The Xbox Series X gameplay reveal on May 7 was a highly anticipated event, as it was the first time that games could be played on Microsoft's new console In fact, it was a quiet and low-key event Yes, gameplay was seen, but only as part of pre-cut trailers, and usually only for a few seconds at a time Some of the games on display were promising titles from major developers, such as "Assassin's Creed Valhalla Others, like "The Ascent," were clearly niche games

Nevertheless, Microsoft has basically delivered on its promise, and we can expect similar announcements in the coming months (If you've been waiting for first-party titles, Microsoft will show them off during the Xbox 20/20 live stream in July)

Analyzing the 45 minutes of content, some of the first big Xbox Series X game announcements are very exciting and some are underwhelming Here are five of the latest and not the last big takeaways from Microsoft's monthly Xbox announcements

The Xbox Series X gameplay reveal was reminiscent of Microsoft's E3 press conference Back in the day, Microsoft was almost exclusively focused on shooters, sports, and racing That was fine for a certain segment of Xbox fans, but the rest of the fan base was put to sleep Since then, Microsoft's E3 press conference has showcased a little bit of everything, from ambitious indie titles to over-the-top animated games to slow-paced horror titles

Microsoft took the same approach with its May 7 announcement Sure, it opened with a shooter, but that shooter was also a stealth/melee attack/vehicle combat game of sorts, and it was by a one-man development team in China Whatever else can be said about "Bright Memory Infinite," it is not a second-guessing of "Call of Duty" or "Battlefield

Over the next 30 minutes, Microsoft showed off open-world games, action games, horror games, racing games, space shooters, cooperative shooters, RPGs, and even gorgeous indie titles I doubt if every viewer thought, "I absolutely have to play one of these," but I think every viewer thought, "I want one of these"

When Microsoft first announced the Xbox Series X live gameplay reveal starring Assassin's Creed Valhalla, I had a very specific image in mind I assumed that Microsoft would do a reveal similar to the E3 demo, where a live person would take control of the protagonist for a 10-minute mission, explore the world, and talk about the myriad gameplay options This would have been a great opportunity to see how fast the Xbox Series X's assets load, how smooth the frame rate is, and how easy the gameplay is to play in a way that the Xbox One could not

Instead, "gameplay" meant "a few seconds of in-game footage during the trailer, not a pre-rendered cutscene" Once the trailer was over, they kept waiting for the actual demo to begin - and Microsoft quickly moved on to the next project

This pattern was very similar to every other title Microsoft presented I can't review the entire presentation right now, but I don't recall any trailer having more than 15 seconds of continuous gameplay Yes, you could technically see the gameplay, but it wasn't anything that would help you understand the context of what it would feel like to actually play the game on the Xbox Series X

Smart Delivery, as the name implies, is a smart idea For those of you who don't know, Smart Delivery is a feature that allows you to buy an Xbox One game and get the Xbox Series X equivalent for free (In other words, let's say you can't or don't want to buy an Xbox Series X on launch day If you cannot or do not want to get an Xbox Series X on launch day, you can continue to buy Xbox One titles until you are ready to get an Xbox Series X on launch day

Of the 13 games on display today, 10 have Smart Delivery enabled If this trend holds true for other early Xbox Series X titles, it's Microsoft's way of promising potential buyers: "We will not pressure you to upgrade your console right away We will not pressure you to upgrade your console right away

Finding a console at launch is always difficult, and given how the COVID-19 craze affects the supply chain, that could be doubly true this year With smart delivery, fans can enjoy the latest games while they wait Furthermore, it is not yet clear if Sony will offer a similar feature with PS5 PS4 games If not, fans will have a great incentive to get their games on Microsoft's platform instead

With each console generation, one is reminded of the chorus of naysayers that video game graphics are in a period of increasing yield the jump in graphics from the Xbox 360 to the Xbox One was not as pronounced as the jump from the original Xbox to the 360 the PS2 and PS1 is even more pronounced

While the graphics of console games are still not exactly photorealistic, it should be clear that the main difference between Xbox One and Xbox Series X games is not in how they look, but how they work While reduced loading times and smoother frame rates are essential to a good gaming experience, they are a little harder to quantify than a very beautiful screenshot

Of course, early Xbox Series X games will not be as impressive as those coming later in the console's life cycle However, we may be approaching the point where "this is about as good as it gets until 8K becomes mainstream"

Everyone we talked to about the Xbox Series X gameplay reveal agreed on one thing: they love hearing from developers Seeing the game in action is fun, but hearing the thought process behind the game is fascinating Developers can talk about the triumphs and challenges of creating a game for an entirely new platform, as well as what inspired them to create a particular title in the first place

It may not necessarily be a shocking new fact that "gamers love to hear developers talk," but game presentations often let the trailer do all the talking and then quickly move on to the next topic Talking to the developer can help the audience digest what they just saw and show them another side of the game

Remember that the only point the trailer can convey is "this game is so cool/impressive/scary/realistic/fun/etc" It may get your attention, but it doesn't tell you anything that interesting But hearing a developer talk about British history, the impact of communism on Poland, or the most exciting racetrack in the world, gamers can feel as passionate about the topic as the developer