The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ---Microsoft's E3 Press Conference

After having one of the most successful years for the brand, Microsoft enters this year’s E3 Expo riding the waves of the very successful launch of their Kinect peripheral, a device that Microsoft sees as a re-launch of the Xbox 360 system.  The first wave on Kinect titles has been released, and there have been some successes, and some failures.  The early half of 2011 has yet to see an impactful release for the Kinect, and a lot of questions surround just what is in store. 

Microsoft also has rather light second half of 2011, software wise, with only Gears of War 3 as their sole system exclusive, and nothing announced for release beyond that release.

Lastly, Microsoft is always looking to further transform the Xbox 360 into the complete entertainment experience.  Last year’s fall update added a lot of features to move towards that goal, but what else would Microsoft have in store?

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ---Nintendo's E3 Press Conference

Nintendo’s E3 was perhaps one of the most anticipated amongst the gaming world.  The 3DS launch early this year game some a taste of the future of the long established video game company, and the known reveal of the first new console since 2006 caused much excitement.  Nintendo would have the most to gain, or lose, coming into this E3, as it has to sell the idea of moving on from the Wii to a market that has never had to experience a chance in consoles before.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ---Sony's E3 Press Event

Sony came into this year’s E3 Expo riding a wave of uncertainty.

The PlayStation Network outage in late April put a bad taste in the mouth from many.  For three weeks, there was a period of uneasiness among the market.  No one knew what was happening, and just what information was leaked out for the world to abuse.  Sony’s response to the matter has been questioned at several points, from the media down to the everyday consumers.  A level of trust may have been lost, and the PlayStation brand might have taken a public relations hit that is may not be able to recover from.

The E3 Expo is the first time since the outage that Sony would have the undivided attention of the entire gaming world.  Did they do what was needed to put peoples’ fears to rest over the PSN outage?  Did Sony reveal enough about their upcoming year to give confidence in the PlayStation brand as a whole?