It’s been a big week for gaming – not only did Duke finally land after 12 anxious years, but the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) took place in California, showcasing what’s expected in the year to come.
With everyone who’s anyone in attendance, this year’s highlights came from Nintendo and Sony with the announcement of their new platforms, the Wii U and PlayStation Vita.
Nintendo Wii U
Taking the Wii to a whole new level, the new console boasts HD capabilities and the option to play games on it’s 6.2” touch screen. Despite the portable screen, the Wii U controller isn’t designed as a stand alone device and should be kept close to the unit itself.
In what seems like a move away from it’s successful wand and movement based gameplay, the Wii U controller features a front facing camera, microphone, motion control, two analogue sticks, a D-pad, four face buttons, two shoulder buttons and two triggers – essentially it is the mutant spawn of a tablet and an Xbox 360 controller.
Set for release mid next year, the Wii U will provide HD gaming via HDMI, USB and SD media storage, games on large capacity iDensity discs and compatability with original Wii games.
Sony PlayStation Vita
Sony unveiled the successor to the PSP, dumping the name NGP and opting for the Latin inspired Vita (which means life). Featuring front and back multitouch screens, motion sensors and the PS3’s Six Axis sensors, the PS Vita is designed for the future.
With all features built around its high resolution five inch OLED screen, the dual analogue sticks enable gamers to comfortably play games, and do so with seamless familiarity between PS3 and Vita.
Current PlayStation titles such as Uncharted, Ridge Racer, Wipeout and LittleBigPlanet will be released with the console, as will a handful of other titles spanning space, racing and fighting genres.
Expected to market at the end of the year from US$249, the PS Vita will be made available in WiFi and 3G models with a US$50 difference between the two.
Games
As well as these two new platforms, a number of highly anticipated games were announced and previewed including Mass Effect 3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Odyssey and Halo HD.
Battlefield 3 was announced for release on October 25, while the epic Mass Effect 3 can be expected on March 6, 2012. While it’s well known that Gears of War 3 will be released on September 20, Microsoft will be supporting its release with a limited edition 320G system and controller, featuring a special GOW 3 skin and custom startup and eject sounds.The range for Microsoft’s Kinect is expanding, with voice recognition technology featuring in Mass Effect 3 and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. In fact, Ghost Recon also allows players to customize weapons with gesture and voice. EA Sports have announced a number of Kinect-friendly games including the new Tiger Woods, Madden and FIFA offerings.
Furthermore, the long awaited fighting crossover Street Fighter X Tekken was announced and slated for release in 2012. Boasting new gameplay mechanics and a battle royale tag team environment, the developers are promising one of the most robust fighter lineups ever.
Did you follow E3 this year? What are you most looking forward to?
I'll be sure to pick up a PSVita. I also think the Wii U has the potential to bankrupt old Ninty. Microsoft brought nothing (again!), but given their position in the US they can spout the same Kinect-heavy bullshit until the cash-cows come home.
ReplyDeleteI was not going to get the Vita, but my god it looks awesome. Also, I think it is safe to say that BF3 was the major winner out of E3. It looks, and this is not hyperbole, to be the most visually outstanding game of all time.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to own it on PS3 and PC!
Yeah I don't know about the Wii U. It looks interesting and I'm definitely intrigued but unless they target an older audience they are screwed. Is a dual screen console what the masses want? It might be too much too soon. That said it looks cool.
ReplyDeleteIt just looks like a new way to play old games in my opinion. Ubisoft are looking at it as a recepticle for ports, and there was very little on show other than tech demos.
ReplyDeleteConnectivity between PS3 and Vita has me very excited.