The major games companies have announced a host of new games and hardware designed to add new dimensions to gaming
What Sony did for Blu-ray now we are going to do for 3D
IF THERE was an official theme for this year's E3 games exhibition, it might well be pushing the boundaries of gaming. The major games companies announced a host of new hardware and games that are designed to add new dimensions to gaming - in some cases, literally.
Last year at E3 Microsoft and Sony said they were planning to introduce motion-sensitive controllers for some of their games. It was a path that had already been negotiated successfully by Nintendo, which had used motion sensitive controllers in its games since the launch of the Wii. The move has opened up a large casual gaming market, one that Microsoft and Sony clearly want a part of.
Each has approached it from a different angle. While Microsoft is ditching the controller to some extent, Sony is adding a second wireless controller and using the two in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye camera.
Microsoft was first out of the traps at E3 this week with a launch event on Sunday for Natal that showed off the finished controller and a new name - Kinect.
The tech giant put on a Cirque du Soleilevent in Los Angeles to launch the controller and showcased a number of games that will form part of its initial line-up.
These include a virtual pet game known as Kinectimals; a fitness game from Ubisoft called Your Shape Fitness Evolved; and a family-friendly title Kinect Adventures, which puts you head-to-head with family members.
Just how accurate Kinect can be was shown at a demonstration of Dance Central, where the camera senses the dance moves mimicked by the player and translates them on screen.
Other third-party publishers have taken the system on board. EA is planning a version of its popular Sports Activepersonal trainer game that will incorporate the Kinect controller. There was also a well-received announcement that Lucas Arts had signed up with Microsoft to produce a new title that would use Kinect technology.
It doesn't end with games though. The Kinect system will also change how users interact with the media stored on their Xbox hard drives, allowing users to search through a film using gesture commands or switching between and controlling media through voice commands
The possibilities for Kinect are vast. "What Kinect does is probably remove that last barrier," said Microsoft's head of interactive entertainment business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Chris Lewis
Sony's Move is a different proposition. The system requires a hand-held wireless Move controller, a PlayStation Eye camera and a Navigator device, which allows you to go through menus on the console and is required for playing some games on the console.
E3 audiences were convinced of the value of the Move controller. Socom 4, for example, uses the Move to aim guns, and the system is incredibly reactive.
The controller, which will launch in Europe in September, neatly puts Sony ahead of the Nintendo Wii in the motion sensitive gaming stakes. The rival publisher didn't make any new moves in that area. Instead, it focused on the unveiling of its much-anticipated 3D version of its DS gaming system.
Presenting the 3DS hand-held console to a press conference on Tuesday, Nintendo's chief executive poked fun at the concept of wearing 3D glasses to enhance gaming, while the company's president Satoru Iwata anticipated good demand for the 3DS.
"3DS is expecting to sell a lot in a relatively short time after the launch and it will be a unique machine," he said.
The device includes a motion sensor, a gyro sensor and a Slide Pad that allows 360-degree analog input. It will also be capable of displaying 3D movies.
"We have not decided on a specific business model regarding 3D movies running on 3DS. However, for Nintendo and movie studios, it can provide a unique business opportunity," Iwata added.
The 3DS will not only be able to show 3D games and content, it will also take 3D photographs, with two cameras built in to the outside of the camera joining a third inside that will help create the images.
While rival Sony didn't appear too concerned by the announcement, it certainly created a buzz among those attending the event who wanted to get some hands-on time with the system, queuing for hours to see Nintendo's creation.
Sony has some 3D plans of its own. With the launch of its line of 3D-enabled Bravia televisions, it intends to make it a standard in the entertainment industry. "What Sony did for Blu-ray now we are going to do for 3D," Kazuo Hirai said on Tuesday.
The company demonstrated some of 3D titles, including Killzone 3, Crysis 2and Wipeout HDto an enthusiastic crowd at its keynote.
Although the games firms are seeking to tap new markets, Microsoft's Chris Lewis was very clear that the company did not plan to abandon its hardcore, dedicated gamers for a share in the casual sector. "We're not in any way departing from that audience," he said.
So, while Kinect was the big announcement of its press conference, it also unveiled a host of games titles and deals with other publishers that will satisfy its core market, including Gears of War 3, Halo Reachand Forza Motorsport, along with exclusive deals for Call of Dutyadd-ons and maps coming up in the future.
Despite the buzz of the Kinect event, there were few surprises in Microsoft's keynote speech on Monday, with the company confirming the Kinect launch line-up, and announcing a new slimmed-down console. Details of this had been the subject of speculation in recent weeks.
However, the tech giant had managed to keep information on shipping plans for the new console a secret; Xbox's senior vice-president Don Mattrick told the conference that the console, which will cost the same as is predecessor, had begun shipping immediately.
There was a further blurring of the line between games and reality when Sony showed the much-anticipated Grand Turismo 5to the exhibition, promising that the title, which has been in production for about six years, would appear before Christmas.
The game has incredible photo-realistic graphics, with more than 200 premium cars and 800 standard cars. Detailing the game graphics, designer Kaunori Yamouchi showed off just how realistic the graphics are with a side-by-side representation of real life photos versus games clips.
It is the most realistic version of GT yet, and it is the pursuit of this level of perfection that has slowed down its release.
Nintendo, meanwhile, offered details on the latest Legend of Zeldatitle, with Skyward Sworddescribed as a "turning point" for the franchise with the introduction of full motion controls. The game is scheduled to launch in 2011.
There were plenty of music-based games too. As in previous years, the genre remained popular, with Rock Band 3drawing a large crowd. The cross-platform game will come with more than 80 tracks to master and now includes keyboards as an additional controller.
Sony is planning a new Singstartitle, adding a guitar to the mix, while Xbox had its Dance Central game to rival the success of Ubisoft's Just Dancetitle, which has a new addition to the series.
Ubisoft showcased exciting titles, such as Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, which is due for release in November, and the return of the Driverseries with Driver: San Francisco.
E3 isn't just about large companies, though, and there were plenty of smaller operations showing their work, along with independent games companies.
UTV Ignition is a small publisher that has attended E3 for the past two years. It is currently developing a game called El Shaddai, its "coming-out party", as the company's marketing director Melody Frieda put it.
This will mark a major development for the firm, which was also showing off combat game Blacklight Tango Downat E3.
"We started working with developers from the beginning of the development cycle rather than just taking a game and localising it," Frieda said. "We're trying to show people here at E3 that we're serious; we're small but we're getting bigger.
"We're trying to appeal to gamers by bringing games to market that are answering a void in the larger genres that they are serving."
"We're trying to show people here at E3 that we're serious; we're small but we're getting bigger
