It’s that time of the year again. The time when gamers plant themselves in front of their computers, constantly hitting the “refresh” button on their chosen browser, looking for the minute-to-minute coverage of one of the world’s biggest video game expos. I’ve said it several times lately, but once more for the record, E3 is just around the corner. The press conferences are lined up, the rumors have been dumped on us by the ton, and the level of anticipation is through the roof. It’s completely understandable, too; this year may turn out to be one of the biggest E3 shows yet, with so many huge announcements on the horizon. Every year, it seems to be a competition between the big names in video games, Nintendo vs. Microsoft vs. Sony, and this year is certainly no different. So the question that a lot of people are asking, is “who is going to win E3 this year?” Well, look no further than this article, as we examine what each company is bringing to the table.
Nintendo
There are many who agree that this year is Nintendo’s last shot to impress the video game world. The Wii was a huge success commercially, but from that success came an entirely different audience of Nintendo fans. The Wii U is the company’s plan to bring back their core audience, while still holding onto the casual fans birthed from it’s predecessor. Luckily, rumors of the system’s hardware capabilities are making the Wii U seem like a very interesting console, and one that will present a very unique gaming experience. This year, we are sure to finally see the console in action with more than just tech demos, and learn about some of the software that will be available at launch this year. Hopefully Nintendo will also reveal the price of the system so that gamers can start saving up for it. There is a lot riding on the success of the Wii U, but Nintendo is also the first company to give us a next-generation console, which means that they are going to be getting a lot of attention at E3 from gamers curious about what the next generation will be delivering in terms of graphics and gameplay. Aside from their new console, there are sure to be some big announcements on next-generation titles.
Sony
Sony is going to have one of, if not THE, biggest shows of E3. While the rumors still suggest that there will be no appearance or talk of the next Sony console, the company certainly has a lot going for it. A special reveal from Quantic Dream, information on Battle Royale, and the announcement of a completely revamped PlayStation Plus program are all things to be very excited about. Not to mention the announcement of a partnership with a cloud-based gaming service (ahem, OnLive), which could change the face of the industry altogether. Even with all of the rumors that are circulating, and the stuff we know for sure will make an appearance, the company still claims to have a lot more top-secret announcements up its sleeve. Sure, we’ll most likely get an Infamous 3, but what could be that mysterious title that they are going to announce? Is it a new sequel, or an entirely new Sony-exclusive IP? Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to find out, as Sony’s highly-anticipated press conference takes place on Monday, June 4, where all of our questions will be answered.
Microsoft
Wow, Microsoft has had a bad year. With overall sales down by almost half this year, in addition to having almost no exclusives to keep the system afloat, Microsoft really needs to pull out the big guns if they have any hope of succeeding in the future. Unfortunately, it may be too late for the system, as sales of the Xbox 360 have now been banned in Germany, with judges supporting the decision to ban some version of the system here in the US. If Microsoft is going to survive in the gaming industry, they need to reveal their upcoming console as quickly as possible to get people excited. We’re obviously going to be seeing Halo 4 as well as Bungie’s new project in action, but without some exclusives, it seems that the company’s “full-steam ahead” approach has caused them to crash into a wall. Will Halo 4 be enough to keep people interested in the future of the Xbox?
E3 is only a week away now, with the big conferences coming even sooner, and only then will we truly know which of these companies is set to succeed. It’s sure to be a big year for gamers everywhere, so make sure to tune into the press conferences, and keep a close eye on Explosion.com for E3 updates.
Nintendo will win like always