N00basaurus’s Pre-E3 Expectation List
As E3 (the world renown Electronics Entertainment Expo) gets underway, it seems like a good time to put down my expectations for this year’s video game mecca. You see, E3 is where the great mystics and village elders gather around a gigantic onyx crystal inside the cave of majestic mysteries and consult with the oracle to divine the future. The place where many larger companies present this year’s toils as offerings to the hungry consumers for approval as well as to see a peak into their competition for the following year. It is a two way process. The first is to generate excitement among consumers for new and interesting prospects and products. The second is to then judge that reaction and measure it to see if they are going in the correct direction so they can continue to capture consumer hype. This year, like all previous recent years, is going to be an interesting grudge match between Sony and Xbox at the dinner table with Nintendo squeaking up from behind stuck at the smaller and out of the way kid’s table.
With my low expectations for the next generation consoles, I decided to make a list of news that I wholly expect from (and possibly around) this year’s E3:
- Xbox will have a grand overpriced display to “launch” the Xbox One. Chances are it will be as vague and non-descriptive as its “reveal”.
Xbox has been putting out information press releases trying to calm the tide of negativity surrounding their new console. Specifically the practically damning information around used games and how fees and other road blocks are trying to curb the used game market at the possible expense of the paying consumer.
Now in Microsoft’s defense , they have put out a release before E3 describing that 10 people within your “family” can “share” your games from any Xbox. Which on face value is pretty cool, however, they do say that individual publishers can opt in and out of this. So who really knows what any of this means, and chances are, we probably won’t know till it gets further down the road and into the practical application of policy.
Also, as a side note: Xbox One is not dropping the constant online authentication testing of consoles. They have put out a deal where you have to be connected at least once every 24 hours. That and all saves of game files are going to only be saved on cloud based servers. But even that is no better than their original “always on” vocabulary. The greatest problem with these two is that needing an internet connection just to use a gaming console alienates a swath of players including those in the armed forces out of country that do not have constant and stable internet. The other major issue is that cloud computing is not, by any means, reliable. Nor is it streamline and suitable for gaming. There are previous examples of games where these sorts of internet connectivity and cloud computing systems were prime sources of discontent for looks into the Xbox future (Diablo 3 and Sim City 2013 specifically), so the Xbox One product launch might be a little dreadful. The best part is, if the Microsoft servers go down or get too busy for any reason, expect down times and wait times to play the games you paid for and thus “should” own.
- Sony will try to distance itself from the Xbox One… by using the same policy issues that are getting the Xbox One such a bad wrap.
Sony has been incredibly quiet about the PS4. The only thing they have really released were basic specs. No price points, no policies, no system designs, pretty much a mystery box. A disembodied idea of a gaming console. E3 is, most likely, the place where they are going to have a big system reveal. I’m guessing it will have a handful of games (I know Bungie is gearing up show off their new PS4 title by the trailers they have plastered all over YouTube). However, Sony has dropped hints in previous press conferences that they might be looking at the exact same things that Microsoft has already released, but in no solid or verifiable way. But because they have been so quiet about it, they have effectively let the Xbox One take all the heat while staying far away from all the gamer drama. So this leaves Sony in an interesting position. Either take the same stance that Microsoft is taking, and risk alienating a large swath of players, or take this moment to draw a clear and distinct line in the sand and be viewed upon as a revolutionary, thus embracing gamers and securing a fan base (It’s sad to say, but a game console that is focusing on the games would be a welcome change of pace).
- For Nintendo: Another Zelda, Another Luigi, Another Mario, Another Smash Brothers, Another Pokemon, and the rest of their franchise that they continue to beat to death.
Nintendo continues its business model since the launch Wii. Do the same thing, nothing new, nothing innovative. No risks, no surprises. No hard-core games. They focus the physical therapy offices, elderly care centers, drunk frat house casual gamers, and no market else. Their new console is the Wii + a low end tablet. Their new hand held is a DS with some new numbers and possibly letters in the title. For E3, chances are, it will be the same exact Nintendo at E3 we have seen for the past 5 years. But who knows, they could do something special, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
I really think that the big stars of the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo is going to be the actual gaming studios that continue to make amazing games. They are the ones that are going to steal center stage away from the petty console fight. Now I’m not talking about the Metal of Duty with Honor: Space Gun Knife-fight IXXVIXIVXI (or what ever numbers they are up to now). I’m not talking about one shot quick burn flash pan overly released and super hyped up sports games either. I’m talking about the long artful story driven face melting eyeball glazing games that get all that wonderment and fanfare that much of the main stream seems to miss out on. Some of these studios have gone a little while without really displaying anything, so I think we are going to get an interesting show in the world of gaming of what’s happening in the next few years.
In the end, I think it will turn into an absurd spectacle with the policy fight between consoles and a secondary show about the actual next generation of GAMES. And you know what? If the Steam console makes an appearance from Valve, I would be rather pleased.
Check back with your favorite Sci-Fi blogosphere SciFi4Me for more updates on E3 as the expo unfolds!
