Sony Press Conference E3 '09
Sony's Annual Event at this Year's Electronic Entertainment Expo
Jun 22, 2009
Every year video game companies (most notably, first parties Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) come together to show off their lineup of upcoming games coming out in the next year or two, as well as any other major announcements. This year, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was open to the public once more, unlike last year which was a much smaller and secluded affair.
Sony Press Conference
CEO Jack Tretton of Sony Computer Entertainment of America took the reins as the host for the show.
Sony revealed their latest iteration of the Playstation Portable (PSP), aptly titled the 'PSP GO". The PSP GO has the same capabilities and functionality of the current PSP minus the UMD drive. The device has a near identical button layout and an identical processor. Here are the detailed specifications:
- 3.8' screen (as opposed to a 4.3' screen on previous PSP models)
- 43% lighter
- 16 GB built-in flash memory
- Digital distribution of games and movies through the Playstation Store
- October 1st 2009 release date
- $249 price tag (same price as the launch PSP)
The PSP GO is a refinement in just about every way as its predecessor; smaller, lighter, more compact, not to mention completely digital.
The two major changes being that there is no longer a UMD drive and the device has a sliding screen which covers the buttons when not in use, or presumably for listening to music or watching a video.
A Taste of Things to Come
Footage of numerous PSP games was shown including:
- A new Gran Turismo
- Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- A new Jak and Daxter
- Motorstorm
- Final Fantasy
- Monster Hunter
- Soul Calibur
- Persona
- Pixel Junk Monsters
- Rock Band: Unplugged
- A new Resident Evil
The focus of the event was centered on the PSP GO. Sony is clearly making an active play to support the PSP with a plethora of titles, as Tretton said: "2009 will see more big franchise titles released on PSP than any other time in the history of the PSP platform".
PS3 News from E3
The lineup of upcoming PS3 games is impressive to say the least, however only a few of the announcements came as a surprise, the rest were known either by leaks or otherwise.
A slew of video and gameplay footage was shown for the following titles in individual videos and in montages:
- Brutal Legend
- Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
- Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Final Fantasy XIII & XIV
- Saw
- 1 Vs. 100
- Mafia II
- MAG (Massive Action Game)
- Tekken 6
- King of Fighters XIII
- Guitar Hero Van Halen
- Heavy Rain
- Fat Princess
- DC Universe
- God of War III
- Gran Turismo 5
- Trico (Last Guardian?)
Motion Controller
Sony unveiled their answer to the motion control zeitgeist which has been making a large splash in the video game industry. The new control technology is an upgrade of the Eyetoy, with the addition of a wand like controller (or two).
The accuracy and sensitivity of the controller is extremely acute. Numerous tech demos were shown to illustrate just how sensitive the technology is. With a virtual living room onscreen, the host was able to tinker with numerous toys like dart guns, paint cans, bendy light sabers and well.. real guns. The motion is one - to - one with the person controlling; meaning that every motion the player does occurs in the same exact fashion in real time.
Developer Favorite
One of the most exciting demos was an archery mini game. As in handling a real bow and arrow, one hand holds the bow and the other pulls the arrow taught on the string and fires. The host was able to point and aim anywhere on screen and fire. While the full potential of the technology has by no means been tested, it opens a whole new real of possibilities for Sony.
While the motion controller was the only well kept secret of the entire show, Sony prevailed in providing a glimpse at the abundance of titles coming out, an exciting new take on an stale device and last, but not least, their intriguing entry into the motion controller space.
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