[caption id=“attachment_3818” align=“aligncenter” width=“600” caption=“Image Courtesy of Engadget.com”][/caption]

For the past two gaming generations, Sony was king. With their PlayStation and PlayStation 2, they dominated the charts, and the hearts and minds of gamers worldwide.

This generation, however, has been a tough road.  Their PlayStation 3, perhaps too powerful and too advanced for its time, lost key marketshare to the XBox 360 and the surprise market leader, the Nintendo Wii.  Their attempts to break into the portable realm haven’t been too great, with two itterations of the PSP thus far, neither really breaking Nintendo’s stranglehold on the market.

This year at E3, they arrive on the mend, with a revised PS3 which is starting to attack the 360 (finally), and their attempt at motion control, the Move, ready to launch.

What will Sony be giving to gamers this year? We found out.

Here’s what was shown at this afternoon’s press conference:

  • Firmware updates to a number of games will be issued today (including Wipeout HD, Motorstorm and others) to allow for 3D gameplay with compatible televisions.  They promise 20 3D titles by March 2011. Of note, Sony's 3D is with glasses.
  • Killzone 3 gameplay was showcased. This latest installment in the beloved PlayStation FPS franchise will be available (say it with me) in 3D. The game was "built from the ground up with 3D in mind" and features additions like dual wielding weapons and jetpacks! The game will be available worldwide in February 2011, and also includes Move functionality.
  • A collection of the PlayStation 2 Sly Cooper games, titled The Sly Collection was announced as a future 3D title, as was Gran Turismo 5, Crysis 2, Mortal Kombat, Shaun White Skateboarding, Ghost Recon, Tron Evolution and NBA 2K11.
  • The Move controller(s) were promoted as a more precise form of motion control. In short, the feel of a Wiimote with the advertised precision of the Kinect (my words, not theirs).
  • Sorcery was announced, a first-person fantasy action adventure game for the PS3 using the Move controllers. In it, one controller serves as your wand and the other serves as your d-pad for movement. The Move's unique "ball" is used for status messages, like when a potion is OK to use. It's basically the Harry Potter game everyone would ever want. Due Spring 2011.
  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2011 was up next. In it, the Move Controller serves as your meaty wang, taking on dozens of comers golf club, allowing a precise swing. The Move controls will be an update to the game on PSN this Fall.
  • Heroes on the Move was announced next, a Move title which combines the Sly Cooper, Jak and Ratchet & Clank universes.  The title is tenative, and the game has no release date at this time.
  • Coca Cola & Sony will be teaming up to put ads for the PS3 and Move on 130 MILLION Coke cans. Glad I stopped drinking soda. Makes the urge to buy the Move lower.
  • There was a pretty hysterical speech by Kevin Butler (who you may recall as the face of the current PS3 ad campaign). Should a video appear, I'll post it, as I can't really do it justice.
  • PlayStation Move launch details: It will be launched in Europe on September 15th, the US on September 19th and Japan on October 21st. The Move controller itself will sell for $50, with the Navigation Controller (read: nunchuck) going for $30. There will be bundles of course: You can get the Move, the EyeSight camera and Sports Champions for $99 or all 3 plus a PS3 for $399. Of course, you'll still need the Navigation Controllers with the those bundles, so add $30. 15 to 20 titles available for the Move on day one, with more than 40 during the holiday season.
  • A teaser trailer for God of War: Ghosts of Sparta was shown, the second PSP God of War title. Very very little PSP presence. Continues to be the bastard child of the Sony empire.
  • Little Big Planet 2 was up next, a gameplay demonstration building upon what was revealed in the trailer earlier in the month. You can now create different game TYPES within the game. Very robust creation tools. You can even remap the controllers to your own preferred actions. Ridiculous!
  • New subscription add-on for the free PSN service. Called PlayStation Plus, it's $50 for a year, $18 for 3 months, and it allows you access to early demos, party invitations, beta invites and discounts on products in the PS Store. They stressed that the normal, free PSN accounts are not changing. This is addition by addition, not by subtraction.
  • Electronic Arts showcased Dead Space 2 and Medal of Honor with live demonstrations. Medal of Honor has UNLOCKABLE BEARDS! Let unlockable beards be 2011's 3D/Motion Control.
  • Valve, or more accurately, Apeture Science, interrupted the press conference to announce that Portal 2 will be coming to the PS3...with STEAM support! First ever trailer of Portal 2 was shown. The game takes the same Portal gameplay to outdoor locales, a first for the series.
  • A new Final Fantasy XIV trailer was shown, but still, very cryptic with little revealed.
  • Some PS3 exclusive DLC was revealed: Mafia II will get exclusive content, and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will not only have exclusive levels on PS3, but PS3 owners get a multiplayer beta.
  • Gran Turismo 5. The long awaited gear head racing sequel will be released for PS3 (supporting 3D play) on November 2nd, 2010.
  • inFamous 2 trailer shown. Striking while the iron is hot, this sequel to the anti-hero favorite of 2009 is due for a 2011 release.
  • A new update of Twisted Metal is announced, headed up by the original creative team. It includes online modes such as team deathmatch, and the gameplay is faction based (i.e. a team of clowns, based on Sweet Tooth, etc.) No date announced.
It may be the effects of being last, but honestly, there was very little to get me excited at Sony's press conference. Much like Microsoft's presser, this was built around new technologies that have truly yet to impress me. The Move and the Kinect both, I cannot get hyped about until I try them myself (both better have national demos in stores, same with the 3DS), and I'm really sick of 3D already. I just bought a new TV. I'm not doing it again, and I tend to be pretty bleeding edge. Plus, the glasses are stupid.

What excited me? PS3 having the superior version of Portal 2 is interesting (especially as someone whose PC cannot run the game) and as a PS2 platforming stalwart, Heroes on the Move is exciting. And while it’s nice to see Sony giving it back to the first-gen PlayStation fans with a new Twisted Metal, the originals weren’t my bag, and this remains the same.

Overall, I don’t see my PS3 being more than the dust collector it currently is. Sorry, Sony.