E3 expo kicks off with big announcements from Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony

E3 expo kicks off with big announcements from Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony

Companies make news prior to the event’s start, giving attendees a taste of what to expect

BY JEFFREY BAUSCH

Despite the fact that the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the year’s largest video game and entertainment expo, officially begins today and runs through Thursday, there were a series of press events held by some of the world’s largest gaming companies these past few days to give attendees a taste of what they can expect to see at the show.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo takes place June 5-7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Missed the announcements? Here’s what you need to know:

Microsoft

Microsoft revealed its plans for the future of Xbox 360, and boy do things sound great.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (Via: geardiary.com)

The company announced that the game console’s online service will expand its sports and entertainment offerings to include ESPN’s Monday Night Football, National Basketball Association games, and Nickelodeon cartoons. It will get films from Paramount studios, shows from Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, 24-hour ESPN programming, and National Hockey League games, too.

Altogether, Microsoft will add 35 entertainment providers.

The company also announced a new Xbox 360-based service called SmartGlass . Basically, the way it works is it allows Xbox media to be streamed to smart devices such as, say, one’s phone or tablet, and also allows them to act as a controller for streaming online content to a television via the Xbox 360.

This is especially exciting because now that Microsoft plans to incorporate Internet Explorer with Xbox 360, users will not have to use the system’s game controller to surf the Web; rather, a phone or tablet would suffice, and allow online content to appear on the television via the Xbox 360 console.

On a side note, SmartGlass is a terrific way to push content. An example given is using the system in conjunction with HBO Go: A user watches Game of Thrones while traveling and then, upon arriving home, opts to stream the rest of the episode to a TV via the Xbox 360, picking up right where he or she left off. At this point, the tablet originally used to watch the show turns into a map of Westeros, showing the user where the scene in the episode is taking place.

SmartGlass provides a seamless transition between media devices. (Via: gottabemobile.com)

SmartGlass is also great for playing games. One of the examples given was using it to play Madden : Plays and audibles can be called on the tablet, and then run automatically by the system, somewhat akin to a coach on the sidelines holding a clipboard.

As far as compatibility, this is not a Windows-exclusive service: SmartGlass is compatible with all of the major devices and operating systems out there, including Windows Phone and Windows 8 (obviously), as well as iOS and Android.

These announcements are part of a grand plan by Microsoft to convert the Xbox 360 from being viewed as just another gaming console, to being seen as a complete home entertainment system that links everything together, from a customer’s computer to their tablet to their phone.

Microsoft certainly has the audience for it: the Xbox 360 accounted for more than 40% of U.S. console sales for 14 months straight through April.

Nintendo

Japan’s Nintendo announced the official launch of its much-anticipated new Wii U gaming system, which will come complete with a social and content network called Miivese . Subscribers will be able to interact with their Miiverse profiles not just from the Wii U console, but from any smartphone, tablet, or web-connected device.

Another noteworthy highlight tied to Wii U is its new tablet controller, “GamePad.” It features dual joysticks, touchscreen control, and can also be used as a TV remote. The gizmo is shaped like a standard handheld console, so it’s not at all ungainly to use.

The new Wii U Gamepad is an all-in-one game / TV control. (Via: guyspeed.com)

For the more serious gamers out there, a pro controller for the machine will also be made available.

Sony

Sony had a pair of announcements. The first had to do with its PlayStation platform; specifically, in regard to new titles and cross-play capabilities between its PS3 and Vita game consoles.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Vita. (Via: geeky-gadgets.com)

Many popular PS3 games will begin to make their way to the handheld-based Vita, including Final Fantasy VII , Tomb Raider , and Cool Boarders 2 , among others. Furthermore, Vita will become more multimedia capable, if you will, as YouTube, Hulu Plus, and Crackle Television content will now be made available on the handset.

Sony also announced a new approach to storybooks. The product, called “Wonderbook,” is a book-shaped peripheral device that’s used in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye camera (part of the PlayStation Move platform) to create augmented reality stories.

The system focuses specifically on educational and family-friendly content. The first Wonderbook title is a Harry Potter-themed story called Book of Spells . It was developed in conjunction with J.K. Rowling, who contributed new writing for this feature, and the story revolves around readers learning how to use their magic wands (the PlayStation Move controller) to cast spells from the “book.”

Rather than try and describe all of the many different ways one could use it, check out the promo video below to see it in action:

The expo is going on right now

The E3 expo is taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from now until Thursday. Other companies like NVIDIA, Electronic Arts, Zynga, and Ubisoft, are all on site and will be making their own company announcements over these next few days.

Learn more about the expo and see who else is there via the E3 website. ■