We’re making our first trip to E3, the monolithic gaming expo out in Los Angeles, this coming week (major hat tip to Greg Miller of Kinda Funny on that. He’s an awesome guy. For reals.). A whole lot of content is on the way, and as Wired pointed out early Thursday, news from the event is already seeping out. Another example came hours after that Wired post. Oculus announced in a pre-E3 press conference that it plans to partner with Microsoft and will release its virtual reality Rift technology between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2016.
It’s been an exciting start to what will be a ridiculously fun week. With what’s to come in mind, here’s a look at what Fangirl can’t wait to see at E3.
1. Ridiculous headsets
Virtual reality tech is getting closer to consumer-friendly. Oculus’ announcement Thursday as well as early demos of the technology at its press briefing offer clues, but not the whole picture. How much will the VR headset-and-controller package cost? What does this partnership mean for other entertainment systems? But the fact that this technology is less than a year away is exciting nonetheless, and being fully engrossed in a digital experience — from the comfort of your own home — seems remarkable.
2. Old-school revivals
Old-school being a relative term. Ratchet & Clank was one of my first gaming experiences, and you can imagine how freaked out I was by the Playstation 4 trailer release. I’ve never felt so old. Or so young. Either way, we’ll definitely stop by the SCEA booth to get more on this, and a couple other renditions of classics have us pumped, too. Capcom’s Mega Man reboot should be a lot of fun, too.
3. Bethesda’s big moment
Releasing the Fallout 4 trailer was a hell of a way to get people excited for the company’s first-ever E3 showcase, and then came another bombshell. Bethesda isn’t taking appointments at E3 this year, instead opting to leave their space open to everyone and hosting a live stage show during the exhibit. With DOOM, Fallout 4, BATTLECRY and a last-day debriefing on what’s to come for Bethesda, there will be a ton to unpack. The company is making an early run at stealing the show. We’ll see how Sunday’s demos go.
4. Final-ly
Square Enix stopped teasing us, and Final Fantasy XV is about as close to a release date announcement as it can get. Many other major titles (Halo, Destiny, the Bethesda trio and all EA’s usual offerings) will be updated at the show, as well. Between that, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and the myriad of games that aren’t springing off the top of my head, there are a ton of blockbuster titles on the docket.
That, of course, is just a small primer as we get ready for an early wake-up call and flight out of St. Louis on Saturday. What kind of content do you want? What are you excited about? Let us know in the comments.