The Coronavirus pandemic has led to a widespread cancellation of events across the globe from the Tokyo Olympic Games to the fan-favorite annual video game convention, E3. To avoid putting the health and safety of its staff at risk, Microsoft has announced it will be switching to all-digital events through July 2021, meaning fans should expect a far different approach to Xbox Series X announcements than previously seen from the company.
While rumors are common around this time of year, the vast majority seem to indicate there will be an Xbox Series X reveal event coming in May, the first of a number of planned Xbox events leading to the consoles Holiday 2020 release. From its release date to new games, features, and peripherals, here's what fans can expect to see from the rumored Xbox Series X event next month.
Price Reveal & Release Date
If rumors are to be believed, the Xbox Series X event in May is going to be hardware focused and will serve as a "proper reveal event" for the console. Microsoft has already revealed what the Xbox Series X looks like, shown off the new Series X controller, and released the official specs. At this point, outside of going in-depth on features like Quick Resume, the UI, or a new dashboard, there's not much left to reveal except for the Xbox Series X's price and release date. The rumored E3 replacement event in June is said to be more focused on games, so May is definitely the right time to get in front of the competition.
Xbox Lockhart
One of Microsoft's worst kept secrets in recent years is Xbox Lockhart, a long-rumored cheaper alternative to the Xbox Series X. Xbox Lockhart is likely going to be released alongside the Xbox Series X, offering consumers a cheaper, less powerful entry-point into next-generation gaming, and effectively replacing the existing Xbox One X. Although very little is known about Xbox Lockhart outside of its rumored 4 teraflops processing power, it's safe to say an official announcement would make the most sense at a hardware event.
A New Xbox Headset
In 2014, Microsoft released the Xbox Stereo Headset, a first-party stereo headset to bridge the gap between the chat microphone offered with the console and the far more expensive third-party alternatives like Turtle Beach or Astro. It appears that Microsoft is planning to replace the previous Xbox Stereo Headset with an all-new wireless model for Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices. It's unclear whether the new headset will stay in the entry-level tier like the PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset or aim for something a little more high end. Regardless, Xbox is well overdue for a first-party headset update.
New Xbox Exclusive Games
Next month's Xbox Series X hardware event isn't going to be focused on new game announcements; however, that doesn't mean Microsoft doesn't have at least a couple of surprises up its sleeve to tide fans over. New looks at upcoming exclusives like Grounded and Minecraft: Dungeons should be expected, as well as rumored appearances from Halo: Infinite, Forza Motorsport, Everwild, and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. Although it's purely speculation at this point, word on the street also says there may be a teaser trailer for the upcoming Fable reboot.
Ultimately, a video game showcase may happen after the hardware dive, later in May or into June, and that's likely when Microsoft will go for the shock and awe with video games.
A Tease for the Next Event
Companies spend close to a year preparing for events like E3. Microsoft, in particular, will generally hold a 2-hour presentation during E3, on top of needing to organize its floor presence, game demos, and much more. It's a lot of work every year, far too much work to let it all go to waste. While the May event will focus on hardware, Microsoft may be planning to go ahead with its original E3 presentation with a second event in June which will be all about new game announcements coming in 2020. At a minimum, Microsoft will at least want to tease when fans can expect more information about upcoming Xbox games to build the hype for Xbox Series X.
It goes without saying that Microsoft has yet to make any official announcements, so for the time being this should all be taken as a grain of salt. However, considering the cancellation of E3 2020 in June and Gamescom in August, there's no doubt Microsoft is planning at least one digital event over the course of May and June with how much work goes into E3 each year. In the meantime, Microsoft has recently revealed the official Xbox Series X logo for now.
The Xbox Series X releases holiday 2020.