1. Microsoft has redefined the 'soft' in their name.

MS has jumped on Nintendo's bandwagon so heavily that they can't even consider an alternate path at this point. This conference was as bad as Nintendo's with Wii Music easily... if not worse. Core games demonstrated were all already known with the exception of a small Halo4 teaser. The Kinect games were all very casual and those that were trying not to be were simply bad, laggy and full of issues. I don't mind rails games so much, but to base your entire core games on this basic principle is just bad. Additionally, MS really needs an upgrade in software or hardware to correct the lag issue. It was so apparent on every demo shown.

2. Sony will continue to be Sony.

Some decent games shown with all the same expectations as their predecessors. Only shining moment was PSVita's price and Sony's willingness to lose money on a console out the gate. Granted, I think its a smart move to be competitive with the 3DS's almost year head start, but Nintendo is most definitely selling the 3DS for a big profit and by the time PSV launches will surely reduce the price. However, at least the game line up for launch looks appealing and worth the $250.

Final thought on PSV.. who the F is going to waste so much money as to add a contract for 3G to pay monthly fees for a mere 5 or 10GB a month? I really hope you all are financially smarter than that. Its a game machine and will eat through data like a nympho does cock.

3. Nintendo will continue to miss the mark.

I love Nintendo. I will always buy a Nintendo home console so long as they offer Mario, Zelda, and Metroid among other best in class IPs. However, there is no excuse for what happened on that stage. To show a brand new product while leaving so much glaringly unanswered was stupid. They stated they wanted to target "U" the core crowed, yet they failed to show next gen game product. They even set up their conference in such a way that a large percentage of people weren't' even sure if this was just an add-on to Wii or an actual new console. WTF was the console not displayed to at least convey that's its entirely new hardware? Why did Nintendo now allow 3rd parties to show some sample of a new game for 2012 running on the hardware with clearly better visuals than PS360? Anyone who takes the time to research the potential CPU/GPU will easily acknowledge that it should definitely surpass them, but you have to show to the 'U' crowd you're trying to capture.

Nintendo should have brought the controller and console on stage. It should have presented a new game with obviously better graphics, even if it was a longer ZeldaHD scenario. It should have stated that it was a "PowerPC 7" multi core CPU and cutting edge R700 based GPU. This coudl be said without giving up the specific specs and would appease the core. Then they could show those other tech demos to demonstrate that the casual audience won't be forgotten and will have reasons to jump on board.

4. The next generation is anything but decided.

Portables are clearly out for a real match this go around. Nintendo has faltered at the start with a lack of big games and a price point that makes upgrading questionable while Sony has matched the price fight and seems poised to launch with quality games. Still, it will be more apparent about what is happening when PSV launches and we see what 3DS has had out for games as well as if they decide to cut margins and go for market share with price reduction.

Consoles are way too early to tell. WiiU will be a fantastic and powerful machine. However, there is still a lot to be determined at this point and there is plenty of arguing to be had at how much of a jump MSony will do  and when they will do it. I think its obvious we'll see their next consoles by next E3, at the latest, and they will only be marginally more powerful than the WiiU. This will allow all three a full access to 3rd parties while making profit enabled consoles leaving the differentiators to console uniqueness and 1st party games.

My only real gripe so far is WiiU does not have a bluray player and that means I cannot sell/trade my PS3 when WiiU launches. :(

Good analysis...

For Sony part I can add the new games that caught my attention: Dragon's Crow (PS3/PSVita), DUST 514 (PS3) and PAYDAY: The Heist (PS3/PC). The Move support for BioShock and others games is really good to know.

The best of show was PlayStation Vita, I love it and want it for sure. The PS3 / PSVita integration made my mind... it's fabulous.

No more the conference was meh (except PSVita)... way worse than the latest years.

I guess the lack of a NEW BIG IP took some of the luster of the presentation... if Sony showed a new GoW or other big first-party game I would have been much more enthusiastic and the show would have been perfect.

I was more into Uncharted 3 than any of those games. They didn't really do anything for me and Uncharted 3 I knew was coming so I wasn't all excited, but it looks like a continuation of a great series.

Uncharted was expected... so I'm more excited for 11.1.11 because this game is day one for sure. * the E3 trailer showed to me the best water effect I ever see *

The E3 is supposed to introduce new games and just the three listed before caught my attention... I guess I was expecting at least one MEGATON like a new GoW, Syphon Filter, etc... or a new BIG RPG (I love RPG) like Legend of Dragon, Dark Cloud or Demon's Souls 2.

I wanted a little more from Sony for PS3.

of my time here I have constantly asked this question and STILL have gotten no reply

so here I go again

@ the bold, what the hell does that have to do with anything????? 

consumer goes into store, "I can get this psv which has everything I want in a portable games device, but Sony is not making money so I won't get it, I'll get the 3ds instead becasue nintendo is making money off it" is the only reason I could see how Sony is losing money to actually be relevant in any way, and please tell me you guys aren't that stupid???

I mean is it because you can't find anything meaningful to be pissed about in Playstation products??? I don't get it

Another thing. Telling us about everything on beforehand makes for a really boring show.All three are guilty of this

No its just the Sony way to lose money on high end systems to make the price better suited for mainstream adoption. PS3 could've been priced for $899 at launch, but it wasn't.

When did I say it was a negative thing for the consumer? In fact I think I positioned it as a postive thing they did in pricing their product. However, as a shareholder or Sony exec its pretty bad business and easily toppled by Nintendo who has a very comparable product that should be fully capable to be reduced to below $200 by the time PSV launches, therefore making the price a much more important feature for Nintendo.

Sony should try to think of a price consumers will want and then put the tech that comes close to that price. Instead they seem to put in tons of tech and then try to figure out how much they are willing to lose.

PS3 is still losing to 360 solely for this reason. Had they cut back on many interal parts from the get go, they could have been more competitive out the gate. In PSV's case, Nintendo started high so Sony is not doing as bad out the gate. However, pricing still favors Nintendo in the long run as they have a margin to play with.

Sony should have stayed lower costs and continued with better game divergence along with many of the other great features on it, like PS3 connectivity, etc. Personally I woudl have also ditched the backside touch panel as I don't see it becoming highly useful in the greater majority of games.

I'm pretty sure I saw a video with Scott Rohde saying that PSVita will be sold at a profit day one?

uh, Nintendo didn't even need to elaborate on anything else. They'll answer questions when the time comes. Just another example of the current crop of gamers being both impatient and unpleasable.