PS3 E3 2010 keynote highlights

The Sony keynote at E3 2010 stood in stark contrast to Microsoft’s and in some ways it’s like a mirror universe version.  Which console wore the goatee this year is entirely dependent upon your fanboy predilections.  Why is that?  In the past, Microsoft more than Sony caught a lot of heat for paying for exclusive content on cross-platform titles, though that’s their prerogative.

This year was Sony’s time to shine with additional content from titles like Medal of Honor, Dead Space 2 (including compatibility with the Move – more on that in a minute), Mafia II and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, which will include an exclusive level and multiplayer beta.  See what I mean?  It reads like an Xbox E3 announcement from two years ago, not that that’s a bad thing.  Another oddity?  Portal 2 had it’s E3 trailer debut at the Sony keynote.  I told you it was a mirror universe.

Sony’s take on the Wiimote Move was also demoed on stage, and just like Kinect, can be patched into existing games such as Tiger Woods 11.  The Move also got pricing and a launch date attached to it, at least in the US, where it will launch on September 19th.  As a standalone item, it’ll cost $50, with the Navigation Controller (formely Sub-Controller) being a $30 add on.  Think the nunchuck for the Wii and you get the idea.  Like any good console maker, there will be bundles as well, including the Move, a Playstation Eye and the game Sports Champions for $100, and lastly a PS3 Slim and the Move will be $400.

In the area of exclusive titles, Little Big Planet 2 was shown off, though no release date yet.  Gran Turismo finally got a date slapped on it though, and racing fans can mark November 2nd on their calendar.  And we can’t forget inFAMOUS 2, which got a teaser trailer of it’s own, but no announce date.

Another big push by Sony out of the gate is 3D, which is something they’ve clearly put a lot of time and money into.  Killzone 3 (thankfully NOT called Killzone 3D) was first to be shown in 3D at the show.   Also given the 3D treatement: Tron, NBA 2K11, Motorstorm and Sly Cooper.  With the necessity of special glasses and 3D ready TVs, I’m not sure how successful this technology is going to be.  I’ve seen how great it can work on some games, but how it fails miserably on others.  If I had to take a guess as to how 3D will pan out in the long run, I’d say that once the cost of the technology drops to the point where it’s in all new HDTVs, thereby eliminating the current exorbitant price to buy in, it will probably find legs.  Until then it will be a niche feature (and probably always will be to some), but Sony is certainly smart to get there early, and they have the breadth of hardware and content businesses to become an early leader.

The other big thing for the Playstation this year is the introduction of Playstation Plus, which introduces PS3 gamers to the concept of subscription fees, namely $50 a year or $18 for three months, in US dollars.  Despite some rumours to the contrary, online gaming will still be free on PSN, but oddly, only Playstation Plus subscribers will be able to initiate cross-game chat, which is something available to all Xbox Live users.  The paid service will include free and exclusive content as well.

All in all nothing too earth shattering (unless you love 3D to death) but a solid presentation.  It’s interesting to see how little attention they put on the Move, even though they’ll be hitting store shelves well before Microsoft’s Kinect.  With the number of game highlights, this was certainly a better showing for Sony than last year.