Isa Saudi Gazette E3 kicked off at the Los Angeles Convention Center yesterday with scores of video game announcements and demos to be unveiled on the show floor through Thursday. The event provides a sneak peek of games to come for the remainder of the year, as well as insight into new technologies, gaming hardware and software. Even before the expo began, publishers were releasing details of their most anticipated titles. Microsoft fired the first salvo with their press briefing discussing the games Tomb Raider, South Park and of course, Halo 4. There was a live action short of Halo 4 featuring Master Chief. It was simply a tease, providing nothing more than a glimpse of the gaming experience to come in November. Microsoft also unveiled a new concept called “Xbox SmartGlass,” which will allow Windows tablets and smartphones to interact with a television and Xbox to offer extra content and interactions. Some analysts heralded Xbox Smart Glass as a blow to Nintendo's Wii U, but the truth is that if it doesn't work with iOS and Android, its appeal will be limited. Full details about Microsoft's announcements are at http://press.xbox360.com/home_e32012.asp Sony's press event emphasized games exclusive to PlayStation 3 and Vita. The company also discussed its PlayStation Plus service advising that later this week members can download 12 games free, including major titles such as Infamous 2 and LittleBigPlanet 2. It seems that free games will be a regular feature of the service. Sony is also teaming up with Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for “Wonderbook: Book of Spells.” The Wonderbook is a book-like peripheral for the PlayStation 3. It interacts with a television and the PlayStation Move system to create new experiences in gaming and learning. “Book of Spells,” will be an augmented reality version of a new story from the “Harry Potter” universe. Users will be able to learn virtual spells by waving the Playstation Move over the hardware. According to J.K. Rowling, “Wonderbook: Book of Spells is the closest a Muggle can come to a real spellbook.” Sony of course is hoping to earn big bucks from Wonderbooks, as in addition to requiring the book title, the peripheral only works in conjunction with a PlayStation 3, a PlayStation Eye camera and a PlayStation Move controller. Electronic Arts was also quick off the mark at E3. Their press briefing showcased 10 of their upcoming titles. “SimCity Social” is coming to Facebook later this month and the “Battlefield Premium” subscription service was launched. It's the same concept as “Call of Duty Elite” – but a different game. “StarWars: the Old Republic” will probably gain new fans because from July, the game will be free for all players up to level 15. The nastiest footage of the event was from “Medal of Honor: Warfighter,” which showed a brutal attack on a Somali pirate enclave. It's another one of many games from E3 that aren't for kids. As we go to press, one of the most anticipated news conferences of E3 hasn't happened yet. Nintendo's future is riding on their tablet-like controller called the Wii U Game Pad. With so many other companies jumping the gun and making announcements early, Nintendo tried to get a bit of early buzz by streaming a webcast in which Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed a few details about the device. The Wii U has a 6.2-inch screen that displays information to complement game play, it acts as a touchscreen game board and serves as a second monitor. It also has gyro and motion sensors to pick up player movements. The table comes with near field communication (NFC) technology and can serve as a TV remote control. The Wii U has a forward facing camera for video chat and can browse the Internet and send Web content to a TV screen. Nintendo Direct has set up an all-access site for everyone to watch its E3 announcements at e3.nintendo.com __
