The 2016 E3 Expo is underway in Los Angeles and three of the gaming industry's biggest names have already revealed what players can look forward in the upcoming months. Here's what they have to offer.
Sony
Rumours of an upgraded, more powerful PS4 console capable of 4K resolution were heavy before the show. However, while chief executive Andrew House confirmed to the Financial Times that the "Neo" does exist, it did not form a part of Sony's E3 presentation.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Instead, Engadget says, "Sony served up game after game at E3 2016 with barely any pauses in between".
The company kicked things off with a brand new game in the God of War series, revealing a trailer and some gameplay showing protagonist Kratos teaching his son how to hunt. "Along the way there were trolls and other monsters to defeat," adds NDTV, and the game looks "spectacular". There's no release date yet.
Elsewhere, The Last Guardian now has a 25 October release date, there was a new, post-apocalyptic game in the form of Days Gone and gamers were given a look at Detroit: Become Human, the latest narrative-based title from the creators of Heavy Rain.
There was also a first look at the next Call of Duty title. Infinite Warfare launches on 4 November across multiple platforms, while a remastered Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare comes as a pre-order incentive and is a timed exclusive on PS4.
Sony also announced a 13 October release date for its PlayStation VR headset, alongside a handful of virtual reality experiences users will able to enjoy: an X-wing mission for Star Wars: Battlefront, or you can be the Caped Crusader in Batman: Arkham VR. Final Fantasy and Resident Evil VR games are coming too.
Lastly, the company gave a first look at Hideo Kojima's new game, Death Stranding, with an abstract trailer that the International Business Times says it is the weirdest from this year's E3, but still one of the show-stopping reveals.
Microsoft
Unlike Sony, Microsoft placed new hardware front and centre for its press conference, unveiling the Xbox One S, a smaller version of the console, and confirming their intentions to introduce a more powerful Xbox next year.
Currently known as Project Scorpio and expected before Christmas 2017, the new-look console will offer 4K gaming and virtual reality.
New feature Xbox Play Anywhere snags buyers of new Xbox titles a Windows 10 copy at no cost and they will be able to play online with PC players.
As for the games coming to Xbox, Gizmag names a gameplay demo of Gear of War 4 as being one of the headline acts, along with a reveal of Forza Horizon 3, the next instalment in the Gran Turismo rival.
Journalists were also treated to a first look at sci-fi third-person adventure game ReCore, along with trailers for zombie-filled titles such as Dead Rising 4 and State of Decay 2.
Battlefield 1, which had been previewed by EA at its set-piece event, also made its way on to Microsoft's stage. In addition, there were details on Tekken 7, plus gameplay of pirate-adventure game Sea of Thieves.
Nintendo
Nintendo also has a new console in development, but the company dispelled any hopes of the Nintendo NX appearing at E3 before the show began.
Nintendo has scaled back its presence at the expo over the last few years and didn't hold a press-conference, instead opting to host a livestream to showcase some of its upcoming offerings.
Trump card this year is new Zelda title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which is set to release at some point next year. Protagonist Link has "much greater scope to interact with his open-world environment than in the previous 18 games in the series", says the BBC. The title will arrive on both the WiiU and the upcoming NX platform.
Nintendo also revealed two new Pokemon games in the form of Pokemon: Sun and Moon for the 3DS, with new characters and game modes.
The firm will host a second livestreaming event at 6pm today, with more information on the new Zelda game and how it will run on the NX.
