Sony finally outshines Nintendo; compensates for PS3 problems
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) set a high benchmark on the opening day of E3 with the unveiling of its motion-sensitive "Project Natal" and the announcement of several hot new titles, but with day two featuring media events from both Nintendo and Sony (NYSE: SNE), the stage was set for a battle of showmanship among the gaming industry's heavyweights.
Nintendo took the stage first on Tuesday, once again selecting the Kodak Theater as the location for its annual press gathering.
For more than an hour the Kyoto-based electronics giant laid out its plans for the coming year, including the announcement of several new titles such as a sequel to "Super Mario Galaxy," a new "Super Mario Bros." for the Wii and "Metroid: Other M."
Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata also unveiled a new peripheral to go along with the Wii "Fit."
Called the Wii "Vitality," this little biofeedback device attaches to the end of the user's finger to provide them with information about what's going on in their "body's inner world."
It does this by monitoring the user's heart rate as well as several other signals the body routinely transmits.
Without a working demo of how the device will be utilized in a game, Iwata's presentation came across as rather dull and more than a bit underwhelming.
This drab tone resonated throughout the remainder of the event, and by most accounts, may point to the increasing problem of retaining its current domination of the market.
Fortunately, Sony faired much better during its conference, albeit perhaps not as well as Microsoft.
Unlike Nintendo who only had a paltry selection of highlights, Sony wooed attendees by revealing a stunning lineup of software for the PS3, including the surprise announcement of "Final Fantasy XIIV" and "God of War III."
It's no mystery that since its launch, the Achilles heel of the PS3 has always been the lack of titles the console has to offer.
Whether it is the cost of developing games for the system or the time it takes to train developers to work on it, the development community has not embraced the PS3 as much as Sony would hope.
If Tuesday's press conference is any indication, then tomorrow looks a lot brighter for the Blu-ray enabled console.
And while the company's other "big" announcement, the slimmed-down PSP Go, was jokingly dubbed "the worst kept secret at E3" by head man Kaz Hirai, attendee enthusiasm still ran high for the device after it was announced that not only will it come with a 16gb internal flash drive, but users will also have the ability to download games and movies for the handheld game console as well.
All in all it was a solid second day for the annual event. And now that the big three are done showing off, other games and companies can share some of the spotlight.
