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Were The "Winners" of E3 Enough To Ensure Survival?
Now that the industry is winding down after another E3, it's time to reflect on the relative success of the show. Paul Govan reflects with a GeekDad view of the "winners" of this years show. The question is, after the attempts to scale it back to a much more exclusive event, has E3 managed to escape obscurity and defeat at the hands of up-and-comers like PAX? Highlights of the show included Microsoft's new controller-less interface, a sexier PSP, and a myriad of releases from Nintendo.
As I doubt I'll ever have an opportunity to go. PAX on the other hand - I haven't made it yet but I will eventually. So e3? meh. PAX? yes- absolutely I am stoked it is doing well as I look forward to being a part of it in the future.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
In short, can we have PAX yet?
So I guess that E3 has managed to escape obscurity and defeat for now.
I don't really understand why E3 can't be more like Comic-Con. Make it a fun event for gamers. It's not like the press will find it any harder to get info. Create some panels, signings, big rooms for LAN games, etc.
Yeah okay, it would be entertaining to play a multiplayer game of super mario...
For about five minutes.
Then I would want to play a real game.
I don't understand how every person reviewing E3 needs to mention that. It's not that cool. It's not original.
"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." - Pablo Picasso
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/myriad
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/myriad
It also means 10 thousand. Obviously, though, in this context, it just means "a large number." This usage is a rhetorical device commonly called "hyperbole."
This makes for a good example of why the word 'Nazi' gets used...
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/myriad.html
Some traditionalists object to the word âoeofâ after âoemyriadâ or an âoeaâ before, though both are fairly common in formal writing.
Surely some of the comments offer better fodder for your zealotry...
Is it just me, or did the article have absolutely nothing to do with the E3 question in the summary? I was expecting an article on E3's success/failure/survivability, and instead I got a Wii-Sports love-fest.
I live in the Seattle area and have attended the last 4 PAX events. PAX won't replace E3. Don't missunderstand, PAX is probably much more fun of an event than E3 ever will be. PAX is for the community of gamers, not for the publishers and developers. Sure, there is some spill-over, but PAX is overwhelmingly a gamer convention.
Press conference videos of the big 'three' (Microsoft,Sony,Nintendo) are here:
http://e3.gamespot.com/press-conference/microsoft-e3/
Microsoft won it for me, big time. Do not miss the project Natal introduction in Microsoft video (even with Steven Spielberg, pretty amazing stuff).
I'd say no one "won" E3. Nintendo's releases were "meh" at best, sure the new Metroid looks good, but Wii Sports and the rest of the "Wii" series are glorified tech demos. The multiplayer Mario game looks sort of OK, but it reminds me too much of LoZ: 4 Swords which wasn't that great. Sony shot itself in the foot with a UMD-less PSP, and their motion control like most things by Sony will be a decent implementation... But far too expensive and supporting only a few games (just look at how little the Six-Axis controller is used). The new motion control for the 360 looks interesting, but like most things done by MS, its going to have a terrible implementation.
I'd say everyone "lost" at E3, other then perhaps the new Golden Sun DS game I won't be buying anything demoed unless they get really, really, great reviews.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
All of us on the floor who were making deals, and making important contacts all won this year as opposed to last year where it was very difficult to meet everyone due to how spread out it was.
E3 in its current form is far more likely to succeed than its previous form. Booth babes and glam weren't the only things brought back this year. E3 was slowly becoming Gamestop-fest where more than 50% of the attendees were game players as opposed to game makers. The ratio was far better this year, with all of the infrastructure that was lacking in the E3 Santa Monica model.
Pretty bad summary. It was like a past-tense German sentence (apologies to native German speakers), where I didn't know the verb until the end of the sentence. Until PSP and Nintendo were mentioned, I didn't know they were talking about a computer gaming conference. The second to last sentence made my mind race (Controller-less interface for Windows/Office? Neat!). Then I came down to earth; oh, just console gaming.
I have a Playstation 2, the Eyetoy camera, and most to all of the Eyetoy titles. I was assuming that Nintendo's next generation would pick up the no-controller torch, but it looks like it's going to be Microsoft. I, for one, will probably give them my money and do the nerd walk of shame back to the car with the box. So far my newest console is a Wii...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Anyone else look at the tags and google for 'Amy Riadof'? Was really hoping slashdot had found me a new good looking gamer geek girl.
E3 is about games.
PAX is about gamers.
They're fundamentally different, and not really in competition with each other. I'm not sure where the submitter even got this question; E3 battling obscurity isn't mentioned in the article, nor is PAX, nor other expos at all.
Don't put advice in your sig.
Was a bit suprised that it seems like in the article he goes with Nintendo.. for me I think Sony and Microsoft showed technology that surpas anything Nintendo has. Most of the news and excitement seems to be for one of those two, not Nintendo.
Nintendo's new hardware was last E3's Motion Plus and a Vitality Sensor (wtf?). I'm not saying it was all bad, the new Mario and the new Metroid games sound VERY impressive, almost enough for me to buy a Wii again. But I think the winner would have been Microsoft or Sony.. honestly I'd give more of an edge to Sony simply because their game announcements to go along with their motion tech was more exciting to me then Microsoft's. I'm very excited to see what MS and Sony do now with their motion tech, I have high hopes.
Some traditionalists object to the word âoeofâ after âoemyriadâ or an âoeaâ
I object to those words certainly.
How would you even begin to pronounce them?
Always back up, never back down. ---- Think you're cool 'cos your uid is prime? Take mine, modulo the one digit integers
Surely some of the comments offer better fodder for your zealotry...
Zealotry was originally a political movement in first century Judaism which sought to incite the people of Iudaea Province to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the holy land by force of arms, most notably during the Great Jewish Revolt (AD 66-70). Zealotry was described by Josephus as one of the "four sects" at this time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealotry
I don't see how that applies to the GP.
There's a perfect xkcd for my sig but I'm too lazy to look it up. sudo someone go find it.
I feel fairly strongly that Nintendo has dropped the ball with their motion technology. They certainly had a great idea and it has helped reshape gaming, Microsoft's and Sony's motion control systems are evidence of that. However, they failed to capitalize on the technology. Too many of their games, while fun, were limited in scope and felt a bit too much like tech demos. Too many third party games were crap. And I think in too many cases the controls felt forced, like there was an obligation to feature motion control. And I think it's becoming apparent that the limited processing power of the Wii is a hindrance. Certainly, the low cost of the console was a huge asset initially.
The problem is that Sony and Microsoft are catching up, and because their systems are more powerful they can offer a more satisfying gaming experience. At this point I think more dedicated gamers are shaping the market. It's amazing how the Wii appeal to casual gamers and even non-gamers. Friends of mine who had virtually no interest in games ended up getting a Wii. But like so many other people the only game they own in addition to Wii Sports is Wii Fit. This market is quite fickle.
In that light, Nintendo's performance at this E3 was almost as weak as last year's. Fortunately they still have a few decent games to fall back on, which will more likely appeal to more dedicated gamers. Super Mario Bros certainly looks fun, but it looks too much like more of the same. I'm actually somewhat disappointed by the graphics. I expected them to feel more exaggerated and juicy, instead they almost come off as a fan remake. The new Metroid was another high spot, but at this point it's little more than announcement and there isn't much to see.
Project Natal is very impressive, but at this point it feels too much like a concept. There are too many questions that need to be addressed. Sony's system, on the other hand, was nearly as impressive but actually seemed like a practical application of the technology. It definitely looked like it was ready to go to market. As for the PSP Go, although I don't like the slider format on any device, I think it's decent. It's a logical next step for the PSP.
As is the case every year E3 ultimately ends up being irrelevant from the consumer's point of view. Many, if not most, games featured aren't released before the following E3. And despite all the fanfare regarding the announcement or demonstration of any game at the event ultimately what matters is what the game is like upon release. At that point reviewers refer to E3 only as a comparison on whether or not the game lived up to initial hype. So from that standpoint I pay attention to see what's coming, but for little more than that. I see no point in getting excited, year after year, over games that are still years off from being completed or too often end up as a disappointment.
If this reaction is anything to go by...
So, I think I can answer the question if they have obtained obscurity.
How about reducing the console prices so normal people can actually play these games ? Nintendo = more of the same. PS3 & Xbox = check out our useless gimicy controllers (cue lots of waving of hands, it's really brilliant, honest) Yawn. No money for you guys.
Microsoft unveils their Wii market grab Sega Activator clone which can, at best, only achieve Eye-toy like success.They unveil "awesome" facebook and twitter integration while not mentioning they have to do this because they're the only console without a browser and therefore lack the freedom and choice of the others.
Sony unveils a new PSP, something people have been talking about for nearly a year so it's not be surprise and they unveil a load of predictable games. Anyone really surprised that there are Gran Turismo games on the way? We're still waiting on Rockstar's first PS3 exclusive, so don't hold your breath for Agent.
Nintendo does enough just to get by. They don't have to try because they earn so much money they don't have to try. But they annouce new Mario games and we hear that a Zelda game is in the works. Again any real surprise?
Imo, Nintendo did win it closely followed by Sony. They all had predictable boring, uninspired announcements. But you know the new Mario Galaxy game will kick ass. So at least they get bonus points for quality predictability.
MS is the loser, imo, no decent games announcements and the worst motion control of the lot.
The thing about PAX is it's a consumer marketing show. It's a great show to generate buzz for not a lot of money. But it's not a show where deals are going to be made. EA isn't going to ink a deal with a major retailer a swank suite at PAX. E3, sure.
On the other hand, since I'm not in the industry I'd much rather go to PAX vs E3.
To be blunt, you guys are delusional. E3 is at least twice as important as all other events combined. It basically works all year long as a marketing device and the industry loves it. Every game magazine and web site runs months of pre E3 speculation and sneak peeks and rumors. The coverage takes up at least twice the amount of space in pages then any other event. Then for months afterwords the announcements are talked about. There is no better place to announce a new title or accessory if you want the most people to see it or talk about it. Of course it's for the press and industry. Having a few thousand press there is much better for your product when they go write about it then a few thousand fans. Any one who follows game news, lurks game forums, knows E3 is THE event of the year to wait for. Whether by merit or just recognition, E3 is here to stay. Millions of people are not watching the PAX videos. Millions watch the E3 videos. To restate, it is a industry event. Not a fan event with some industry people coming along, like comiccon.
Translation: I like Frosty Piss, This is an attempt to get a prist psot. I have dyslexia. I am also gay, here is a picture of my partners anus on the morning after the honeymoon.
why dont yous talk about the scribbelnauts game on th NINETENDO DS it looks fantastic!
E3's relevance is receding. This year is a desperate attempt after two years in the wilderness. E3 is an old paradigm. Sure it was the king of the North American game design/publishing world for over a decade, but in terms of size, it's second fiddle to PAX now. Next year there will be TWO PAX events, one on each coast, which will turn PAX into a direct point of contact for (I would wager) more than 100,000 people a year. PAX is the new paradigm, reaching people directly, virally, and relevantly with no middleman. Gamers don't trust the 'big' media anymore, just look at what happened to Jeff Gerstmann, rather Penny Arcade gets millions of unique hits every day because they have built a reputation for being an honest source of information and opinions about the industry. And while at E3, some stupid journalist who wouldn't know an XBOX from his toaster might go to a press conference and ask a designer/publisher, 'so, would you say your next game is awesome or just plain amazing?' Conversely, at PAX, somebody who cut his teeth on the Atari 2600, NES, or PC games from Microprose and knows everything that the industry has done right and wrong for decades might go to a panel and ask a designer/publisher, 'why did your game suck so hard?' and rather than being thrown out by security, might in fact receive a standing ovation from a group of his peers. Considering how far your tongue is up E3's rectum, I wouldn't be surprised if you worked for SOE and are worried about facing that sort of scenario.
PAX is immeasurably greater than E3, and it's growing so fast and vigorously that Khoo is worried that Seattle will sell out this year because the largest convention center in the state is too small. Unfortunately for the media, they're creatures of habit, and it will take them a while to wake up to the fact that they're now largely ignoring the largest event simply because they don't really know what's going on, which is why the generations of gamers largely ignore the mainstream media already. (Which further explains why so many game designers and publishers attend PAX, so many that this year they are turning many smaller entities away, which is sad, but space is finite.)
E3's reign ended in 2006, it's just history and momentum that's keeping it barely alive (especially with major companies leaving the ESA and E3 behind, like Vivendi Universal and id Software). In a few more years everybody will realize it's second string.
I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
I don't see how anyone could come to this conclusion, and it seems like no one but GeekDad actually has. Almost every other outlet covering E3 pointed out how much better both Sony and MS' offerings were than Nintendo's, on pretty much every front. Most have declared Nintendo the clear "loser" of the E3 showing, for giving us nothing better than more of the same tired first party games, and completely bullshit peripherals (Wii Vitality Sensor, anyone?).