In context: The holiday launch window for next-gen consoles is approaching rapidly, and both Sony and Microsoft have accelerated their marketing campaigns accordingly. Combined, the companies have already revealed dozens of games that will be available on their upcoming consoles, but they've mostly been third-party or cross-gen titles thus far.

Those games look excellent, but when it comes to choosing what console to buy, it's often the first-party exclusives that matter most to the average player. Microsoft fans who fall into that camp will be pleased to hear that the tech giant will be unveiling a slew of first-party Xbox Series X titles on July 23, as part of the ongoing Summer Game Fest celebration.

The event will kick off at 9 AM PT, with a pre-show scheduled for 8 AM PT. The pre-show will be hosted by gaming journalist, enthusiast, and regular event host Geoff Keighley (of Game Awards fame). It's not clear what the pre-show will consist of, but in similar events, Keighley typically brings on a few high-profile guests who will talk about their expectations for the showcase and their thoughts on the future of gaming.

Unfortunately, we don't know how many games will be shown off on July 23, but we hope for a meaty showcase.

Naturally, Microsoft isn't leaving its current-gen consoles to rot amidst all this next-gen hardware hype. As we reported last week, separately from the July 23 event, the company will be hosting a week-long "Summer Games Fest Demo Event," starting on July 21. This event will preview between 75 and 100 Xbox One titles, 60 of which will have playable demos, to emulate the experience of attending E3 and getting hands-on time with the latest games.

We look forward to seeing what Microsoft has up its sleeve. As usual, we'll be covering any major announcements or reveals here, so stay tuned.