The three companies that consistently dominate the E3 coverage each year are the same three in stiff competition with to outdo one another through hardware announcements and exclusive software titles. Last year wasn’t really Nintendo’s year, giving up much of the spotlight to Sony and Microsoft. This year, it seems all three are in the running for the best E3 showing of 2010.
Sony
Going into E3 this year, we knew that Playstation Move would take up much of the company’s attention as they retry their hand at motion controls. Starting September 19th, Move will launch with its own catalog of unique titles and will have the ability to replace the normal controller in many games like SOCOM 4, Little Big Planet 2, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010.
A new section of the Playstation Network called Playstation Plus that grants a bunch of in-game content, demos, auto-patching, and a free game that changes each month. For $49 per year, we’ll see how it shapes up once it hits maturity. Xbox Live better watch out!
Microsoft
Although very little has been seen of Project Natal in action, Microsoft finally took the wraps off what is now called Kinect. Opting for a much different experience than the Wii or Move can offer, Microsoft dumped a majority of their momentum on Kinect. With titles like Kinectimals, Star Wars, Fitness Evolved, and Metal Gear Solid Microsoft’s looking to appeal everyone – from the kids to the hardcore gamers. When it goes on sale later this year for an all but confirmed $149, we’ll see how the gamers react.
Kinect wasn’t the only thing Microsoft was eager to show off. The Xbox 360 got a new look for summer with a slimmer, less red ring-y piano black chassis starting at $299. They’ve got a solid lineup, most of which we can expect to see before year’s end. Among them is Fable III, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Halo Reach. Further out they’ve got Gears of War 3 and Metal Gear Solid Rising. All in all, it’s going to be a solid year for Xbox owners new and old.
Nintendo
The show stealer for Nintendo was clearly their new handheld, the 3DS that displays games in the 3D you surely love without the glasses you surely hate. With a solid backing from 3rd party developers, the 3DS should see Assassin’s Creed, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts, and Resident Evil all make their way to Nintendo’s new handheld. No release date and pricing were revealed so stay tuned for some post E3 news.
The Wii still managed to grab plenty of attention despite being outdone by the 3DS. With Nintendo stars Link, Mario, Kirby, Samus, and Donkey Kong all making their way to the Wii, it’s great to see Nintendo stay true to their roots and giving Wii owners what they want. Any fan of Nintendo’s first party characters is surely sitting pretty heading into such an unexpectedly solid lineup.
With all three companies making big announcements, it’s hard to declare a winner. We’ll leave it that decision up to the comments. Let us know who had the best showing, putting aside your allegiance to whichever you own.
