This week, I’m in Los Angeles covering the geekstravaganza that is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 for short.

The annual trade show comes to an end tomorrow. Here are some of the highlights of the week. My full rundown of the pre-event press conferences is at the Straight.

Get ready for new Xbox models and platform agnostic play

Microsoft wants you to be able to play your Xbox games on more than just your console.

It’s part of an initiative they call Play Anywhere, and what it means is that, starting with all games being developed by Microsoft, you will purchase the game for one platform, and get versions for all Xbox platforms. Buy it for Xbox One, for example, and get the Windows 10 version, too.

Even better, the game will cross save your progress and achievements, so you can stop playing on your Xbox and pick up the game where you left off on a Windows 10 computer.

There are also new Xboxes coming, starting with the Xbox One S, which arrives in August and will be available in three configurations (Canadian pricing listed):

• 500 GB hard drive for $399
• 1 TB hard drive for $449
• 2 TB hard drive for $499 (limited edition launch edition)

The higher powered machine, code-named Scorpio, will be released late in 2017.

PS VR is the easiest way to get into virtual reality

Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging field, and the experiences are very limited, yet, as developers figure out what they can do with the technology and audiences figure out what they want from it all. The HTC Vive and Oculus Rift are expensive and require high-end computers to operate so they aren’t an option for most people.

If you own a PS4, PlayStation’s virtual reality headset is the cheapest way to find out what VR is all about. The games are basic, but they show great promise. And promising 50 different experiences before the end of the year, PS VR will be in high demand this fall.

I tried a couple of the PS VR titles, and the potential of this technology is apparent. Farpoint had me walking on an alien planet and shooting weird, spider-like creatures that were attacking me. And Robinson had me on a different alien world populated by dinosaurs. I did’t get to try the Batman VR experience, but reports were that it was quite something.

Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda display is ethereal

Nintendo was really only talking about one thing this week: The Legend of Zelda. The new game, Breath of the Wild, is coming sometime next year to the Wii U as well as the new Nintendo console, codenamed NX.

At E3, the game was playable on Wii U consoles, and Nintendo had 140 of them set up in the Los Angeles Convention Centre. They created a space that was like a theme park version of Hyrule, the world in which the game takes place. It was filled with living plants, a massive backdrop painting, and big statues of Link and some of the other characters in the game.

The game itself is its own thing. While each of the Zelda games features the same characters and elements, the stories are distinct. The art style in this one is soft and natural, with an almost cell-shaded look. In it, Link awakes after a 100-year sleep and has no memory of anything.

Breath of the Wild is an open world game, and it’s a huge space to inhabit. I played it for about 30 minutes, and didn’t want to step away.

Best games I played at E3

I didn’t get to try everything, and some games that I’m excited about – Dishonored 2 and God of War are among them – weren’t available to play. But of the things I did get hands-on with, here were my favourites.

• Dead Rising 4
• Deux Ex Go
• Farpoint (PS VR)
• For Honor
• Gears of War 4
• Harvest: Zero Dawn
• The Legend of Zelda
• ReCore
• TItanfall 2

I’m playing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided tomorrow; I expect it belongs on this list.