.:Out-of-the-box:.

Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has specific place among my friends. It has huge background from the year of 2006where a bunch of people known to me started IRC channel #e3-pl (IRCNet) to comment live what was happening overseas. Many of these guys you know as current and past journalists of community blog called Polygamia.pl, which is now one of the mainstream online media about gaming culture in Poland. In 2006it was just a bunch of underground-geeks who joined forces for creative synthesis written by some on currently well known pages.

It was the year where Microsoft showed quite impressive Xbox 360 coverage and Sony embarrassed themselves with “if we don’t say that’s Next Generation, it’s not Next Gen yet”. With huge announcements and living sense of community that tradition lasts to the very day and believe me it was really interesting to sit on the channel yesterday evening and chat with the angry mob of hardcore players who complained how boring message Microsoft has brought to them.

And that’s it, my first comment, I’m surprised that many people are surprised by current course both from Microsoft and Sony.
I’m waiting for today’s conference of Japanese giant but I’m not expecting much more than crazy MOVEs with their new controller.

This year the most exciting news as for games for its core audience I’m expecting from 3rd party. This thesis I’ve been spreading around my friends for a while. Why? Well casual, social gaming is a huge slice of the cake that corporate giants want to address immediately. Biggest, current winner in most common gaming media – game console – is obviously Nintendo. So both MS and Nintendo are looking for new opportunities through own innovation but a door opened by the competition.

Hardcore gamers might be disappointed but for most of all what’s left in this actually current generation is new games crossing boundaries. As for new hardware and hardware changes it’s obvious that message is directly pointed at new customers (the Wii-type) or to extend gaming family at household to other members under the same roof.

I’m curious how it will end up after a year or two, as for Microsoft itself I see big chance for it in countries like Poland, where Nintendo has no subsidiary and there is no real distribution of Nintendo related goods. With good business plan next years can reveal Kinect as synonym of casual gaming in such countries. The trick is that not every plan is good.

I’m excited to see the near future, especially that Xbox Live has been indirectly announced to come to Poland. Probably at the end of the year. I hope that with it Xbox Live Indie Games chapter will have also become available to Polish Indie developers. We have many talented guys who will use that chance to test their skills against commercial rules.

Last but not least, Xbox 360 Slim. It looks cool but most of all it will matter only to attract new customers. I presume not so many will replace old ones beside those frustrated by the noise or crash of the system (by whatever reason).