E3 News and Games Thread

[Power and Glory]

I've decided to put this together as a way for people to stop by read on any happenings and other stuff going on at this years E3. E3 officially opens on Wednesday and runs through Friday. Monday and Tuesday is when Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo will hold their own press conferences detailing their future in the next-generation of gaming consoles.

During E3 Gamespot plans on having HD quality movies of games shown. These high quality movies are only open to subscribers of their Complete service which I have. If anyone is interested in any game movies shown at E3 let me know and I will be happy to send them to you either through IRC or MSN.

To start off there is a nice article over at www.ign.com for the upcoming PC game Battlefield 2. Just head over to their PC section. They also have a slew of movies and pics for what's looking to be a great game come this June.

Also Gamespot has posted what seems to be the first sighting of a Playstation 3 ad http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/14/ne...ws_6124579.html. They also have a nice section detailing what we know about the Xbox360.

Also click on Gamespot's E3 banner and if you go down to the right side of their E3 page you can watch their 50 minute documentary from their DVD of last year's E3. It shows all of the work that goes into E3 and some other stuff.

IGN also has a nice page detailing every game updated as of now. http://www.ign.com/e3/2005/ and at http://www.ign.com/e3/2005/games/. Those 2 pages will be heavily updated around the clock this coming week.

Again if anything sparks your interest from either IGN or Gamespot that you would like me to send to you let me know.

Updates to Follow.

Again this is only for people interested. This is not a thread to debate one console is better than the other or how PC's reign supreme. It's about the event itself and the games. I like gaming in general so I have no bias towards any platform and I would like to see this thread kept this way. I will delete any replies that goes against this.

[Power and Glory]

Latest from the newswire today. This is from Gamespot:http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/15/ne...ws_6124592.html

Halo 3 parrying PlayStation 3 launch

Time quotes Bill Gates saying Sony's next-gen console will "walk into" the Xbox 360 follow-up to the best-selling sci-fi shooter.

For months, the Web was rife with rumors that Microsoft would ship the sequel to Halo 2 for the Xbox 360 simultaneously with the launch of the PlayStation 3. Now, that has been confirmed--by none other than Bill Gates himself.

In next week's issue of Time Magazine--which features Gates holding the Xbox 360 on the cover--Gates mentioned plans for the release of the much-anticipated follow-up to the best-selling console shooter. In a parenthetical sidebar in the article, Time says the following:

"Note to the hard-core faithful: the next version of Halo will not, repeat not, be ready in time for the launch of Xbox 360. It will be part of the all-important second wave next spring. 'It's perfect,' Gates says, radiant with bloodlust. 'The day Sony launches [the new PlayStation], and they walk right into Halo 3.'"

While Microsoft reps were not available for comment as of press time, Gates' comments appear to confirm the theory that Microsoft will release Halo 3 either simultaneously or near the release of Sony's next-gen console. It also marks the first official confirmation that a third Halo is indeed in the works, and will be released for the Xbox 360.

Although such statements might be interpreted as grandstanding, such a maneuver definitely would have an impact. Halo 2 sold over 6.5 million copies to date, and is credited with doubling the subscriber base of Xbox Live from around 750,000 to over 1.5 million. It is also credited by industry-watchers as one of the main reasons for boosting sales of the original Xbox last holiday season.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

[Power and Glory]

Something I forgot to list in my first post the Pre-E3 Press Conference times for those interested in watching them. Adjust accordingly to your time zone.

Sony - Monday 16th 3PM Pacific Time

Microsoft - Monday 16th 7:15PM Pacific Time

Nintendo - Tuesday 17th 9AM Pacific Time

E3 is in Los Angeles that is why I listed the times as they are

Gamespot and IGN were denied the right to stream the Microsoft and Sony conferences live. However you will be able to watch the Microsoft one live at xbox.com. Both Gamespot and IGN claim they will put the conferences up on their sites as quick as possible after they are over.

Nintendo however is allowing GS and IGN to stream their conference live.

[Quickening]

I love the Halo 3 thing, makes me so happy :D

[Power and Glory]

New page that Gamespot created for their E3 coverage:http://www.gamespot.com/e3/index.html

[Power and Glory]

This may be edited from time to time to reflect updates.
EDIT 8:50 ET News updated and pics of PS3 added

News from the Sony Press Conference from Gamespot: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/16/ne...ws_6124681.html

PlayStation 3 announced for 2006

[UPDATE 6] Sony unveils its next-gen console in LA; Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 4, Tekken 6, Gran Turismo 5, and next-gen Gran Theft Auto confirmed. First pictures inside.

LOS ANGELES--Today saw the second of the big three console makers announce its next-generation platform. At its pre-E3 press conference, Sony Computer Entertainment gave the world its first look at the PlayStation 3, as it now is officially called. While the device's price has not yet been set, its release window--spring 2006--has.

The name was not unexpected, since Sony had been running an extensive teaser-ad campaign prepping the public for the PlayStation 3. The company had laid a blanket of posters around the Los Angeles Convention Center, site of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka E3). Bus stalls and billboards around the convention center proclaimed "Prepare for Chang3" in the distinctive PlayStation font with partial shots of the Dual Shock controller's square-circle-triangle-X buttons.

Sony also confirmed the PlayStation 3 will use Blu-ray discs as its media format. The discs can hold up to six times as much data as current-generation DVDs. It will also support CR-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R formats. Sony also confirmed the machine would be backward compatible all the way to the original PlayStation. It will also have slots for Memory Stick Duo, an SD slot, and a compact flash memory slot. It will also sport a slot for a detachable 2.5-inch HDD, somewhat similar the Xbox 360's.

Out of the box, the PS3 will have the capability to support seven Bluetooth controllers. It will also have six USB slots for peripherals: four up front and two in the back.

Sony also laid out the technical specs of the device. The PlayStation 3 will feature the much-vaunted Cell processor, which will run at 3.2GHz, giving the whole system 2.18 teraflops of overall performance. It will sport 256MB XDR main RAM at 3.2GHz, and it will have 256MB of GDDR VRAM at 700MHz.

Sony also unveiled the PS3's graphics chip, the RSX "Reality Synthesizer," which is based on Nvidia technology. The GPU will be capable of 128bit pixel precision, 1080p resolution, some of the highest HD resolution around. The RSX also has 512MB of graphics render memory and is capable of 100 billion shader operations and 51 billion dot products per second. It also has more than 300 million transistors, larger than any processor commercially available today. It will be manufactured using the 90nm process, with eight layers of metal. The RSX is more powerful than two GeForce 6800 Ultra video cards, which would cost roughly $1,000 total if purchased today.

The PlayStation 3 will also sport some hefty multimedia features, such as video chat, Internet access, digital photo viewing, and digital audio and video. Sony Computer Entertainment head Ken Kutaragi introduced it as a "supercomputer for computer entertainment."

To show off the PlayStation 3's graphical brawn, Sony showed several game demos, including an Unreal 3 tech demo of what appeared to be Unreal Tournament 2007. In what must come as a relief to developers, Epic Games' Tim Sweeney was on hand to vouch for the PS3, saying it was "easy to program for" and that Epic had received its first PS3 hardware two months ago. He proved the tech demo was real time by showing it again and by manipulating the camera and zooming in.

However, Sweeney's words were only the beginning. Later, Sony trotted out a whole host of publishers that are backing the PlayStation 3. And in the process, it confirmed several games for the console. Hideo Kojima introduced Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4, Capcom showed off Devil May Cry 4, Namco unveiled Tekken 6, Polyphony Digital trotted out Gran Turismo 5, SCEE showed off a brutal section of the next Killzone, and Rockstar Games mentioned that a Grand Theft Auto would be released for the console.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

[Power and Glory]

More news from E3. This time about the Xbox 360. Again from Gamespot:

Xbox 360 picks up Final Fantasy XI, will be backward compatible

Square Enix, EA announce strong 360 support; Microsoft announces more than 160 games in development, up to 40 available at launch.
LOS ANGELES--Microsoft opened the next-generation floodgates last week when it publicly unveiled the Xbox 360 on an MTV special, firing the first shots at its rivals in what is sure to be an all-out war for consumers. The Xbox 360 will be released this holiday season, and Microsoft held its annual E3 press conference today to tout the system's features and show off its planned lineup of games. The event took place shortly after Sony wowed the crowd at its own conference by unveiling the PlayStation 3.

The biggest story of the press conference surprised many attendees at the Shrine Auditorium. Microsoft announced that Square Enix, a longtime partner with Microsoft rivals Nintendo and Sony, will be bringing Final Fantasy XI to the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live.

This will be the first Square Enix game for a Microsoft console, and the third platform for FFXI, which previously appeared on the PC in 2003 and PlayStation 2 in 2004. Final Fantasy XI was the first game in the popular role-playing series to go online, and the Xbox version will sport new high-definition graphics and make use of all of Xbox Live's features.

Along with a firm release date and price point, the other big question surrounding the 360 was backward compatibility with the library of games from the original Xbox. Robbie Bach, senior vice president and chief Xbox officer in the Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft, made Xbox fans around the world happy when he announced that the 360 will indeed play Xbox games.

Although future Xbox 360 owners will be able to play the more than 200 Xbox titles expected this year, it's the 360 games that they'll really want. Microsoft expects 25 to 40 Xbox 360 titles to be available during the console's launch window (defined as within three months of the system's release), and developers currently have more than 160 games in the works.

Among the games Microsoft announced for the console were Tecmo's previously unrevealed fighter Dead or Alive 4 and Capcom's zombie-slayer Dead Rising, which is being developed by legendary game designer Keiji Inafune.

Publisher Electronic Arts announced that its lineup of 360 games, which includes Madden NFL 06, Need for Speed Most Wanted, and The Godfather, signifies its largest commitment to any next-generation console's launch.

As detailed last week, Xbox Live will come in two different packages. Xbox Live Silver, which allows gamers to send voice and text messages and participate in other basic features, and the premium subscription-based Xbox Live Gold package, which includes spectator mode and multiplayer gaming privileges. It turns out anyone with an Xbox 360 will get a taste of the good life. Microsoft today announced that all 360 owners will be treated to a free month of the Gold service when they first jack into Xbox Live.

GameSpot will be updating this story and will have more details on Microsoft's E3 press conference, including video and photos, very soon.

By Tim Surette -- GameSpot

[Power and Glory]

Info from today's conference by Nintendo.

Nintendo's Revolution is nigh

[UPDATE 2] Nintendo's next-gen is two to three times more powerful than the GameCube, backward compatible, online; system confirmed for 2006, prices not; DS goes online and Game Boy Micro announced.

LOS ANGELES--Nintendo held its pre-E3 press conference this morning, and confirmed speculation that it would announce its contribution to next-generation gaming. Plans for its future console, Revolution, were revealed at a location on Hollywood Boulevard.

Nintendo is the last of the "Big Three" game console-makers to reveal its next-gen plans. Microsoft took the lid off its future console, the Xbox 360, last week, and Sony unveiled the PlayStation 3 yesterday at its pre-E3 conference.

To cheers from the crowd, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata proudly held a Revolution prototype aloft in his hand--but did not hook it up to any displays or turn it on. The Revolution design didn't follow suit with its curvaceous competitors, the concave Xbox 360 and convex PlayStation 3.

In fact, its simple rectangular design could be easily mistaken for a modem at first glance. However, like its competitors, the unit can stand vertically or lay supine. The black console (other optional colors are in the works) can fit snugly in a grey stand, where it is pitched upward at a slight angle for vertical positioning, or be removed and laid flat (and look eerily similar to Apple's Powerbook batteries).

Revolution's enigmatic controllers were not revealed, but they will be wireless. Rumors have been awash that the controllers will be unlike any before, possibly losing buttons in favor of touch screens or incorporating some sort of gyroscopic functions.

By Nintendo's own admission, according to a report from USA Today, the system is two to three times as powerful as its current-generation console, the GameCube. Sony's PlayStation 3, announced yesterday, is reportedly dozens of times powerful than its predecessor, the PlayStation 2.

However, Nintendo told the newspaper "It's not all about having 'turbo power', It's about what you do with it." What will it have to work with? Iwata did not reveal many of the game's specifications, but he did mention Revolution will have 512MB of onboard flash memory, and be expandable with two SD memory card slots.

Eschewing its previous business ideas, Revolution will be online-friendly, and support a broadband gaming service similar to that of Microsoft's Xbox Live. Its most significant contribution to online gaming will be the ability to download Nintendo's entire catalog of NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 console games. As for GameCube titles have the potential to be downloadable, though it's not clear whether the games will be saved to storage devices or memory cards.

For those who would rather just pop in their hard copy of Mario Sunshine, Nintendo offers a simple solution: backward compatibility. As indicated before, Revolution, like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, will be able to play all the games from the current-generation GameCube, as well as DVDs through its blue-LED-illuminated front-loading media drive, though the unit will require "an internal attachment" to play movies.

Nintendo announced that it has "big plans" for the Metroid franchise on Revolution and that Mario and Zelda games are already in the works. Iwata also stated that Square Enix is working on a Wi-Fi version of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

Reggie Fils-Aime, chief marketing officer of Nintendo, also officially announced that the Nintendo DS will go online, offering connection through Internet hot spots. Nintendo will not charge for the service for, nor will they ask for a fee for online gaming first-party games.

The premier online title for the DS will be a new Tony Hawk title from Activision. Nintendo did not reveal the full name of the game, nor did they announce a release date. However, Nintendo did say that an online version of Mario Kart for the DS would be playable on the E3 show floor.

Nintendo also revealed a new edition of its Game Boy Advance handheld. The Game Boy Micro shrinks the already diminutive GBA down further, and still retains the functions of the GBA SP. The unit is slightly larger than an iPod mini at four inches wide, two inches tall, and .seven inches deep, and can fit easily into a gamer's back pockets--"even tight jeans," as Fils-Aime put it. "It's a hip new way to show off your portable passion."

The unit, which weighs a mere 2.8 ounces, will play all Game Boy Advance games and will have customizable faceplates. However, there are no new multimedia functions to speak of--yet. Speaking to GameSpot, Nintendo vice president of marketing and communications George Harrison said Nintendo was considering releasing a version of the Play-Yan video and music GBA player in the US when the Micro is released this fall.

Be sure to check back for more information on Revolution and Nintendo's press conference. GameSpot News will be updating this story throughout the day.

By Tim Surette -- GameSpot

[[CAKE]anonymity]

Well I'm gonna have to get an xbox 360 and ps3 now. I better start saving now.

[Pique]

did i miss them or are there any specs on the xbox 360 yet?

and as a side note, is sony asking people to mod their system with support for all dvd formats?

[Annatar]

ack all sounds sooo good.... hmmm halo three or devil may cry 4???

The gold and silver xbox live thing sounds like an excuse for a price hike, and the ps3 does also have mgs4 but, but....

argh

[fritoman]

veal sent me this, might be of some interest http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/showdo...aspx?i=2420&p=5

[[CAKE]anonymity]

There are some really cool looking game for the PS3 coming out. I saw some footage of the 2nd killzone. Thats probably the best looking thing at E3 (in my opinion). I wont try to describe how good it looks, because you have to see it to believe it. You know the PS3 is going to have some great games for it. Killing day looked really cool from the little clip they released of it. On the other hand the Xbox 360 has some really cool looking games as well. Gears of war looks amazing, not quite as good as killzone, but still amazing. Full Auto is a game that I'm really looking forward to playing because it just sounded so cool when I heard about it. The premisis is quite simple, its its your simple arcade style racing game, except for a few big diffrences. The most noteable being machine guns and rocket launchers coming stock on your car. Of course everything on and off the race track you can destroy. This game is Mercenaries meets need for speed, which should just be a really fun game to play.

[Annatar]

Sounds a bit like the redline of reasonably old (not the motorbike one, the cars and guns one.)

[Squish]

I agree anon.

[[CAKE]anonymity]

I was looking at the PS3 and a thought came to mind (its been known to happen from time to time). With about a million USB ports on the PS3 (6 I think) that people would try using their USB thumb drives to interact with the PS3. If this works then it will open the door to a lot of 3rd party programs to run on it (IE hacks) and eventually lead to a way to mod it without a chip. Has sony commented on the use of thumb drives on it?

[Power and Glory]

PS2 has usb ports aswell. However you just can't stick anything in them and think whatever you stick in them is going to work. They don't work in the same sense as a usb port on your computer.

[[CAKE]anonymity]

I'm just saying is if the only thing thats stopping people from doing it is software then there can be a way around it if there is a way to get files onto the PS3. Plus sony is giving ppl a bit more freedom to do things like that, the PSP is a good example of that.