By: Brian Crecente

Things are really shaping up to make this one of the best or worst E3 in history. I say that with exactly one E3 under my belt, so I speak from experience. :)

Seriously, while Sony and Nintendo have the most to win or gain at this upcoming show, even Microsoft could have some major news hitting. Let's go through the rumors and possibilities.

Nintendo
The Revolution is going to be the big show stopper for Nintendo and while the buzz has been rather favorable, the chief attraction, it seems, is that fancy remote control-looking joystick doohickey. I've seen it described as the next mouse or D-pad, but I've also heard people worry that it will be another Power Glove or lament that it will lead to the dumbing down of games.

This first chance for the world's game journalists to go hands-on with the controller will go a long way in making or breaking its future and where goes the Revolution Controller goes the Revolution.

I think Nintendo will also likely discuss the DS Lite and when it will be hitting the U.S. and Europe, but as much as I am anticipating the portable, I don't expect it to make much of a splash compared to the rest of the week's news.

Sony
With the past few months of hijinks, jitters and double-takes, Sony seems about ready to have a bit of a corporate nervous breakdown. The company that many thought had the strongest hold on the industry is suddenly being looked at very closely by investors and analysts. Just how are they going to both price the PS3 in a way to make it attractive to consumers, but also so that it doesn't make them hemorrhage gallons of cash with each sale?

The Blu-ray technology seems to be at the heart of the problem. Some have said that Sony tying a format war to their next console was not the brightest move. To top it off, recent Playstation Portable news shows that at least the device's multimedia capabilities are not doing nearly as well as Sony had hoped. Much of Hollywood has staggered away from the train wreck that was the UMD movie format. Recent reports have Sony execs going door to door trying to convince studios to return to the format. The ace up Sony's sleeve? They say they're working on a way of allowing UMD movies to be played on a regular TV. The other rumor is that a new PSP might be announced.

Of all the three companies doing their next-gen song and dance at the big show, I think Sony likely has the most to lose. They come into the show as the proud creator of the strongest current generation console in the world; this show will decide where their next-gen console will place them.

Microsoft
Having gotten their next-gen console launch off the ground, sort of, Microsoft is in the enviable position of being able to sit back and watch how their competitors try to catch-up with their head-start. But I doubt that is what they will do.

It's likely that the big M is going to try and do some maneuvering to reinvigerate the Xbox 360 just as the Revolution and PS3 come to the market. One way they will do this will certainly be through those mysterious 15 titles set to hit through the rest of the year. Will there be another Halo type title? Will there be another Halo? It's hard to say, though it sounds like Gears of War is being positioned to lead the charge.

Another big push will likely be the HD-DVD add-on. If Microsoft can really offer this bad boy up for the rumored $100 and it has the suspected HDMI connection built into it, it could become quite a major draw for Msoft's console.

With the next-gen console war fully engaged, you'd think that Microsoft would have their hands full. But what about portable gaming? They're the only company so far to not enter the fray. One rumor has it that the company will unveil a portable gaming device at E306. I'm on the fance about the possibilities, but if it does happen I think it will be a big mistake for a company just starting to get a leg up in the console wars. Everyone knows a one front war is far better than a two front one.

OK, your turn. What do you expect to come out of the big three at E3?

Send an email to the author of this post at .