E3 is one of the most important gaming expos of the year and each year developers and gaming companies release some big announcements. Here are my predictions for this year…
Sony
Playstation VR Updates– 2016 really seems to be the year of VR. Multiple companies have jumped into the virtual reality competition and I believe that Sony will come out strong with new details on their iteration. With Playstation Vue also releasing to the larger public this year, it only seems natural that it will be announced that Playstation VR will fully support the Playstation Vue service, further enticing people that might be on the fence. Sony wants the Playstation system to be an entertainment hub and by integrating TV and movie viewing into the VR headset it will appeal to a larger population of consumers. I don’t believe that shows will be fully functional VR, but it could provide a big screen on a small scale. No time frames will be announced.
Playstation Neo Updates – With the loyalty of millions of Playstation 4 adopters on the line, I believe that more details on the upgraded PS4 will be announced. Sony will give the obligatory spec details and probably a photo of the new console. This next part may be a little too hopeful, but I believe that for a limited time Sony will offer a loyalty upgrade program to PS4 owners that have owned the system since a “predetermined date”. I can’t speculate on the date range, but I think that this sort of program is in line with Sony’s dedication to gamers this generation.
A representative of Nintendo will literally walk on stage and say “We have Zelda!” A small section of the game will be playable at the conference, it will look mediocre at best, and no additional details will be given.
Scorpio – Microsoft will confirm details and announce additional specs on the rumored powerful machine. It will be more powerful than the Playstation Neo and it will support all current and future Xbox One games. With the details on this more powerful Xbox One, Microsoft will also bring on stage someone from the Oculus Rift team to showcase how the two will work together. It will be a compilation of small clips with names of games (some that we recognize) and following suit with PSVR they will announce that an Oculus/Xbox One bundle is on the horizon.
I also believe that Illumiroom will make a comeback at E3 2016. It disappeared for a while, but I think a toned down version using the same concept will be discussed. It will not be cheap.
Elder Scrolls – More details will be given on the Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim definitive edition including a confirmed release date (after the recent leak), the included DLC and mod support for at least Xbox One, but I think Sony will include it as well. At the very end of presentation Elder Scrolls 6 will be teased with a still frame photo, a release window, and the subtitle of the game(like Skyrim).
Wolfenstein 2 – It’s been a couple of years since The New Order was released and since then we’ve seen standalone DLC in The Old Blood to keep people interested. I think that there will be a teaser trailer of the new game followed by a release window and a small amount of gameplay footage.
Other Predictions:
Red Dead Redemption 2 will be teased by Rockstar Games for a spring 2017 release. They will reveal the location of the game as well as some minor details regarding the plot. My bets are on something to do with the Gold Rush.
Borderlands 3 will be revealed by 2K Games with a spring 2017 release. We’ll be shown a teaser trailer with the humor and exaggeration we’ve come to expect from a Borderlands game. A big detail will be revealed about the game which will be that it will support up to 6 players cooperatively online. They may even reveal the character classes which will be several new ones as well as a few favorites.
What do you think? Am I completely wrong? Only time will tell.
Nick
Co-Owner, Director of Marketing & Outreach
Late Night Gamers LLC
PSN: ThePsychicFetus