INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Every story about E3 has opened with a mention of Sony absence, and this one no different
The lack of one of gaming &big three& loomed large over the show, right down to a strange sense of space on the showroom floor
Even Xbox chief Phil Spencer mourned the absence of the company biggest competitor, stating, &I wish Sony was here,& during a live stream
But the show went on, as it has through countless ebbs and flows of the gaming industry
Sony clearly got plenty up its sleeve with regard to next-generation content, and frankly, no one too worried about their health
Microsoft, meanwhile, came out swinging on Sunday
The company had a TON of games to reveal at the show, with dozens of trailers, all told
And while Microsoft did touch upon two key pieces of news, it ultimately ended up blowing through those announcements, with very little time
devoted to either its next-generation 8K console, Project Scarlett, or its streaming service, Project xCloud
In fact, we ultimately went back to Microsoft later in the week to clarify some things about the service and discovered in the process that
console streaming will be free and not a part of the broader xCloud offering
While Microsoft ultimately seemed cautious (or pressed for time) to go into either xCloud or Game Pass in too much detail onstage,
streaming was unquestionably the biggest story of the show
That due in no small part to the fact that Google took a little wind out of E3 sails by shedding more light on its Stadia offering during a
surprise press conference last Friday
On Tuesday, a Nintendo executive confirmed for me that the company is exploring streaming, but wasn&t able to comment on any specifics
Regardless, the writing is clearly on the wall here, and Nintendo has certainly taken notice
In the meantime, the company showed off its latest Animal Crossing title, a sneak peek of the next Zelda and the surprise hit of the show: A
gooey Luigi called, naturally, Gooigi
Honestly though, I&m most excited about that Link Awakening remaster
Square big event was fairly lackluster, though we did get a preview of the Uncanny (Valley) Avengers
Ubisoft had some cool demos on tap, including Watch Dogs: Legion and story mode for Assassin Creed
The publisher is also launching its own streaming service, with help from Google Stadia
Bethesda, meanwhile, is getting in on the battle royale phenomenon with a new mode for Fallout 76
Though the Fall Guys& version is far more adorable
There a Razer energy drink, Opera gaming browser, new George R.R
Martin game, Warcraft-meets-The-Office show from the It Always Sunny crew and a dance game for the Nintendo Wii
Not the Switch, not the Wii U, the Wii
