E3 2011 is under two weeks away, and it’s shaping up to be one hell of a show. As usual, there’s a ton of rumors circulating around just what’s going to be revealed June 7-9 in Los Angeles. This week, we’ll be bringing you our predictions of just what we’re going to see; up first — Nintendo.
Of course, the big news is that Nintendo has confirmed that they will be unveiling a brand new HD console at this year’s show. Dubbed Project Cafe, the new system is said to be as powerful, if not more powerful than the PS3 and the Xbox and will finally fully embrace online gameplay. Not much is known about the system, but several pictures and videos have leaked supposedly showing the Project Cafe out in the wild. What does it look like? Well, a wireless router…
The console is also rumored to have everything from an LCD screen on the controller, to one that transforms, and even a built in camera. Expect the Project Cafe to be the big reveal of the show, and don’t expect many of these rumors to be true. Some? Sure, but the odds of all these rumors being true is quite unlikely. Think of the cost to manufacture something with all of those features. I’d be surprised if Nintendo didn’t pull out all of the stops for the announcement, we’re getting a price announcement and a rough release window along with a few games that will be fully playable on the show floor. And yes; The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be one of them, and so will a few key 3rd party titles.
So what about the Wii? Don’t expect Nintendo to give up on it just yet, E3 will reveal a few, but not a lot of key releases that will extend the life of the system up to and into the life of Project Cafe.
Like many of you, I’m feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse for my 3DS. It’s a neat little toy that’s fun to bring out to parties, but when it comes to games, I’ve mostly been using it to play my standard DS games. This E3 is integral to whether the new handheld becomes a success or the next virtual boy. Expect a lot of news on new features for the 3DS, like Netflix. Interestingly enough, the e-shop launches on the first unofficial day of the show, so expect a ton of news on games coming to the service. Expect a time table and pricing structure for a lot of new features.
You can also expect a number of key franchises to be announced for the 3DS. We already know that there’s a Mario game being unveiled, but expect to see a new Zelda, a new Metroid and perhaps even a F-Zero title (okay, I may be reaching a bit for that one).
It’s also a safe bet that Nintendo will play up connectivity between Project Cafe and the 3DS. Also, we’ll get more information on the future of the AR cards included with the 3DS.
What do you expect to see from Nintendo at this year’s E3? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to keep with Blast during this year’s E3, as we’ll be live blogging the press conferences and giving you our hands on impressions of the latest games and info.
Check back later this week for our predictions for Microsoft and Sony!