The Electronic Entertainment Expo is almost here, and we’ve got some questions.
As the biggest names in the gaming industry gather at the Los Angeles Convention Center for E3 2017, there are plenty of things we already know will be at the event, as well as a glut of juicy rumors we hope come true. But for the show’s signature players — Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony — there are bigger things to resolve than what games they have coming down the pike.
Here are the biggest questions we hope to have answered by the time E3 closes its doors:
Nintendo: What’s in store for Switch, other than great games?
Creating amazing games never has been a problem for Nintendo, and it probably never will. But the gaming industry no longer is full of people flocking to arcades to play “Donkey Kong.”
Sure, people still want fun games to play, but they also want their hundreds of dollars to bring them a machine that can be the center of your living room. Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 feature a wealth of entertainment apps, as well as the ability to play media housed on external storage. Hell, PlayStation even has arguably the best live TV package available right now.
But the Nintendo Switch, for all its multi-functionality and growing library of excellent games, has virtually none of the features that Xbox One and PS4 have. Furthermore, the system is light-years behind its peers in terms of power, and likely won’t be in the same universe as “Project Scorpio.”
So what reasons do Xbox and PlayStation owners have to add Switch to their inventories? Moreover, why would someone who doesn’t own a gaming console make Switch their first choice? Hopefully Nintendo will pull the curtain back at E3 on some truly exciting new Switch features, but we wouldn’t put money on it.
Microsoft: Is “Project Scorpio” going to break our bank accounts?
And if so, will it be worth it?
Microsoft’s upcoming new console, which many expect to be an extremely powerful updated version of the Xbox One, is almost guaranteed to cost gamers a fortune. That’s fine and all, but how many people, who are plenty satisfied with their current systems, really want to spend all their hard-earned money on a console just because it has better specs?
The truth is, despite having a ton of controversial issues at launch and still featuring an occasionally frustrating interface, the Xbox One is a system that’s fully capable of entertaining families and gamers for at least another five years. Furthermore, there are plenty of excellent games currently available on Xbox, and many more on the way.
Now, Microsoft has billed “Scorpio” as a system capable of putting an end to console generations as we know them. If what they reveal at E3 proves that notion is possible, than “Scorpio” might very well be worth your money, as you might never have to save for another system again.
Sony: Will PlayStation VR, PlayStation 4 get price cuts to combat “Scorpio”?
We’re not convinced Sony should be worried about “Scorpio,” but it might be thinking otherwise. If gamers appear primed to flock to Microsoft’s new hardware, than Sony has to do something with its PlayStation platform to ensure it stays atop the gaming mountain.
As is usually the case for Sony at E3, games probably will be the focus. And that’s fine, as PlayStation 4 really possesses the industry’s best library of games. But if both the PS4 and the highly successful PlayStation VR headset get price cuts, especially in the face of what likely will be a massive price tag for “Scorpio,” then history could look at Sony as the winners of E3 2017.
Ultimately, Sony doesn’t have to tweak much, as PS4 probably is the best hardware on the market. But the aforementioned price cuts, as well further refinement of its PlayStation Vue service, would be welcome sights to everyone — except Microsoft.
Thumbnail photo via Flickr/E3 Expo
