Microsoft’s mercifully concise media presentation at Gamescom this morning displayed plenty of the attitude that has defined the console’s public outings to date, no matter how much the platform holder has changed its mind since May 21.
It remains a mainstream entertainment box, and aligning itself so closely with videogame colossi FIFA and Call Of Duty is Microsoft’s smartest move yet in a pre-launch campaign fraught with blunders.
In terms of mainstream player power, it’s difficult to imagine a better one-two punch. The news that every European Xbox One pre-order will now come with a free copy of FIFA 14 is sensational, and the Call Of Duty: Ghosts bundle – allied with a string of timed, exclusive content drops – cements the Xbox brand’s close affiliation with the industry’s biggest shooter.