Xbox Gamescom 2014 press conference round-up: Tomb Raider, Halo Channel

Microsoft held its Gamescom 2014 press conference in Cologne, Germany today. Maybe you followed along with our liveblog and the event's livestream, or pounded away at the "F5" key to see the flood of news slide down our front page. Regardless, we have a recap of this morning's events below (okay, this afternoon where the conference was held).

• European players will have the option to pick up a FIFA 15 Xbox One bundle on September 25 for 400 euros/£350.

• The Xbox One preview program is expanding its feature set to include an improved friends section, the ability to view messages, friends, parties and achievements via a snapped app and the ability to play media from a USB device following DLNA protocols.

• Microsoft announced a mess of games from independent developers in the ID@Xbox program for Xbox One, such as Goat Simulator, Superhot, No Time to Explain, Dungeon of the Endless and Smite.

• Crystal Dynamics revealed that Rise of the Tomb Raider will be exclusive to Xbox consoles.

• Turtle Rock Studios will bring the beta for Evolve to Xbox One in January. DLC for the game will also arrive on Microsoft's next-gen platform first.

• Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 and Thrillville studio Frontier Developments will ride the rails of its latest game, Screamride, to Xbox One and Xbox 360 in spring 2015.

• Fable Legends' multiplayer beta will kick off in October on Xbox One.

• Who needs one bundle when you can have two? Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's Xbox One bundle will be available on November 3, and brings with it a one terabyte hard drive as well as a custom controller and headset.

• Moon Studios will get adventurous when Ori and the Blind Forest launches on PC and Xbox systems this holiday season. The game was previously expected to arrive in the fall.

• Wait a minute, a third Xbox One bundle? Sunset Overdrive stars in this package, which will hit retail on October 28.

• Microsoft and 343 Industries announced a new Halo-themed digital destination for PC and Xbox One called the Halo Channel. The channel broadcasts live Twitch-enabled gameplay and offers original content based around the Halo series.

• What has two thumbs and a skill-based ranking system with leveling identical to that of Halo 2? Why, Halo: The Master Chief Collection of course. Except the thumbs part, forget about that.

• The Xbox One will receive pre-ordering and pre-downloading options for select games in the near future, including FIFA 15 and Forza Horizon 2.

• The beta program for Halo 5: Guardians will now launch on December 29.

• Capybara Games' Below is now slated to arrive in 2015.

[Image: Microsoft]