E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is the gamer's equivalent of a trip round Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, where huge announcements, blockbuster sequels and the most anticipated upcoming releases are revealed to the massed gaming media. This year's big news was about 3D gaming and Sony and Microsoft's slightly forlorn-looking attempts to leap aboard the Wii's joypad-free bandwagon.
HARDWARE
Out now
Sony's release of its 3D TV range was accompanied by four free 3D games: hover racer WipEout HD, the star of the batch; modestly entertaining shooter Super Stardust HD; a demo of Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and PAIN's ragdoll-hurling action more akin to an iPhone game. Upcoming Killzone 3 and LittleBigPlanet 2 look more promising.
Early 2011
Nintendo's handheld system that renders 3D without silly glasses looks like a bigger leap. It comes with two cameras so you can take slightly fuzzy 3D images with a slider to adjust the effect's strength. With Metal Gear Solid and Resident Evil titles in development, it's a highly desirable object.
15 Sep
The Wii opened up games to those who were never comfortable with joypads. Four years on and both Xbox and PlayStation 3 are muscling in on the market for gamers who would never identify themselves as such. Resembling Wii-remotes with coloured ping-pong balls on top, Sony's Move controllers allow greater accuracy in detecting movement and rotation.
4 Nov
Microsoft's Kinect is a system that does away with controllers entirely, instead using Israeli military technology to scan players, detecting motions as subtle as a smile or a frown. Impressive, although the slight delay between movements and onscreen effect is a concern.
GAMES
Wii, autumn
It's been years since the emergence of a Mickey Mouse game of any note, but this promises a fresh take on Disney's original character. Made by Warren Spector, the man behind the wonderful and disturbing System Shock and the wildly inventive Deus Ex, Epic Mickey looks surprisingly dark.
Xbox 360, 14 Sep
After a tantalising glimpse through its online multiplayer beta test in the spring, Reach promises to be superb, if not a dramatic departure from its several forebears. Its pedigree and the sheer volume of money invested in its development are reasons to expect Reach to be very exciting.
PlayStation 3, TBA 2010
Ico, whose critical acclaim and sleeper hit status were never matched by its sales, is still one of the most talked-about games of the last decade. This, its second sequel, promises the same ethereal atmosphere and emotional punch in an entirely new setting.
Bulletstorm PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, early 2011
Trapped on a paradise planet infested with flesh-eating mutants and carnivorous plants, your job is to shoot things until they become incapable of feasting on your entrails.
PlayStation 3, Feb 2011
The Helghast, with their Nazi-style regalia and searing red eyes, make a pretty unsympathetic enemy, even when you're in the process of invading their home planet. This third instalment brings yet more high-resolution thrills, this time spiced up with 3D if you've got the right TV.
Xbox 360, out April 2011
Microsoft's other big-budget shooting franchise eschews Halo's niceties in favour of relentless full-on firefights undertaken by heavily armed and muscled space marines.
