If all goes as scheduled, Sony, then Nintendo, and finally Microsoft will let the gaming world know their plans for the upcoming year. It looks like Sony will lead the pack on Monday, May 8th. At 2:00 PM in the Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, California. Sony should be playing up the PS3, possibly playing up themes like realistic gaming experiences and convergence. The day after Sony’s announcements brings Nintendo to the plate.

May 9, 2006, at 9:30 AM in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood will hopefully bring all Nintendo devotees the answers they are looking for in the Revolution. Nintendo will most likely be stumping for its unique game line-up, and continue to drill into the concept of games for everyone. The Revolution will take center stage, but also expect to hear about the DS Lite, and Nintendo will tout the success of their non-traditional content like Brain Age.

The last of the major pre-E3 conferences will be Microsoft’s. Microsoft will hold court at 11:30 AM at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Microsoft will certainly claim their successes in the Xbox 360 launch, and talk about Xbox Live adoption numbers. It should be expected that Microsoft will hammer home the fact that they have their console on the market now, and that there is strong content available now, and there will be great content in the future. It is possible that the HD-DVD add-on will be announced, but this certainly will not be the focus. Microsoft’s story in the upcoming year should be community, content, and availability.

It will be interesting to see how the announcements play out, especially in how each company addresses the others.

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