E3 2010: A summary so far

A lot happened this year at E3, so here's a nice little summary for you. First, let's talk about Playstation. There's now a tiered online system; with $50 a year for Playstation Plus but normal PSN is free -- you just don't get the added benefits that Plus gives: notably premium content, early access to betas and Qore.

Sony also announced Playstation Move, its Wii challenging motion based gaming based system (but now also Xbox challenging, read on for that...). It isn't cheap: on top of the normal PS3 cost you need to cough up $99 which gets you the Sports Champion Bundle with Playstation Eye and Move. A controller is a hefty $50 and the (Nunchuk competing) option controller is another $30. However, a bundle which gives you everything listed above will be available for $399. It'll be in the UK on September 15th and in the States 4 days later. Extra peripherals are the Charger ($30) and Gun attachment ($20).

But Sony wasn't the only big company to have some press at E3 this year, Nintendo has been snapping on its heels with its 3D DS; 3DS for short. It features 2 screens like the normal DS range, but the top one is 3D. You don't need glasses, and it has a slider switch to change the effects of the 3D or turn it off altogether. It features an analog stick, similar to the PSP, but no word on price as yet.

Finally, Microsoft's news from E3 this year. They had two big announcements. One of these was the new Xbox 360, and the other was Kinect. I won't go into detail about Kinect because Steve already has but let me tell you a bit about the new Xbox 360.

It is a thing of beauty in some respects. The black outer with chrome looks mean and aggressive. The "brick" power supply means that it's easier to transport as well as fitting better into the room. It's got touch buttons like the PS3 as well so it should be a comfortable device to use. It's the same price in the States at $299 so let's hope that stays the same for the UK.

Also, for those on a tight budget but love a game, the Arcade will be phased out and be replaced by a $199 Xbox 360. Xbox also will have Zune Music and there will also be ESPN3 on it. Netflix will have search but that's US only for obvious reasons.

To conclude, E3 2010 has been a great event filled with lots of fascinating news. It'll be interesting to see what happens with the new hardware announced, as well as the new games and titles which were also announced.