Sony's not The Daddy anymore
With the runaway success of its first two consoles, there was a time - not too long ago - when it was unthinkable that Sony would ever be anything other than the dominating, ubiquitous force in videogames, but E3 showed us that times and fortunes change. Sony is no longer The Daddy.
Compared with previous E3 shows, Sony's conference was a low-key, almost humble affair - there was much less bragging and far more focus on the kind of stuff that is actually going to win back some love from disillusioned gamers. Like its ability to deliver unparalleled gaming experiences, for example.
Above:We can't remember a previous E3 when a PlayStation console wasn't automatically the center of attention
As we've mentioned elsewhere, Nintendo was walking around E3 with a cocksure swagger, safe in the knowledge that Wii is flying off shelves all around the World - a position that Sony would love to be in with PS3 - and as a rival to Nintendo's DS, PSP just isn't getting anywhere close. Xbox 360, as Peter Moore happily pointed out at the Microsoft conference, is currently outselling PS3 2:1 and has a very healthy user base of 5.6 million in the US. It also has a more attractive price point and a tantalizing line-up of games.
Sony has got plenty of work to do to claw back ground from its competitors, but E3 showed us that the company that introduced PlayStation to the World is ready to knuckle down and get on with the business of proving itself all over again.
