Five Things I Need To See From The Xbox Series X Games Showcase

After weeks of waiting, we finally have a date for Microsoft's Xbox Series X game reveal. The company will reveal a number of first-party games in development for the Xbox Series X in just a couple of weeks, on July 23rd at 9 AM PDT. While we wait for the 23rd to roll around, here are five things I need to see from the showcase.

Back in May, Microsoft hosted a presentation that promised gameplay footage from in-development Xbox Series X games. In most cases, the trailers we saw that day featured little-to-no gameplay. This time around, there's no such promise of gameplay in Microsoft's pitch, as it's only calling this an "Xbox Games Showcase," but I'd still like to see some gameplay. Here's hoping that Microsoft is only intentionally avoiding the word "gameplay" to keep expectations in line, but that we still get some anyway.

We've known about the existence of Halo Infinite for a couple of years now, and yet, actual details about the game are still pretty slim. The folks at 343 Industries have been very good about releasing small smidgens of information here and there, enough to keep people interested but not enough to really give anything major away. Hopefully that all changes with this showcase at the end of the month; Halo Infinite is likely going to be the Xbox Series X's marquee launch title, so Microsoft definitely wants to get the marketing train going soon.

It has been far too long since we last heard from the mainline Fable series. Though Fable 3 wasn't really the incredible ending to the trilogy we were all hoping for, I think the Fable series in general still has an audience – even after some less-than-stellar spin-offs. With a new console on the horizon, it could be the perfect time to revive the long-dormant Fable series and give fans the proper follow-up they've been waiting a long time for.

Throughout the lead up to the reveal of the Xbox Series X, we heard that Microsoft was actually plotting multiple consoles for the next generation. Then it revealed the Xbox Series X as a single machine, but that wasn't the end to the multi-console rumors. Just recently, we started hearing about Xbox Series S, which is positioned as a less powerful counterpart to the Xbox Series X. Whether or not Xbox Series S is in fact a real thing is up in the air, but if it is, this showcase would be a good time to reveal it.

Neither Microsoft nor Sony have talked about release dates outside of saying that they'll both have their consoles out at some point during the 2020 holiday season. One of these companies has to make the first move when it comes to announcing release dates, so I'm hoping that Microsoft breaks this stalemate and gives us a date for the Xbox Series X. In doing so, I hope Microsoft confirms a few more launch titles instead of just hanging its hopes solely on Halo Infinite.

In the end, I just hope that we get a really good feel for the games that are going to be on the Xbox Series X from this showcase. Sony did a really good job with its PlayStation 5 presentation in June, so the ball is definitely in Microsoft's court when it comes to a response. As always, we'll be covering the presentation as it happens here at SlashGear, so stay tuned for more.