E3, one of the most wonderful times of the year for lovers of all things geek. New consoles get announced, fantastic new PC hardware gets unveiled, and a whole slew of brand new games get announced, complete with their own showcase and floor show demos. It is the show to focus on for what will come soon for the rest of the year.
It is also a bit of a headache for journalists. Keeping an eye out for potential leaks, false claims of what will be at the show, and trying to understand a lot of double speak and marketing guff, all in a scramble to make sure our readership stays informed and aware of what exactly went down at the show. It’s a lot like being a parent of a child during Christmas.
5 All Around E3 Predictions
As such, I have five very broad predictions for what will go down at the E3 showroom. Not a whole lot of speculation on certain games or pieces of hardware, but more about the tone and focus of the presentations at the show. Why this kind of focus? Because it shows where exactly the company and studio will be spending their time, and it’s all part of the plan of getting you on board with it.
Microsoft’s Conference Will Push 4K Gaming
Very recently Microsoft announced that the upgrade to the Xbox One, Project Scorpio, would be present at E3, and how it would be a considerable upgrade that will push graphical fidelity and processing power to new heights. But something tells me what they are really focusing on is an initiative to get people to adopt 4K gaming.
I mention this because Digital Foundry recently did a video about what the projected specs for the Scorpio and the actual hardware of the PS4 Pro were capable of and why, despite better hardware, they wouldn’t be able to run Destiny 2 at 60 FPS. Simply put, for the way most games are designed and where the hardware is focused, they are better suited to pushing out a 4K resolution on televisions rather than a smooth framerate.
And since Microsoft is trying desperately to make up lost ground in the console war, I’m willing to bet money that the Scorpio’s ability of Ultra-HD resolution will be a major selling point that they will hammer home. Whatever they announce at the show, it will show off that resolution and make it look as pretty as possible. Hopefully, it’s pretty enough to justify a projected price tag of over 500 bucks.
Bonus points if they never mention Microsoft Holo Lens again.
Sony Will Further Invest in PlayStation VR
Despite being my major console of choice recently, Sony as a company has a terrible habit of spending a lot of money on a novel idea and then managing it poorly. The less said about the PlayStation Vita, the better. This appeared to be the case with PlayStation VR, on balance the cheapest and most accessible of all the headsets available on the market, and on a home console nonetheless. There were even timed exclusives such as Batman Arkham VR. Yet, the whole time I was skeptical because of the price point and how chances are Sony would abandon it because it didn’t make its money back.
But it seems that’s not the case. According to a New York Times report, the VR headset has been selling really well, surprising the company with its success. And the company has been making several smart calls so far with how they’ve managed content for the PS4, making development accessible to indie devs, savvy console exclusives, etc.. So imagine if Sony reached out and convinced more VR game devs to design for their headset and possibly make a push for it becoming a quintessential part of the VR experience? Maybe even be part of making even higher-profile games VR accessible like they did with Capcom’s latest Resident Evil? It’s a big prediction but it just might happen.
Nintendo Will Announce More Exclusive Games For the Switch
This is probably the closest thing to a “well duh” prediction on this list. Nintendo as a company is notoriously unpredictable, either in what they do with hardware or the games they make or even their business decisions. Just recently, an official report confirmed that they actually listened to criticism a while ago regarding the Nintendo Switch’s plans for Virtual Console, and it was treated as nearly a miracle.
But judging off of the success many titles have found on the company’s handheld console hybrid, the company has found a secret weapon of sorts. Breath of the Wild is still the system’s killer app, and it’s been confirmed before the focus of the show will be on Super Mario Odyssey, but Nintendo has also made a habit of introducing smaller and intriguing games as well for the system like Graceful Explosion Machine or Mr. Shifty, which are either some form of exclusive for the machine.
While it would also be great for them to go back to other major IP they own like Kirby or Metroid for the Switch, the more interesting stuff to watch would be what is coming from studios taking full advantage of the system’s uniqueness. And it’s there that I think the Switch will have a notable advantage at E3.
Square Enix Will Announce A New Project with Platinum Games
I love Platinum Games’ work. From Bayonetta to even The Wonderful 101, they always are a studio that knows fast and exciting arcade action. And if games like Transformers Devastation and Nier: Automata are anything to go by, their flavor of audacious spectacle can fit just about anything with enough thought and care.
And since the company has seen moderate success with the more action-oriented Final Fantasy XV, it would make sense for the company to contract the studio to help with combat and boss battles for some unknown experience waiting in the wings. Perhaps a new Chrono game? That would be pretty sick.
Granted this is pie in the sky wishful thinking but it would make about as much as sense as the studio dropping everything to work on games with the Marvel license to the detriment of what they have in the wings….
Bethesda Will Tease a New Wolfenstein
Bethesda has only recently started doing conferences at E3 but they have left a lasting impression, and chances are that’s not going to stop anytime soon. Of course, a major project they will talk about is their upcoming free-to-play revival of the arena shooter, Quake Champions, as well as more content for their MMO, The Elder Scrolls Online.
But, to be perfectly frank, I’d just like another Wolfenstein game with Machine Games as a developer. This was partially teased before in their last conference, where during a presentation some eagle-eyed people spotted a title called Wolfenstein: The New Colossus, possibly a sequel to their alternate history Nazi slaughter parade, The New Order.
And to that, I say the time is right. 2016’s DOOM was a fresh blast from the past, and there has been a noticeable change of taste from realism to absurd acrobatic fun in first-person shooters lately. Why wouldn’t Bethesda carry that momentum and do more with what they established before?
This is the most direct and specific of my predictions and also the least likely to happen, but if it does it will make me a happy camper.
And those are my predictions. What are your thoughts? Do you think I’m full of it? Let me know in the comments and we’ll see how much of this shakes out in a few days.
