, but you can join the beta now. #XboxE3 pic.twitter.com/uniZvsH1vg
— Xbox (@Xbox) June 15, 2015

18:18And we're into the indie montage. Outward, Below, Recruits, Superhot and more flashed up with a pop-punk soundtrack.

18:18If Microsoft use the word 'guardian' enough, will The Last Guardian actually happen at Sony?

18:17It's called Gigantic. Beta this August

18:16Crazy cartoony battley thing. Team Fortress does Aladdin?

18:15Windows 10 and Xbox One exclusive time...

18:15

Rain & night driving. 24 car MP. This is what we've been racing toward. #Forza6 [RP] #XboxE3 @Ford pic.twitter.com/WbkgIGPcZL
— Xbox (@Xbox) June 15, 2015

18:14Rainbow 6 Siege will include Rainbow 6 Vegas and Vegas 2 for free, digitally. Backwards compatibility already paying off.

18:13Xbox One exclusive beta this December of The Division. PS4 owners curse the skies.

18:12Laurent Detoc from Ubisoft is here. Hello Laurent!

18:12Oh who am I kidding, this still looks like it's going to be ace if it ever comes out.

18:11Post-apocalyptic snow, Metal Gear-style warbling, gravelly voice. Check, check, check

18:10And now we're into The Division from Ubisoft, the game that has had all of the delays.

18:10Only cinematic but still, confirmed. Nice.

18:09

I bet Dark Souls 3 doesn't have a dog companion.
— Keith Stuart (@keefstuart) June 15, 2015

18:09This would be Dark Souls 3 then, presumably.

18:08From Software. Starting to cry at the thought of the brutality already.

18:08Blimey that was short. So there's another Forza. And it has lovely looking cars. That's about it. And now another world premiere.

18:07

#Car #Cars #Car #Car #America #Cars
— Kirk Hamilton (@kirkhamilton) June 15, 2015

18:07Free Ford GT with every copy of Forza 6.

18:06Henry Ford III is here from Ford! Hello Henry. But no one puts Turn10's Dan Greenawalt in the corner. Wrestle back that mic, Dan.

18:05And, of course, a really bloody nice car being lowered on to the stage.

18:04Archive racing footage! It can only mean one thing: Forza 6.

18:04Gratuitous use of Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins there

18:03

. @petermooreEA is ready to take the stage at @xbox! Are you watching? #EAE3 #E3 pic.twitter.com/k8P4DM0mxR
— Electronic Arts (@EA) June 15, 2015

18:02Plants vs Zombies; Garden Warfare 2 on its way too. Out next spring. And we're into a trailer.

18:01Xbox Live gold members get free access to EA Access for E3 week. Get on some of that.

18:00Titanfall coming to EA Access. Muted reaction. I guess because no one's still playing it.

18:00EA Access on Xbox One pitch. Madden NFL 16 and Need for Speed all coming to the subscription services.

17:59Peter Moore's here! Hello Peter.

17:58OK, mods created on the PC can be transferred, shared and played on Xbox One for free. That's a nice touch. But what, no exclusive DLC? You've changed, guys.

17:58OK it's just more of the same. Yes, Fallout 4 looks great. Still. This has kind of knocked the pace a bit though.

17:55And we're on to Fallout 4, with Bethesda's Todd Howard again. We've kind of seen this already but hey, let's see some more.

17:54

Introducing the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller coming this Fall pic.twitter.com/6aD3GHBHYQ
— Larry Hryb #XboxE3 (@majornelson) June 15, 2015

17:52Swappable components and rear abxy triggers on the Elite controller. For hardcore users only

17:51Xbox Elite wireless controller now. Real spring in Microsoft's step, they're enjoying this.

17:50"We've made this easy for game developers too... no work is required on their part."

17:50Available today for Xbox Preview members, Christmas for everyone else. "We won't charge you to play the games you already own." Nice.

17:49Pretty amazing that being able to play your old games is so exciting, but it's undeniably a huge deal. If PlayStation haven't got a similar announcement planned, a real differentiator.

17:49Retail discs work and digital games will show up in your library. Showing off Mass Effect to, y'know, prove it works.

17:48Wow. Biggie. Backwards compatibility for Xbox One. Xbox 360 games will work natively on Xbox One. Place erupts.

17:47"Greatest games line up in Xbox history". Well, this we gotta see...

17:45That was short but looks nice and roboty. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, now in the house

17:45Love the smell of new IP in the morning. Xbox One exclusive called Recore.

17:44Oooh robot spiders. Fight the spiders, little doggy.

17:44Female lead character with a robot dog sidekick.

17:43Now we're into a world premiere of something or other from the makers of Metroid Prime.

17:4327th October for Halo 5.

17:4124 players, AI adversaries, maps four times the size of previous Halos. And it's playable at E3. Cue massive partisan cheer

17:41"Built for seamless drop in drop out co-operative play."

17:40Four player co-op in the hunt for Master Chief. Some serious Mass Effect overtones too. Is an interesting concept for sure.

17:38Total clan carnage. Team-based tomfoolery. Look at that scenery exploding all over the place.

17:36And we're into some live demo action. Looks incredibly like Destiny or is it just me?

17:35Halo 5: Guardians trailer. "Master Chief declared absent without leave". Ooooh

17:33Bonnie Ross from 343 Industries kicks it off, with a bit of Halo.

17:33And we're off... nice dramatic intro there. Gears and Tomb Raider clearly going to be a major focus.

17:31

The crowd just cheered for a 'mature content warning' HOO YEAH MATURE CONTENT
— Daniel Dawkins (@DanDawkins) June 15, 2015

17:27So what we getting today then? Gears of War HD remake? More Oculus partnerships info? Battletoads? Celebrity cameos?

17:10

Taking our seat in the massive auditorium here at the Xbox E3 briefing #E32015 pic.twitter.com/5vB1MRfJu6
— Digital Spy Gaming (@digitalspygames) June 15, 2015

17:09Welcome back everyone to the second conference of E3. Can Xbox live up to Bethesda's humdinger yesterday? The green glow of anticipation is upon us.

17:05

Just before everything gets crazy I wanted to send out a note that this day is about you, the Xbox community. Thanks for everything. #xboxe3
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 15, 2015

16:48