Even as a Sony fanboy, I was ready to concede to Microsoft following their E3 Press Conference. New, exclusive games, cross-platform cohesion, and the addition of two new consoles gave the folks from Redmond a huge head start early Monday afternoon. All the heavy hitters were there, including a new Gears of War and Halo Wars, as well as Sea of Thieves that had me salivating for the competing console.
In addition to its software, Microsoft beefed up the hardware with the introduction of the Xbox One S: a slimmed down version of the flagship console that now supports 4K video output for movies and TV shows. But what about 4K games, you ask? Well, they took care of that, too with a brief video package for Project Scorpio: Microsoft's next big leap forward in the console space. Unlike either of its predecessors from this generation, Scorpio promises to finally deliver the dream of 4K gaming to the console market as well as support for the burgeoning realm of virtual reality gaming.
The best part? All consoles would be compatible with all software. In other words, games for Xbox One would be playable on both Xbox One S and Project Scorpio (Xbox Scorpio?) As Xbox Chief Phil Spencer put it, "No one gets left behind!"
It was a pretty sweet salvo that I'm sure was intended to take some of the shine off Sony, who has roundly been considered the "winner" of E3 since the launch of the PS4. And while new hardware was rumored and even confirmed by people from within the company, I don't think anyone could imagine that Sony would not only win E3, but do so without revealing a Playstation 4.5.
But they did, and here's the five reasons why:
1.) God of War (4)
The opening moments of a press conference often dictate the tone for the next hour or so. Generally, these openings feature a video package showcasing the brand and major IP's from first and third-party developers. You'll then see the host of the conference emerge to talk about how great their hardware and games are, and then they'll start unveiling some game trailers.
Sony bypassed most of that. After an extended opening overture by an in-house orchestra, the curtains rose and the lights dimmed to reveal the familiar "Sony Interactive Entertainment Presents" title screen.
Rather than showing us a three-minute glimpse of whatever lay beyond, we were treated to real-time gameplay of a young boy in an ancient village. As the audience wondered what franchise we were looking at, they collectively gasped and applauded when a hitherto disembodied voice emerged from shadow to reveal the aged, yet iconic Kratos. What followed was a solid ten minutes of third-person gameplay unlike anything God of War fans have seen before.
It was an astounding way to grab the audiences attention and keep them glued to the stage, and it set the tone for a press conference tailored for Playstation gamers (more on that later).
2.) Kojima & Reedus: Death Stranding
If returning IP's weren't enough, returning developers were even better.
The reveal of Hideo Kojima was received with the type of fanfare usually reserved for rock stars. What followed was an enigmatic trailer featuring a naked Norman Reedus in a desolate wasteland cradling an infant that may or may not really exist. Little is known about Death Stranding, but the promise of Kojima's genius seeps from every pore and leaves the audience straining for piece of what comes next.
3.) 10/25/16
Chances are, even if you're not good with dates, you'll have a hard time forgetting this one.
The first hint at a new title from Shadow of the Colossus developer ICO was dropped as far back as 2008, where they confirmed they were working on a new IP for the freshly released Playstation 3. Another article two years later suggested it was at one point slated for a 2011 release. Almost five years and an entire console-generation later, The Last Guardian re-emerged at E3 last year to deafening applause, and while we were given some actual gameplay to admire, we still had no idea when we'd get our hands on it.
That question was answered yesterday, when the latest trailer revealed an official release date for the long-awaited title. Unlike many of the games showcased at E3 that were scheduled for release next year, fans were elated to learn they would only have to wait a little over four months to play a game that--at this point--has little choice but to live up to the hype.
4.) Games. Just Games.
Unlike every other press conference at E3, Sony took a minimalist approach to their own. The hour-long showcase featured little talking. Aside from Hideo Kojima, no developers were featured on-stage. Instead, the focus was on games and gameplay. Even those demoing the software were hidden backstage with their output being projected onto the screen.
Don't get me wrong: E3 is a tremendous opportunity for gamers to get a glimpse of the people that work so hard to deliver the entertainment they love. There is no reason developers shouldn't be a prominently featured part of a game-centric expo.
But by cutting down on the chatter, Sony managed to enthrall gamers with one hit after another. Much of the conference was little more than gameplay and trailers shown back-to-back-to-back.
From God of War to Final Fantasy XV to Horizon: Zero Dawn, Sony was relentless in its focus and execution. The press event flew by as we were whisked from one title to the next with little more to indicate a transition than a few moments of silence as we held our breath for what lay ahead.
Sure, it felt like one, big, hour-long commercial, but it was a commercial you couldn't step away from.
5.) Playstation VR
No matter which camp you belong to, VR was on display in a big way at E3 2016. Whether it was Bethesda's promise of a truly immersive Fallout 4, Microsoft's commitment to all-new VR-ready hardware, or Ubisoft transporting us to the final frontier, it's clear that even while virtual reality gaming may be in its infancy, it's not going anywhere anytime soon.
With the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive now available to PC gamers, the question was how Microsoft and Sony (and presumably Nintendo at some point) would bring the VR experience to the console community. Would living room gamers be willing to pay upwards of $600 for a peripheral and possibly purchase another console to drive it after just investing in new hardware less than four years ago?
Sony answered these questions by not only unveiling a $399 headset (that's $200 cheaper than the Oculus Rift and $300 cheaper than the HTC Vive), but assured the Sony faithful that these headsets would work on the consoles they were gaming on right now. Sony accomplishes this by including a "processor unit" in the box that plugs into the PS4 to handle the extra power needed to get the expected performance out of the system. An extra $100 gets you the Playstation Camera and two Playstation Move controllers.
The announcement was similar to when Sony unveiled the Playstation 4 back in 2013: undercutting the Xbox One price point by $100. I have little doubt Sony is going to be selling these headsets at a loss in the hopes that the games draw people into their ecosystem, but it's an impressive feat nonetheless that makes VR instantly more attractive to casual gamers.
Sony started off strong with this console generation, and judging from its track record over the past three years, it has no intention of letting up anytime soon.
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