E3 2017: Microsoft announces high-end Xbox One X console for $599

Microsoft announced a new, high-end Xbox console this weekendto kick off the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, along with a slate of new and upcoming games for the coming year.

The Xbox One X, previously referred to as Project Scorpio, is a more powerful version of the currentXbox One gaming console. The new release purports to play all of the console's existing and upcoming games with enhanced visuals.

Microsoft boss Phil Spencer showed off racing game Forza Motorsport 7, due for release this holiday season, running at a native 4K resolution at 60 frames per second.

The Xbox One X will launch in Canada on November 7 at $599 ($499 US). The current Xbox model, the Xbox One S, sells for between $329 and $449.

Publishers Electronic Arts (EA) and Bethesda also held their conferences over the weekend showing off their slate of upcoming titles.

EA previewed the latest instalments in their lucrative sports franchises, including Madden, FIFA, and NBA Live. Need for Speed: Payback, the latest in thelong-running street racing series, featured explosive chases and sequences that invokethe flavour of the Fast and Furious movies.

EA also showed off A Way Out, a game where players control a pair of convicts attempting a prison break, and Star Wars Battlefront II, the sequel to 2015's wildly popular online shooter. Battlefront II will add a single-player story mode starring Janina Gavankar (Arrow, True Blood) as an Imperial squad commander named Iden Versio and takes place between the events of The Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

Bethesda announced Quake Champions, a revival of the classic '90s PC shooter, and virtual reality versions of Doom and Fallout 4. But the standout announcement came in the form ofWolfensteinII: The New Colossus, which depicts a sci-fi, alternativehistory take on the Second World War where the Nazis have conquered the U.S.

Canadian-madeCuphead, Anthem shown off

Two Canadian-made studios took the spotlight as well. Cuphead by Studio MDHR (based in Oakville, Ont., and Regina Sask.) which features a 1930s, Steamboat Willie-inspired animation stylerevealed a release date of Sept.29.

Meanwhile Edmonton-based Bioware revealed its latest major project: Anthem, a sci-fi, online multiplayer shooter. Preview footage showed a team of heavily-armed soldiers roaming a lush jungle environment populated by monstrous local fauna.

The video game industry event continues this week with a flood of press conferences, trailer reveals and livestreams from the Los Angeles Convention Center. Major presentations continue Monday with Ubisoft and Sony PlayStation holding press conferences this afternoon and evening.

• E3 opens doors to gaming fans in hopes of staying relevant
• Project Scorpio, Microsoft's upgraded Xbox, promises smooth 4K gaming