In Conclusion...

E3 2009 was the year of the sensor, which means most games in the not so distant future will have a new level of off the couch interaction with the player.

Let me ask the hard questions: Is this good? Is this bad? Is this a fad?

Help me break it down:

Is it cool? Yes. Will it help reverse the damage done to the gamer waistline over the years? Yes. Do the non-Wii players of the world want this? Well that's the real question isn't it, and there's a "new coke" feeling scratching at the back of my brain. Since I already have the core gaming market, can I change the product to appeal to the competition's market as well?

The short answer is no. Boys that like shooters or button mashers want better graphics, better sound, better physics, better AI, better multiplayer and cooperative modes, better stories and unbelievably good gameplay. A few years ago, die hard gamers were refusing to leave the PC due to the scaled back games and general hardware performance of the xbox and playstation. If Sony or Microsoft take $5 out of the core R&D budget to accommodate sensor technology, a new player will almost certainly enter the field committing to pushing the hardware envelope.

The long answer is yes. Ultimately the consumer wants choice, but it cannot come at the cost of your business strengths. Sony and Microsoft have market share for a reason. They need to continue to cater to the needs of their primary market and refuse to compromise on cutting edge console and game development.

Once again, this has to be a choice. Cutting back (or even plateauing) on core values to incorporate sensor technology is suicide. The only path to success is to technologically forge ahead on both fronts.

Will it happen? I hope so. Microsoft's Natal Project is unbelievably cool, but my gut instinct says that it will be underutilized by most games due to time and cost constraints. So assuming we see the finished product within the next three years, will you buy the new hardware for one or two games? I'll probably wait until Bethesda green lights it with a few titles.

More pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129714&id=608075070&l=d05e462e03

See you back in the peg!

Jeff

Nintendo

Am I allowed to talk about Sony and Microsoft without talking about Nintendo? Probably not. The numbers suggest that in the past year, video game sales surpassed that of movies and music combined (yeah yeah, we know), TOYS (that's a new one) and HOME VIDEO (that's just crazy) and Nintendo, in their efforts to make games for everyone, is largely responsible for this.

At the expo, Nintendo had a large collection of new demos to play including 3 new Mario titles and a wall of machines setup with games that take advantage of Wii motion plus technology. That's right, the Wii has improved the sensitivity of the Wiimote with an add on sensor (you have probably seen in in the EA Tiger Woods commercial). The company is eager to have game developers take advantage of the new technology and it will be interesting to see how it changes the Wii game concepts. One thing is for sure, sports games are going to get a lot harder!

Sony's Big Push

With the release of the PSP Go, Sony is dropping the price of the PSP development kit by 80%! This company wants content. Lots of content. Coupled with the distribution capabilities of PSP Online, this may be a great opportunity for up and coming game companies to develop and launch a game to a global audience.

Another interesting Sony tidbit - they plan on releasing 100 more games for the PS2. That adds up to over 2100 titles for the nine year old console. They have also dropped the price to $99, based on the belief that a PS2 house will become a PS3 house. Interesting.

Microsoft's Offerings! Wow!

My sister is going to love this; Microsoft has announced a new version of Rockband: The Beatles!

Steven Spielberg helped sell Project Natal: Microsoft's NO CONTROLLER, full body motion capture, facial recognition, voice recognition input device for the Xbox 360 . Peter Molyneux from Lionhead Studios showed a demo a boy called "Milo". This is human/game interaction at it's best. Consoles pretty much destroyed the roleplaying genre - Natal is going to bring it back. RPGs will benefit the most from this technology and you won't have to buy an new console to use it. Natal will work with all 360s past, present and future.

To see the demo, go here and start at 150:28: http://e3.gamespot.com/press-conference/microsoft-e3/

P.S. I was given a ticket to get into a limo that would take me across the street to the Windows 7 lounge. Sweet!

DAY TWO: Let the games begin!

Utter astonishment. That's the closest I can come to describing what it was like to walk into this expo for the first time. I should have been more prepared considering the money spent on outdoor advertising, but no. This simply blew me away. WOW!

With that out of my system, I can focus on some business observations:

1. The Wii. The phenomenal success of this product has created an industry inside of the industry. I'm not just talking about the game companies and third party joystick manufacturers that we have seen since the beginning. No, this is something else. Tennis rackets, swords, rifles, crossbows, bowling balls, even skateboards are popping up everywhere as add ons for the ultimate Wii experience. These are not high ticket items, but on the off chance you doubt how much money these items generate, there are over 20 booth spaces dedicated to these third party products here at E3. Competing companies all trying to become the defacto supplier for Wii add ons. Incredible.

2. Input devices. I just saw a demo of Sony's answer to the Wii controller. The two part device looked like you were holding two small microphones, one in each hand. Staying true to the Playstation target market, the demo was played on a sword and shield game (left hand shield, right hand sword). The accuracy was incredible. No need to chop like a mad man when you have motion capture this good. I think we all knew that the Wii and the iPhone were pushing us in this direction anyway, the reason I bring it up is this:

Game design is no longer limited by input controls and this is both wonderful and scary at the same time. As the realism of game play skyrockets, so will the difficulty. I can honestly see a future where a game is released that is simply too hard to play (and therefore not fun). Will you have to be a ninja to play Ninja Gaiden X? Perhaps these controls will become a means of controlling the level of game play, becoming more realistic as you crank up the difficulty settings. Either way, it will be fantastic to see how game developers use this technology for something other than fighting.

3. The Art of Marketing and the Marketing of Art. Marketing may be the last thing on the minds of game developers when they begin the brainstorming process. Right or wrong, here is some advice:

Make the art work for you.

Find an artist who can capture the imagination of your target market. If you are going cute, go cute to the point that people will want to buy stuffed fuzzy versions of the characters. If you are going sexy, go sexy to the point that hormonal teens are getting in trouble because they are taping posters of your characters up in their lockers. If you are going tough...well let's just say it better inspire tattoos.

Don't settle. Mediocrity will cost you fans and promotional opportunities.

T-shirts and posters are still huge here. If your art is awesome, fans will help you advertise and spread the word. Used to it's full potential, quality art can generate a greater return on investment for any project.

More E3 pics here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129522&id=608075070&l=8c3068eee6

DAY ONE: Travel & Registration

I made it! I am here in sunny Los Angeles enjoying the hazy warm weather. My hotel, "The Ritz Milner" is about a 15 minute walk from the convention center. It's pretty ancient and somewhat run down, but it's clean. After checking in, I headed out to the expo to get my badge.

This event is massive. Outdoor video game advertising surrounds the convention center. The ads are sweet, my favorite being the Final Fantasy trio that covers three 14 story buildings.

Inside, most companies are still setting up, getting ready for the insanity that tomorrow will bring. The line up at the international registration booth is short. The man in front of me is from Japan and he came here without an invitation. The E3 staff politely tell him to leave (CRAZY). Two seconds later I have my badge, and I wonder if it's smart to wear it out on the street...

There are lots of good restaurants on the way to the expo, but I also have the option of the 24 hour IHOP and the 24 hour SUBWAY right beside the hotel. :)

Tomorrow I am bringing my digital audio recorder in hopes to get some sound bytes to go along with my pictures. This is going to be fun! More pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129257&id=608075070&l=65f8817bae

Prologue

For those of you who are not in the video game loop, E3 is the world's premiere trade show for computer and video games and related products.  From June 2nd to 4th, yours truly will be in Los Angeles attending said event for the first time.  If all goes well, I hope to be posting my adventure along with some sweet pics, so stay tuned!

More info on E3: http://www.e3expo.com/

Here's a link to the greatest association in the world and the organization who is sending me to this sweet event: http://www.ictam.ca/ (Thanks boss!)