Gamertell

I miss the days when secrets were secrets and any games industry talk you heard about all month came from the pages of your favorite gaming rag. These days, leaks pour out from every orifice from a company. It’s gotten so bad that companies will leak their own material just to save face.

Take the recent PlayStation GO! announcement for example – we’ve known about it for a while and now a “leaked” episode of Sony’s own Qore happens to appear, officially unveiling previously known information and then is followed up by press shots pretty much cementing that the leak came from Sony themselves.  (Possibly to compete with Microsoft’s recent unveiling of their own snooped product,  the Zune HD.)

Which is why I’ve waited until the very last minute to concoct some crackpot theories for this year’s Big Three conferences. That’s Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony in case you are new to the world of video games.

Microsoft

Microsoft has the most to gain from this year’s trade show if you believe in silly things like the “console war.” A strong showing this year would solidify a victory over Sony for this console generation and crown the company the kings of the HD generation. Of course, this is a tripe thought, but one that rages through message boards across the internet. So what might Microsoft pull out for this year’s console war artillery?

• Zune HD interconnectivity with XNA community games.
• We’re going to hear more about Live Anywhere (you remember that, right?)
• Alan Wake is still alive and will be shown off and maybe even playable.
• We’re going to hear lots of various numbers.
• We’re going to see XBLA releases, maybe one with Final Fantasy in the title that’s not a tower defense game.
• Bungie shows off something Halo-ish.
• Peter Molyneaux teases us with his next project.
• New full-body motion technology shown off for Xbox 360.

Sony

Oh, Sony. For you this year is make or break. Not only is having a strong showing important to keep your stocks good but it’s also important to keep you relevant and not the butt of future jokes. You’ve already lost the element of surprise with the PSP GO! and maybe even the PS3 Slim, so what’s left?

• We finally hear of a price drop for current models of the PS3, the slim PS3 will debut at current price point.
• We’re finally going to get PS2 commitment back on PS3 systems.
• PSN rental service will be announced – retail UMDs are finished.
• MAG will be shown off again, explained.
• God of War 3 will be playable in some form.
• More promises of a brighter tomorrow.

Nintendo

Nintendo has done astonishingly well when you consider what they have out there. A non-HD, heavily gimmicked home console that has taken off into the realms where cash falls from the sky. A handheld that has been accused of actually printing money and one that even sells like crazy despite being a minor upgrade. It’s been a good run for the house of Mario, but this year might be a little dry for them. 

• New Zelda game that is a real Zelda game – not on rails.
• New Mario game announced, possibly a sequel to Galaxy.
• New Pikmin game announced, maybe even demoed.
• Another Powerpoint compilation of sales figures.
• Goofy performances from the Reggie and the gang showing off another gimmicky (yet will sell anyway) accessory.
• Promises that Nintendo hasn’t forgotten the “hardcore” gamer.
• Talk of the next iteration on Wii, most likely it will be that it comes in different colors.
• Better games will come to DSi Ware.

Yeah, the predictions aren’t something one would find whacked out on peyote while deeply gazing into a crystal ball. They are just real, most likely to happen guesses. Feel free to share your own last minute thoughts in the comments below or even to ridicule me later if none of these things happen.

Read [Engadget] Also Read [Gamertell]