The Electronic Entertainment Expo or E3 trade show begins in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The three-day trade show, a yearly video game expo and conference, is a major trade event for the gaming industry. Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Sony Corp. (SNE) and Nintendo Co. Ltd. (NTDOY.PK) are expected to dominate the event with new games and gadgets.
Microsoft kick-started the pre-expo press events on Monday with a glimpse of "Halo 4", the second wave of Kinect games and a new interface for the Xbox 360. Microsoft's preview of "Halo 4" showed a space marine on the edge of a damaged space ship. "Halo 4" will be the first of a new trilogy of Halo games and will be released in the holiday season of 2012.
However, the company's presentation was dominated by Kinect, with new games that players can control using full-body gestures and voice commands. The hands-fee Kinect gaming systems was released last year and Microsoft said in late November that it sold more than 2.5 million units worldwide in the 25 days after its launch.
The company announced that Xbox will have Live TV starting this fall. Meanwhile, Xbox Live will get a few more features such as YouTube, Bing for search, and voice control. Xbox 360 users will be able to navigate menus using a controller, physical gestures or their voice. Microsoft also announced that YouTube is coming to Xbox Live, starting this fall.
Electronic Arts Inc. (ERTS) said four coming sports games, including its Tiger Woods golf, Madden Football, FIFA soccer and an unannounced title, will use Kinect.
BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts, announced that a science-fiction epic, "Mass Effect 3", will arrive at retailers worldwide beginning March 6, 2012. The game will use voice-recognition technology in Kinect.
Sony, the victim of two massive hacking attacks recently that together exposed some 100 million customer accounts, unveiled its next generation portable gaming device named the PlayStation Vita. The device, seen as Sony's response to Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone and iPod touch handheld devices, will replace its own aging PlayStation Portable or PSP, and will go on sale later in the year.
PlayStation Vita will partner exclusively with AT&T Inc. (T) in the United States, allowing access to 3G Internet and a large number of Wi-Fi hotspots. The device will cost $249 for a Wi-Fi only model, or $299 for a model with AT&T 3G access.
Sony also displayed its focus on 3D by offering a demo of 3D game titles, including "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" and "Resistance 3". The company plans to offer a new 24-inch, 3D PlayStation-branded display where two gamers can simultaneously see different 3D images, rather than having to use a split screen.
On Tuesday, Nintendo will unveil the successor to its popular Wii console. Nintendo said in late April that it will unveil a playable model of the successor for its best-selling home gaming system Wii at the E3 trade show.
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