When the video game industry gathers in Los Angeles next week for its annual trade show, everyone from the most important game developers to technophiles will have just one thing on their minds: new toys. Sony Corp, Microsoft Corp and Nintendo Co Ltd are expected to show off their next-generation gaming consoles to developers at the annual Electronics Entertainment Expo, or E3, as all three companies seek to entrench themselves deeper into living rooms with advanced computing, graphics and multimedia features.
"This really is a show that's going to be hugely focused on hardware," said Ankarino Lara, a director at online gaming magazine GameSpot.
Microsoft beat Sony and Nintendo to the punch after unveiling details of the next version of its Xbox, called Xbox 360, nearly a week before E3's official start.
The world's largest software maker said the Xbox 360 will be on store shelves this year, just ahead of the US holiday season in late November, with launches in Japan and Europe coming shortly thereafter. Microsoft's new white-and-silver concave console will feature three IBM microprocessors to deliver powerful computing and advanced graphics, as well as a detachable 20-gigabyte hard drive and the ability to customise the machine's front panel with detachable face-plates.
Sony is expected to reveal more details of its PlayStation 3 console on Monday, which it has kept under tight wraps.
The third version of the top-selling video game machine is expected to include the new "Cell" microprocessor developed with International Business Machines Corp and Toshiba Corp and also support Sony's next-generation high-capacity format for DVD discs.
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