At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) to be held in Los Angeles this week (June 7-9, 2011), both hardware and software videogames manufacturers are gearing up to woo their fans with their latest titles and play wares.
Also on display will be the offerings of the major publishers that have been shifting the business model to the digitized format where the popular and new titles will be available in their digital versions. This includes Electronic Arts’ recently launched online service, Origin and Activision Blizzard’s yet to be launched Call of Duty Elite.
Hardware segment majors, Nintendo and Sony Corp. (SNE) are expected to unveil their next-generation gaming consoles during the E3 trade fair. Nintendo is set to unveil its next-generation gaming console, which is touted to replace Wii.
Sony is maintaining complete secrecy regarding the new gaming console but gamers anticipate a host of additional features such as high-definition graphics and touchscreen controllers in the new console.
On the other hand, Sony is ready with its latest hand-held device, the Next Generation Portable (NGP). Sony has confirmed that the NGP is slightly bigger in size than its Play Station Portable (PSP) but boasts innovative features such as touchscreen, touchpad, two cameras and an accelerometer (a feature that reacts to motion).
However, Microsoft Corp.’s (MSFT) Xbox team does not have any new offering in the console department.
In the software division, Electronic Arts Inc.’s (ERTS) upcoming game “Battlefield 3” will be showcased on a grand scale along with Activision Blizzard Inc.’s (ATVI) “Call of Duty :Modern Warfare 3 ”. These two games are slated to be the biggest draw in the E3 fair as gamers are eagerly awaiting a first glance of the games.
Some of the other games on display include a 3-D “Super Mario” game for the Nintendo 3DS, supernatural thriller “Alan Wake” and a “Star Wars” title that runs on Xbox 360’s Kinect system to transform players’ movements into the powers of The Force.
The mood for the E3 convention is buoyant as the video gaming industry reported robust sales figures for the month of April and took a significant lead over the prior year level. According to market research company The NPD Group, US retail video games sales were up 20.0% from April 2010 to $961.2 million in April 2011.
However, we doubt that the game releases in the E3 trade fair will result in significant share price movement, as most of the news is already factored in.
Regardless of that, gamers and fans of several titles are in for a treat from their favorite franchises in the E3 fair where they can set their eyes upon the games they want to play as they are finally being released.
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