Big Three Part 3: Sony
Press Conference: 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The rumors about a redesigned PSP could be Sony's biggest hardware announcement if, of course, it really happens. It's more likely Sony will haul out a few previously promised PSP peripherals to make web surfing and watching movies a little more appealing. Maybe a better battery, a tiny keyboard (we've already seen that prototype at an E3) and mouse or a wireless media remote? At best they should continue to drop the prices for the system (yes, again) as well as the memory card and more/better UMD movies.

Instead, Sony's major focus will likely be promoting Home, which was announced at GDC earlier this year and has been teased as a trailer through the PS3's Playstation Store for quite a while. Home, which sounds like Nintendo's Mii and Xbox Live meets Second Life, will either be a mild success or a giant flop, furthering the cause of corporate microfees.

Another possible hardware announcement could be a new SixAxis wireless controller with a rumble feature, even though it would cut down on the controller's battery life. This wouldn't be a breakthrough announcement but a welcome one.

As for games, expect to see a playable version of Killzone 2, more SOCOM footage and more SingStar releases. As for God of War III, I'm guessing it will just be a poster, maybe a statue and some detail-less teaser trailer. On the highly likely end of the spectrum is more Final Fantasy XIII footage to make people "ooh," "ahh" and clap but not yet get their hands on any controllers.