Timing is a funny thing. Microsoft has just touted that the Xbox Series X will have "thousands of playable games at launch," just hours before the PS5's massive game showcase.

Now, I'm not going to accuse Xbox of trying to steal the PS5's thunder, but Jason Ronald, director of program management for Xbox Series X, certainly picked a great time to write a blog post about "the future of Xbox". Ronald details much of what we already knew about the Xbox Series X, including its better low-paper than the PS5, ray tracing, and 4K resolution capabilities.

He also endorsed how the Xbox Series X's Quick Resume feature will help people drop in and out of next-generation games with "new levels of fidelity, immediacy, accuracy and precision never before seen in console gaming." However, the most notable aspect of the Xbox Wire post was how many games will be available when the Xbox Series X arrives in late 2020.

"We believe strongly in providing compatibility across four generations of Xbox, and we know you want that," Ronald said, noting that the Xbox Series X is currently in the hands of 15 Xbox Game Studios teams. This means that in addition to selected backward-compatible titles from all three generations of Xbox consoles, there should be a number of new next-generation games, many of which will be upgraded with 4K support, 120fps frame rates, HDR, and more.

Ronald cited "Halo Infinite" as one of the new "blockbuster games" coming to Xbox Series X, effectively confirming that it will be the launch game for Xbox Series X. Interestingly, he also noted that mobile games, cloud-powered game streaming via Project xCloud, and cross-platform games will all be part of the Xbox Series X repertoire.

"Importantly, over 80% of console gamers also play on PC and mobile. That's why we're rolling out services like Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Live, and Project xCloud across consoles, PCs, and mobile."

Given all of this, the Xbox Series X is likely to be a core part of the broader Xbox ecosystem. The PS5, by contrast, is likely to be a more singular console aimed at delivering the best next-generation games Sony can offer. In other words, there should be compelling differences between the two next-generation consoles, and for those with deep pockets, the argument is that they should get both.

The PS5 game lineup will be detailed at the PS5 event, "The Future of Gaming," which begins today at 1 p.m. (4 p.m. CST) Tom'sGuide will bring you the latest news as it is announced at the showcase. And we'll see what Microsoft needs to do to compete with the PS5 at the Xbox Series X event in July.