After the Game Developers Conference (GDC) was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, E3 2020 became the shining beacon for the gaming industry. Unfortunately, even with increased safety precautions in place on top of the other health-related actions plans, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) ultimately ended up calling it off. With Sony out of the picture, Microsoft was expected to take centre stage and officially introduce the Xbox Series X and its launch titles. However, the unexpected turn of events pushes the company to host a live stream instead.

Last month, Xbox chief Phil Spencer responded to a tweet regarding its plans for this year's E3. He pointed out that his team was busy planning for their presentation at the event. A week after, Microsoft surprised everyone when it dropped more details about its new console. In fact, if the GDC 2020 pushed through, there was a special segment wherein the system developers were scheduled to discuss the innovative and immersive audio of the Xbox Series X.

#GDC20 was postponed, but our sessions couldn’t be held back. Get ready for #GameStackLive, streaming live March 17—March 18. Get more info today: https://t.co/nPIfIKDphk pic.twitter.com/WSIMbjQN80

— Microsoft Game Stack (@MSFTGameStack) March 9, 2020

It looks like Microsoft is going with a back-up plan to make up for its original GDC 2020 presentation and maybe more. Now that it lost another platform to showcase the Xbox Series X in its entirety, sources suspect that the live stream will answer some questions. Furthermore, it seems that Project xCloud is likewise part of the hour-long broadcast on Wednesday, March 18, as stated by The Verge.

Aside from already revealing how the retail version of the console will look like, Microsoft also shared some key specifications. The CPU is based on the AMD Zen 2 and Radeon RDNA 2 architecture. Gamers are looking at approximately 12 teraflops of computing performance. Similar to the PS5, it will be equipped with an NVMe SSD to effectively reduce loading times. Support for 8K and frame rates at 120 fps was also confirmed.

Xbox partners with Samsung for Project xCloud
Unlike Google's recently introduced game-streaming platform, the Stadia, feedback for Project xCloud have been surprisingly favourable. Photo: Microsoft

On the other hand, consumers are likewise curious as to the state of Microsoft's cloud-gaming service. So far, feedback from users who participated in the beta has been favourable. It remains to be seen what the company has in store in line with the Xbox Series X. Fans are hoping that pricing and other features will be revealed next week.

Microsoft