Crash
05-06-2005, 12:35 PM
ith E3 barreling towards us like a bull in a china shop, it’s hard to avoid thoughts of just what’s going to go down during those few hectic days in Los Angeles. E3 is an event full of surprises and we expect this year’s will be no different. But, what exactly those surprises will be is still to be seen. Much of this year’s event is centered on Microsoft. With plans to unveil their next-generation Xbox and the show, every single gaming journalist can only wonder at what will be showcased. But, being the greedy little writes that we are, we know what we want and we want a lot. So without further ado, let the rumor mongering begin!
* Microsoft will begin the show with a flashy video presentation highlighting their success over the past year
* Numbers will once again play a key role in the Microsoft press conference, with the company touting its latest unit and software sales, particularly touching on the monumental success of Halo 2, and Xbox Live
* The company will then announce that they are not abandoning the original Xbox, and will possibly talk about some of the big releases still to come, primarily Half-Life 2.
* Microsoft will show off the Xbox 360 unit, including the newly revamped controller
* The 360 will have a detachable 40GB hard drive, and unlike previous rumors, there will be only one model of the unit available at launch.
* Microsoft will divulge all technical specs of the 360 hardware
* More details will be provided regarding Xbox Live and how it will play a key role in the 360 experience
* Microsoft will announce a “soft” release date for the 360 for Holiday 2005, but will not announce a price point for the console
* Microsoft will discuss their launch strategy, including announcing the number of initial launch games, and how many 360 titles will be available by the end of 2005.
* Japanese developers Sakaguchi, Okamoto, and Mizuguchi will be on hand to speak on the benefits of Microsoft and the 360 as it relates to the Japanese gaming community
* All three Japanese developers will showcase their upcoming 360 games, including Sakaguchi’s recently unveiled RPG Blue Dragon
* There will be a video presentation of 360 software, as well as North American developers talking about 360
* Halo 3 WILL NOT be at E3 in any form whatsoever
* In a surprising turn of events, Microsoft will not have any of their first party 360 titles playable for the general attendees. The titles will, however, be playable behind closed doors for select journalists
* Microsoft will not jump into the portable gaming market, despite some rumors going about
* Microsoft will announce that next-gen Xbox Live accounts will not carry over to the 360. If you subscribe to Xbox Live on the Xbox, you’ll have to purchase a new subscription on the 360
* Unlike Microsoft first party titles, third party games will be playable on the show floor, including offerings from the big names in the industry including EA, Atari, Midway, Sega, and Ubisoft.
* Microsoft will not officially address whether the 360 will be backwards compatible with Xbox games
In reality, who knows how many of our predictions will come true. But hey, isn’t it fun to pretend that we know what’s going to go down? Stay tuned to Game Informer the rest of this week where we’ll be taking the rumor mill to a whole new level with our E3 predictions for both Nintendo and Sony.
WWWWWWWWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAT THE FFFFFFFFFFFFRrrrrrrrrrrrrEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAKKKKK
* Microsoft will begin the show with a flashy video presentation highlighting their success over the past year
* Numbers will once again play a key role in the Microsoft press conference, with the company touting its latest unit and software sales, particularly touching on the monumental success of Halo 2, and Xbox Live
* The company will then announce that they are not abandoning the original Xbox, and will possibly talk about some of the big releases still to come, primarily Half-Life 2.
* Microsoft will show off the Xbox 360 unit, including the newly revamped controller
* The 360 will have a detachable 40GB hard drive, and unlike previous rumors, there will be only one model of the unit available at launch.
* Microsoft will divulge all technical specs of the 360 hardware
* More details will be provided regarding Xbox Live and how it will play a key role in the 360 experience
* Microsoft will announce a “soft” release date for the 360 for Holiday 2005, but will not announce a price point for the console
* Microsoft will discuss their launch strategy, including announcing the number of initial launch games, and how many 360 titles will be available by the end of 2005.
* Japanese developers Sakaguchi, Okamoto, and Mizuguchi will be on hand to speak on the benefits of Microsoft and the 360 as it relates to the Japanese gaming community
* All three Japanese developers will showcase their upcoming 360 games, including Sakaguchi’s recently unveiled RPG Blue Dragon
* There will be a video presentation of 360 software, as well as North American developers talking about 360
* Halo 3 WILL NOT be at E3 in any form whatsoever
* In a surprising turn of events, Microsoft will not have any of their first party 360 titles playable for the general attendees. The titles will, however, be playable behind closed doors for select journalists
* Microsoft will not jump into the portable gaming market, despite some rumors going about
* Microsoft will announce that next-gen Xbox Live accounts will not carry over to the 360. If you subscribe to Xbox Live on the Xbox, you’ll have to purchase a new subscription on the 360
* Unlike Microsoft first party titles, third party games will be playable on the show floor, including offerings from the big names in the industry including EA, Atari, Midway, Sega, and Ubisoft.
* Microsoft will not officially address whether the 360 will be backwards compatible with Xbox games
In reality, who knows how many of our predictions will come true. But hey, isn’t it fun to pretend that we know what’s going to go down? Stay tuned to Game Informer the rest of this week where we’ll be taking the rumor mill to a whole new level with our E3 predictions for both Nintendo and Sony.
WWWWWWWWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAT THE FFFFFFFFFFFFRrrrrrrrrrrrrEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAKKKKK