Microsoft has announced a supercharged version of its Xbox One console, as well as a diverse collection of new games and features coming to the platform, at an event ahead of the E3 expo in Los Angeles.

The Xbox One X, which has the primary selling point of being able to render games natively at 4K resolution and higher complexity, is being touted by Microsoft as the most powerful console ever created. This isn't an unbelievable claim, as consoles tend to be more powerful than those that have preceded them, but it highlights the processing superiority of the One X over the competing PlayStation 4 Pro which launched last year.

The One X packs 12GB of RAM, a faster graphics chip and a custom CPU that "is the fastest, most advanced processor ever in a games console", according to Xbox's director of software engineering Kareem Choudhry.

But in addition to being the most powerful, the machine is also the smallest Xbox ever. To accomplish both these feats together, the console contains a vapour chamber for liquid cooling, the kind of spec usually reserved for top of the line PC graphics cards or server computers, Choudhry said.

As with the PS4 Pro, all games released for Xbox One going forward will be playable on the entire "family" of consoles — including the Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X — but players on One X with get advantages like faster loading, increased graphical fidelity and higher resolution (or super-sampling, if played on a standard 1080p TV). All existing accessories for Xbox One will also be supported on the One X.

The new console will launch in worldwide on November 7, and in Australia  it will cost $649.

New (and old) Xbox games announced

The conference was one of unprecedented pizazz for Xbox. Live pyrotechnics accompanied a new trailer for Crackdown 3 that starred a screaming Terry Crews. A brand new, never-before-seen Porsche 911 was unveiled on stage as part of the first look at Forza Motorsport 7. A live pianist played for the announcement of the atmospheric Ori sequel Will of the Wisps.

But the loudest reactions from Xbox fans in attendance came when a release date was given to the long delayed Cuphead (the platformer in the style of a 1920s animated film will arrive on September 29) and when it was announced the Xbox One would soon be able to play games from the original "OG" Xbox.

A total of 42 titles were shown off during the Xbox conference, which Xbox boss Phil Spencer proudly said represented "very different games for every type of gamer".

New entries in popular franchises, including Metro and Assassin's Creed, were given first looks at the show as well as announcements that fan favourite games from PC, like Player Unknown's Battlegrounds and Lucky's Tale, were on their way to Xbox.

In-keeping with Spencer's diversity theme, there was also a significant number of more artful, obtuse-looking titles compared to the usual testosterone-filled Xbox briefing (including a new Life is Strange among them) and even more unusually, several games developed in Asia, a region in which Xbox historically is not a major player.

The conference wrapped up with a first look at the gameplay of Anthem, a new game from Mass Effect creators BioWare. A sci-fi adventure RPG you play with friends, the game looks to blend the company's trademark knack for storytelling with online co-operative multiplayer.

The author travelled to Los Angeles as a guest of Ubisoft.