Next week, representatives from the press, video game publishers, hardware manufacturers and the public will descend upon the South and West halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center for the world's largest video game consumer show. Some of the biggest news of the year will be revealed over the course of the four-day-long event, and we don't want readers to miss out on any of it. You can stay on top of all of the press releases, announcements, and keynote presentations here at the GameFlavor Network, but we have provided a calendar below so that you won't miss a single important event on the E3 schedule.
Sunday, May 31st: Members of the press start arriving in Los Angeles, from as far away as Japan and Europe. Early birds will be able to register for their press passes on Sunday afternoon starting at 1PM to avoid long lines on Monday morning. Don't forget to bring a piece of photo ID to the registration, or you will not be admitted.
Even though the convention officially begins on June 2nd, many video game industry folks are already here, having spent the previous few days setting up booths and preparing for their interviews with journalists. Many announcements and demo presentations will actually take place away from the official convention center venues, so look for demo impressions and announcements to start leaking out as early as Saturday afternoon.
Monday June 1st: The E3 Expo officially opens its doors for registration at 8:00 AM. That means members of the press will have already formed a queue outside the convention center, hoping to grab their passes and beat the crowds to make the Microsoft press event.
The Microsoft Press Conference will take place at 10:30 AM on June 1st. Normally, we wouldn't expect any huge announcements from the company mid-way through the current console cycle, but there are murmurings that Microsoft could surprise us. Some outlandish predictions have the company announcing a motion controller and an Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid, among other things. There is even talk that the company could unveil a ZuneX portable game device at the E3 event.
Tuesday, June 2nd: Many folks will have overslept due to heavy partying the night before, so this might be a good chance to get in early at 8:00 AM and grab your pass at the Media Center.
Nintendo will get the rest of us up early for its annual E3 press conference scheduled for 9:30 AM. These things are always a big surprise for us, and who knows what Iwata and the rest of the magical oompa-loompas have cooked up for us this time. A new Zelda on the Wii? More casual minigames? New Super Mario Brothers 2? We can guarantee the event will be full of surprises.
Some will argue that Sony has been shafted in terms of scheduling, while others will say that convention organizers are saving the best for last: Sony's Keynote address will take place at 11:00 AM on the main stage. It would be an understatement to say that there is a lot riding on this year's convention for Sony. The company has to provide a roadmap for success on each of its two main systems heading into next year. For that reason, we expect a lot of bombshell announcements from Sony's E3 presentation. Some of the highlights will probably include the PSP Go!, the new Team Ico project, and possibly a redesigned PS3 Slim.
After the Sony presser, the show floor will be officially opened at 12 PM, and will stay open until 6 PM. This is your opportunity to try out some of the megaton games announced just hours earlier at the press conference. Expect the place to be packed, however, so you might face long lines at the more important demo booths.
Wednesday June 3rd: Meeting rooms will be open at 9:00 AM for early birds, while the show floor will be open at 10:00. This is the opportunity to check out some of the exclusive Sony and Nintendo titles that were revealed the day before, with slightly fewer people standing in your way.
Thursday June 4th: The last of the closed-door meetings will wrap up and the show floor will be closed down at 6:00 PM. Many tears will be shed as tired journalists head home from another exciting year at E3.
