I left The Killers doing their Duran Duran pastiche at the Microsoft conference and have just got back. And you know what? If the footage shown today is anything to go by then PS3 is the initial "winner".
The Xbox conference wasn't bad and certainly felt like an event, despite the cringeworthy bussed-in groupies that sat behind the stage, hollering at every announcement. But nothing that was shown matched the look of Killzone and some of the other PS3 titles shown.
Now obviously this is very early days and graphics don't make a game, but for chief Robbie Bach to say that his was the most powerful console around felt a little ridiculous.
Where 360 does appear stronger than PS2 is online. The dashboard looked clean and simple, with a real feeling that connectivity is the core to the console. The Xbox 360 is, "the ultimate digital box", said Bach. There was also none of the worthy, yet dull, technical presentations that blighted the Sony presentation. Both conferences had senior EA staff as part of their presentations, highlighting the importance of the number one publisher. I wonder if they'll complete the triple by appearing at Nintendo tomorrow morning?
Anyway, the key Xbox 360 announcements were:
Launching with 24 titles before Christmas 2005 in US, Europe and Japan (ambitious stuff - my guess is Thanksgiving weekend for US, December for Europe and Japan)
Backwards capability with the original Xbox (good news and sensible too..)
Plan to widen demographic by offering casual games – cards, retro etc – via Live Arcade (makes sense, especially when you see how popular these games are)
Gameswise one of the big announcements was the arrival of Final Fantasy Online on Xbox 360. This fills the MMO gap on the console. Also impressive was Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the free-roaming RPG, and the Zelda-esque Kameo. Ghost Recon 3 was shown in-game and while it looked decent it didn't stand up to Killzone's footage on the PS3.
Elsewhere the conference was memorable for Peter Moore – senior VP marketing – getting a little carried away on stage. Apparently playing the Xbox 360 is like, "living a lucid dream" and helps you reach the "Zen of gaming". Er, right, thanks Pete. Also there was a not-quite-as-bad-as-it-sounds sketch involving Bill Gates and Steve "I love this company" Balmer discussing the new Xbox whilst queuing for Star Wars.
Of course, footage is one thing – the proof is in the playing. So although Sony won out in the looks department it's only Microsoft who will be showing actual next-gen games this E3. So when the show opens on Wednesday it is these that will give us the first hands-on glimpse into the gaming future.
