LOS ANGELES--I've lost track of how many E3 shows I've been to. It doesn't matter. What's important is that the show used to be larger, more vibrant...and more relevant. What happened?
If you boil down this year's show, new hardware was scarce and new software didn't fill the gap. Still, trends were present and lessons, too, that I hope get applied to next year's show. Yes, it was an odd year this year. … Read more
For a trade show all about video games and interactive entertainment, it's surprising to me that some of the most popular games are hardly represented at all. Amid the halls filled with life-size statues of space marines and zombies, you'll see little of the Facebook and social games that remain popular, if uncool.
There's a definite hierarchy to the games and gamers at E3. The PC game types look down at the console types, and they both look down at the social/casual types. Which is, on one hand, not surprising, as much of the audience at E3 is made up of industry enthusiasts who blur the line between fan and impartial observer, and they clearly prefer Halo to CityVille.
On the other hand, it's hard to ignore a huge genre of games that measure users in terms of tens of millions of monthly players (referred to as monthly average users, or MAU).
And yet, ignored these games are. At E3 2012, you'll find Disney and subsidiary Playdom, with Facebook games such as Armies of Magic. EA promotes games such as the brand-new Sim City Social or The Sims Social, both Facebook versions of classic PC games, but I've seen little of the popular games (Bejeweled, Zuma,) from PopCap, a recent EA acquisition. … Read more
LOS ANGELES--Nintendo had already unveiled the Wii U well before E3 started, but there were a lot of things going into this show that we didn't know. Nintendo's keynote spent a great deal of time detailing what the Wii U can do, what its online and app services are, and what games we can expect to see. A small amount of time was also spent on the Nintendo 3DS, but today's event was clearly dedicated to the Wii U.
What we didn't get, however, was a date and price. Not surprising, but anticlimactic all the same.… Read more
Sony just got an ally to help with its mobile gaming initiative.
The company said yesterday that handset maker HTC had signed on to support its "PlayStation Certified" program with the intent of bolstering the mobile gaming capabilities of its devices.
The PlayStation Certified program is Sony's attempt to stand out in the crowded mobile arena, although it is currently little more than a curated app store using a well-known brand and games that are available elsewhere. The PlayStation Certified concept was a key part of the Xperia Play smartphone, which was a flop. By expanding to … Read more
E3 2012 sees Microsoft in a unique position among the console companies. While Sony may make game consoles, televisions, and laptops, only Microsoft owns both a console ecosystem and major PC operating system. And with Windows 8 only months away, now may be the perfect time to finally draw a solid line connecting the two. But based on what we've seen at the Microsoft E3 press conference, this may not be the year for that.
SmartGlass, the new multi-screen/multi-platform app from Microsoft, is a good start. While SmartGlass will be available on many types of tablets and phones, … Read more
It's a rite of passage for every tech trade show.
Apple, the 800-pound gorilla of the industry, never has an official presence at shows like CTIA (mobile), CES (consumer electronics), and Computex (PCs). But if you read between the lines of the press conferences and press releases, every company at those shows is implicitly talking about -- and reacting to -- the latest Apple gadgets, new or anticipated.
And now, as we approach the annual E3 trade show, the focus naturally turns to Apple's role in the video game industry.
During E3 2011, we made an obvious observation … Read more
The collection of games and gear on display at E3 2011 was among the best we'd ever seen. The Nintendo Wii U and PlayStation Vita offered hot new hardware, while games such as Skyrim and BioShock Infinite made for an especially strong software lineup.
One year later, the things we called out as the best of E3 2011 fall into a couple of categories.
Some made their expected release dates (and several were huge hits); some are making yet another appearance this year, either as originally planned or because of delays; and some have seemingly vanished from the radar, and it may be some time before we see them again.
We've taken our top 20 favorites from last year and given each a succinct report card or update, and we'll be taking bets on which ones will slip further and show up at E3 2013 as well. … Read more
OK, honestly, this is my last post on E3. While this year's show is over and we've seen both surprises and disappointments, another year looms: and with it, we hold out hope that next year's show can deliver on some unanswerables that this year's show conveniently skipped. At least, that's the way I feel. No show can ever hope to bring everything we expect--mainly, because E3 is only a collection of demonstrations from an industry that's constantly evolving--but as I peer into next year's crystal ball, this is what I hope we find.
Games and reasons to buy the Wii U Nintendo's next console, the Wii U, remains shrouded in mystery, in the middle of a year where Nintendo remains in a larger cloud of uncertainty. The Nintendo 3DS feels like a disappointment, and the Wii is in decline. That touch-screen tablet-of-wonders that Nintendo's hawking is a project with no definitive must-have games or applications, and that will need to change next year.… Read more
Sure, you know about the Wii U. You know about the PlayStation Vita. But do you know about the jDome immersive game screen? How about a device that takes physical game pieces and puts them in games? Or, what about a triple-mount TV stand for all your motion-control camera gear?
The E3 Expo is always known for its explosively loud gaming demos and endless play kiosks (not to mention costumed absurdity), but tucked away in the corners are lesser-known companies hawking peripherals and technology that ranges from the intriguing to the absurd. In years past, these odd bits of gaming … Read more
For many gamers, going to E3 is an unfulfilled dream. Attendance is tightly controlled (depending on your definition of tight), so unlike a boat show or comic book convention, you can't just buy a ticket and show up.
But if you do someday make it to E3, the show secrets presented here may help you get the most out of the experience. Regular attendees eventually work out most of these tips, but we're always open to new suggestions--feel free to list your own E3 secrets in the comments section below.
(Note: Also below is a handy list of … Read more
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