E3 2019 preview: Xbox predictions, rumors and expectations

What we won’t see: Anything more about the Sony and Microsoft partnership

People tend to read into things that aren’t really there. With the recent announcement of Sony and Microsoft agreeing to potentially (note: the key word here being “potentially”, they have a “memorandum of understanding”, not any contractual deals in place just yet) exploring a partnership where Sony would be using Microsoft’s Azure cloud service to power Sony’s streaming technology, a lot of people thought this essentially meant that the console wars would soon be ended.

There’s a belief that there would be little to no difference between the two companies in the next generation. That one console future is near people!

Of course, that’s about the furthest thing from the truth. It’s business and makes a lot of business sense. Sony has been trying and mostly failing to make their own streaming technology work in any sort of meaningful way. PlayStation Now is better than when it started but still not great, so it makes sense that they’d turn to Microsoft, who has heavily invested in and knows this technology. It’s not really much different than Microsoft paying Sony to use Blu-ray technology for discs. Despite obnoxious fanboy wars, giant mega-corporations are actually rarely out to destroy one another.

On that end, while Microsoft will certainly be talking about their next plans for a streaming future, those plans will not mention this potential partnership agreement. There isn’t actually a solid plan just yet to speak of; much like Microsoft’s relationship with Nintendo, it will take the focus away from Microsoft at their own presentation. Sony isn’t even attending E3 in any official capacity.

So there’s a list of what you will see, what you might see and what you definitely won’t see at Microsoft’s E3 2019 presentation. The event is slotted for a whopping two hours and, again, all indications are that Microsoft is taking this opportunity to steal the show and really run with it. It should be great (and possibly exhausting).

What are your predictions for Microsoft’s E3 2019 presentation? Let us know in the comments and the presentation itself takes place on June 9 at 1:00 p.m. PST, which essentially kicks off E3 2019. Even without the presence of some key players, E3 2019 still has the potential to be a really amazing show.