Sony, Nintendo, And Microsoft Confirm Pre-E3 Conferences

In preparation for May's interactive trade event Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006, which takes place from May 10-12 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the three major players in Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft have collectively announced the times, dates, and locations for their annual pre-E3 press conferences. These conferences, which taken place during the two days preceding the three-day expo, have historically laid the groundwork for the entire week's events, revealing key information about the company's plans for the next year. 2005's press conferences revealed many initial details about the upcoming Revolution and PlayStation 3 consoles, as well as the Xbox 360 which launched later that year. Sony will be holding its pre-E3 conference from 4pm on May 8, 2006 at the Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City, California. Anticipation is high that Sony will lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the PlayStation 3's oft-rumored price point and show playable PS3 titles, as well as finalize any remaining details left over from the announcements made at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in March as the company prepares for the console's global launch in early November. Nintendo will be holding its press conference at 9:30am PST on May 9, 2006 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California. Attendees can expect to hear more details on the Revolution console, as well as software for the platform, and more information concerning its unique controller. Also expected is additional details on the company's redesigned DS Lite handheld, including more details on Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which Nintendo president Satoru Iwata unveiled at GDC. Microsoft will host its event two hours later at the nearby, famed Grauman's Chinese Theatre. A change of venue from previous years' Shrine Auditorium, Microsoft is not expected to hold back this year, even though it has already launched the Xbox 360. Previous Microsoft pre-E3 conferences have been showpieces for upcoming software releases more so than hardware, and this year looks to be no exception. In an effort to draw attention away from its competitors, attendees can expect to find out more details concerning anticipated titles such as Gears of War, or perhaps even Halo 3, though no details are yet confirmed. Gamasutra will have live coverage from all of these events as they happen, including plenty more information on the myriad announcements as part of our extended E3 coverage.