The Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3 for short) is the biggest industry showcase in the world of video games. Each year it draws thousands of industry professionals looking to get the scoop on new releases and tech from some of the biggest contenders in the market.

Of course, within a business as fervently adored as the video games industry, there are going to be pockets of overexcited fans looking forward to the coming show a little bit too much. And it’s these fans who we have to thank for fanning the flames of rumour.

But sometimes, even the craziest rumours do turn out to be true. Here, we run down some of the suggestions we scoffed at first, only for them to turn out to be a reality.

1. The Xbox One requires always-on internet and doesn’t play used games

Back at the E3 of 2013, Microsoft were set to unveil more details about their upcoming console (the first announcement had arrived a few weeks prior, though with only limited specifics), and the rumour mill started churning appropriately.

One such rumour that came forth was that the new console would be required by default to be logged onto the internet at all times, and would lock the use of games to one console, effectively killing off the used games market completely. Of course, this is a completely preposterous idea; despite the vast influence of technology in modern life, a surprising 60% of the world’s population is still without access to the ‘net, and many people cannot simply cannot afford to purchase their gaming software brand new each time.

Well, this rumour did eventually come to pass. Though the sheer insanity of it all, not to mention the very public backlash from the gaming community (and Sony’s incredibly droll response), did eventually force Microsoft to make a U-turn on the whole issue. Phew.

2. Next gen consoles come with meager 500GB hard drives

Hindsight is a funny old thing. Back when the interweb was full of rumours regarding the specs of Sony and Microsoft’s next consoles, one detail that was getting gamers all in a muddle was the size of the hard drives that would come bundled inside their respective pieces of kit. “Nobody needs that much memory!” many cried, citing the implied hefty price tags that go with featuring such a large wealth of memory inside a console as the main reason for their concern.

This was presumably before everyone realised that next-gen games would regularly exceed 40GB on their own, and would require a compulsory install before running properly. One of the big rumours this year? New models of the Xbox One and Playstation 4, each with much larger hard drives. A welcome improvement from many (“500GB?! Nowhere near enough!”) Funny old thing, hindsight.

3. Street Fight x Tekken announced

Nope. Not happening. Two famously competing fight game franchises coming together for a exclusive crossover? No chance.

We’re not really sure why this one got so many people in a flap back in 2011. But we understand that the various sects of fighting game fans can get kind of passionate over their games in question. “There’s no way the two could work together!” fans cried, pointing out subtle differences in the way each game had you mash buttons to pretend like you knew what you were doing. As such, many of the rumours floating about were shot down as utter nonsense in the run up to that year’s event. Of course, the eventual reveal was greeted with that awkward applause game journalists do as they slowly realise they’re clapping a video game.

4. Console price drops

Bit of a strange one this. In researching this piece we continually stumbled across rumours of console price drops under article titles like “DEBUNKED: Why These E3 Rumours Are B*llocks” and “Put Your Life’s Saving On Sony NOT Dropping The PS3’s Price”. Console price drops seem to be a seasonal E3 rumour, making the rounds on an almost annual basis around the time of the big event.

We’re not exactly sure why so many people are so adamant that they won’t happen; nine times out of 10 history shows that they did in fact come to pass, and the official price of the Xbox One seems to go up and down like a yo-yo depending on how runny Phil Spencer’s morning eggs were. Besides, surely a new lower console price is a welcome piece of news from gaming fans?

Rumours are already swirling for this year’s event suggesting we could see similarly slashed prices from the big console manufactures, as well as streamlined, ‘slim’ versions of their products. “Bullsh*t!” the internet cries. Err…why?

5. Microsoft and Sony get into motion controls

Back in the sepia tinged days of 2009, the thought of Microsoft and Sony getting into the business of motion controlled games got fans all heated. Motion controlled games were the realm of Nintendo and its Wii console, and were only really any good if your granny came round for a family visit and you wanted to get into some virtual bowling. Or so the ‘hardcore’ gaming fan base would have you believe.

But at E3 2009 the crazy rumours that Microsoft and Sony would be riding the coattails of Nintendo’s success came true, with the announcements of Kinect (then Project Natal) and the Sony Move peripheral. In a move that was designed with putting as much money in the pockets of Microsoft and Sony execs broadening the respective consoles’ fanbases as much as possible in mind, this rumour became very true indeed, with elaborate tech-showcases from both sides.

We got perennially sunglass’d omni-tool Kudo Tsunoda awkwardly showing off the underside of an Avatar’s shoe (“Well, BAM there it is!”) and creepy tech demo ‘Milo’ presented by an always excitable Peter Molyneux. Thankfully that one never saw the light of day as a fully realised project. Sony took only a slightly less bombastic approach with their tech demos.

6. Nintendo’s not just for kids

While Nintendo’s Wii U console wasn’t officially unveiled at an E3 event (a fairly crazy rumour in its own right, given that the new machine was coming just six years after the original Wii), soon after its reveal rumours started circulating that Nintendo was looking to ditch its ‘kid friendly’ aesthetic somewhat, and would be focusing on more adult titles. In true fashion, Nintendo presented a balanced diet of games for all ages, as only the Japanese gaming kings could, at that year’s E3.

There were stage demos from games across the EA Sports catalog, alongside the titles Nintendo are perhaps more known for like Mario and Star Fox. It remains to be seen just how well the Wii U will be remembered against the Xboxs and PlayStations of the world, but it’s been a step in the right direction in getting some of that hardcore gaming fanbase back. It’s given us some of the best gamer’s games of this generation, including the brilliantly insane Bayonetta 2, a Wii U exclusive.