What to expect from E3

You may have your plans set for the Jubilee next week, but don’t forget the big event on our tech calendar.

From Tuesday to Wednesday gaming’s royalty will be gathered at the Electronics Entertainment Expo – E3 – in Los Angeles to show off the games you’ll be playing next year and the kit you’ll be playing on.

E3 2012 takes place 5-7 June in LA

E3 is a massive event for games, traditionally where new consoles are revealed and all the best titles are shown off. We won’t know for sure what’s there until the show begins, but here’s what we strongly suspect…

New consoles

Microsoft and Sony have both denied that they’ll be unveiling updates to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from turning.

More and more details about a potential Xbox 720 are surfacing, including suggestions of in-game Skype chat and more Kinect-enabled apps, like web browsing.

What’s more certain, however, is that Nintendo’s Wii U – which appeared last year – will have a strong presence at the show. The Wii U has a new touchscreen controller, which behaves a little like a tablet and will likely be a portable games machine for taking on the go,  but little has been seen of the actual console yet. It’s final design and specifications will be unveiled at E3, along with a host of launch games.

New games

Along with the Wii U will come new games, and Nintendo staples like Mario and Zelda will get a look in. Interestingly, Ubisoft is hiring developers to make a massively multiplayer online game for the console too – thus far a World of Warcraft type title has yet to reach console success. Motion controlled games along the lines of Wii Fit are also likely.

Other games to look forward to include the forthcoming Elder Scrolls MMO, set in the Skyrim universe, Hitman: Absolution and Far Cry 3. Two of the most interesting games are online shooters. The PC title Planetside 2 could be the one to watch, while CCCP’s spectacularly ambitious Eve: Dust 514 brings the sci-fi world of Eve Online to the PlayStation 3.

Social

There’s plenty more in store for traditional gaming, but we’re also expecting a lot from mobile and social developers – and not just another Angry Birds either. With Windows 8 tablets due by the end of the year, now could be the time for something really stunning on those clever touchscreens.

What will it be? We’ll find out next week.

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