Sony
Sony is leading the new-gen console war, so it can afford to play a little defense. Sure, its press conference will still focus on games, but it may contain less surprises than Microsoft’s, which has more to prove this year.
So, what will it show? Again, expect demos of notable third-party software, probably even more than Microsoft will. Sony will also likely focus on some Japanese-developed titles, specifically Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy XV.
Above: The Order: 1886 recently got delayed.
As for exclusives, that’s a bit more murky. A week ago, we would have predicted a big presence for third-person shooter The Order: 1886, but it recently got delayed to next year. Sony will still likely show it, but probably nothing as substantial as a live demo. The racing game Driveclub, however, is coming out this year. We’ll likely get a good look at it during the press conference.
Sadly, we don’t really know how much of Uncharted 4 we’ll see. Originally teased during November’s launch of the PlayStation 4, the project has suffered a lot of departures. It recently got a new pair of directors, but who knows how far along Nathan Drake’s next adventure actually is. Still, Sony is likely to show at least another teaser, if for no other reason then to assure everyone that one of the PlayStation 4’s most anticipated exclusives is still coming.
Speaking of anticipation, what about The Last Guardian? The former PlayStation 3 exclusive has missed E3 for years now. People still hope that we’ll see it resurface as a PlayStation 4 title. If Sony wants to end its press conference on a high not, this would be the way to do it.
Above: The PlayStation 4’s Project Morpheus virtual-reality headset.
Outside of software, Sony has a big card to play this year: virtual reality. Project Morpheus is a VR headset for the PlayStation 4. We don’t know too much about the device yet, but E3 is a great stage to show the tech off. Besides, while the rest of Sony’s show will likely be safe, this is something exciting that Microsoft can’t duplicate, unless it surprises all of us with a virtual reality device of its own.
So, what about the Vita? Sony’s portable didn’t get a lot of attention last year. Really, with its limited success, we don’t expect to see much of it during this E3 either. Maybe we’ll get a montage of upcoming games.