This week Microsoft took over gamescom, the world’s biggest video games expo (even better than E3!) in Cologne, Germany. The Xbox maker hosted a media briefing, while the competition–namely, Sony and Nintendo–sat on the sidelines this go-around. The briefing played mostly like a reiteration of Microsoft’s E3 presentation, highlighting Xbox’s “greatest games lineup in history.” Numerous upcoming titles were previewed. Among the most prominent are these Xbox One exclusives: Remedy Games’ Quantum Leap, a “cinematic, story-driven action game” with a live action show baked inside is to Xbox One on April 5, 2016. Actors Shawn Ashmore (X-Men, The Following), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), and Lance Reddick (Fringe) are among the talent lending their likeness to the game. ReAgent’s cooking up Crackdown 3, the next installment in the third-person open world shooter, and it lands on Xbox One in summer 2016. It supports a 4-person co-operative campaign mode. Befriend a dragon in PlatinumGames’ Scalebound, an action-adventure RPG from renowned game director Hideki Kamiya, coming fall 2016. Killer Instinct Season 3 arrives in March with cross-platform functionality across Xbox One and Windows 10. From Mojang (the makers of Mincraft) and Oxeye Game Studio comes Cobalt, a new 2D platformer with multiplayer support. This one is coming to Xbox One and the 360 in October; the alpha version is out now for PC and Mac today. KickStarted game We Happy Few, from Compulsion Games, is a first-person stealth game that looks to be as unsettling as it does fun; it’s due out sometime next year for Xbox One and Windows 10. Halo Wars 2, from 343 Industries and Creative Assembly (Total War, Alien: Isolation), capped the briefing and received big applause from the press in the audience. The sequel to the 2009 real-time strategy game is coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 in fall 2016.

For more from Xbox at gamescom, including software updates and new hardware announcements, jump after the break.

In addition to discussing games, Microsoft also set aside time at gamescom to talk about significant software updates coming to Xbox. Windows 10 is coming to Xbox One in November, bringing with it a brand-new UI focused on speed and bringing the social Xbox Live community to the forefront of the dashboard experience. This was originally announced at E3 in June, and you can learn more about the new UI in detail here. Also coming in November is backward compatibility. Over 100 Xbox 360 titles will be playable on Xbox One this fall, with “hundreds more to come,” says Microsoft. The company is letting gamers vote on which 360 titles they want made playable on the current-gen console, and it promises lots more will trickle out in time. Made official now is that all future Xbox 360 Games with Gold will also be made BC, meaning XBL Gold members will have more free games to play each month on the One.

Another software update, this one coming a bit later in 2016, is full-featured DVR functionality on Xbox One. The subscription-free service will allow console-owners who receive a free over-the-air HD television feed to record shows, schedule recordings, and stream and download recorded shows to any Windows 10 device.

Last, but certainly not least, hardware. Remember the Xbox 360 Chatpad that hooked up to the bottom of your controller allowing for quick access to a full qwerty keyboard? Well, a similar accessory has been made for your Xbox One controller. The new Xbox Chatpad works just like its predecessor; this time around, however, it also packs two programmable buttons for “access to features like Game DVR, screenshots or apps at the touch of a button” and it’s supported by Windows 10, too. It’s available for preorder today at $34.99 and releases November 3.

It started with a 500GB HDD, and today you can buy an Xbox One with a 1TB drive. Still, that may not be enough for gamers who rely on digital downloads for games instead of discs. To assuage storage concerns, Microsoft has teamed up with Seagate to produce the Game Drive, a 2TB external HDD that gives Xbox One and Xbox 360 gamers more breathing room. Sporting USB 3.0, the green-colored Game Drive is “the only external drive designed exclusively for Xbox,” says Microsoft’s Major Nelson. It’s up for preorder today at $99.99 and hits stores later this month.

Halo 5: Guardians is coming, and to celebrate Master Chief’s next adventure, MSFT is offering a limited-edition bundle that packs the anticipated title with a custom-made console and wireless controller inspired by Spartan Locke and UNSC technology . The 1TB console features “two-tone paneling, blue metallic accents, graphics on the vents, and in-game sounds, including the Plasma Grenade charging up when turning the console on, smart-link activation when hitting the eject button and more.” The controller “complements the console with chrome and metal details, and a honeycomb pattern and insignias.” The bundle, available for preorder today at $499, comes out October 20, a full week before Guardians launches. (Note that the bundle includes a digital version of the game that won’t be playable until October 27.) Dig the Halo-inspired controller that comes with it? It will also be sold separately for $69.99 in early October, alongside a green “Master Chief” game pad. To round out the experience, MSFT is touting the officially licensed ASTRO A40+MixAmp M80 gaming headset featuring “a custom dark chrome matte finish with metallic blue accents, and a subtle-yet-striking Halo-inspired graphical treatment.” It’s out in September for $220.00 from ASTRO Gaming.

Update (8/7): Want a sneak peek at the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller? Previously announced at E3, the geared-for-pro-gamers controller popped back into the spotlight at Gamescom where MSFT previewed its highly customizable functions. Click here to see how you’ll be able to configure the various components of the pad via a special Xbox app. The pricey Elite is out in October for $149.99.

With an exciting games lineup set for the holiday season and bleeding into 2016 and beyond, Microsoft is solidifying the Xbox One as the console for gamers to jump on. Plus, as the One’s user interface and functionality continues to evolve with social features, apps, and other consumable content, the multifaceted box in your living room is more than just a video game system–it’s a powerful entertainment hub. Memo to Sony & Nintendo: step up your game because Microsoft is crushing it.

[Via Xbox Wire; Major Nelson]