Yes folks. It’s time for one of the largest and definitely most fun expos of the year. Looks like I was able to break free from work and head down to the Electronic Entertainment Expo yesterday. Let me tell you, this year it was everything that E3 has been known to be and much more. Dark, loud, and exciting. I find that there are two different types of E3 events. Ones centered around new hardware and ones centered around new software. This year, there was big news in both worlds.

Probably the biggest were the announcements of both Nintendo and Sony’s handheld gaming platforms. Nintendo has their DS, a dual screen portable with graphics that rival the N64 platform. It also has wireless connectivity through 802.11b and one of the screens is touch sensitive. This is a gigantic step above the current Game Boy platform and, really, it had to be because Sony is leaping into the portable market guns blazing.

The PSP has a huge wide screen with amazing graphics that are damn near close to first generation PS2 games! On top of that, you have a control lay out that is very close to the PS2 that includes an analog stick (something the DS seriously needed). Add in USB 2.0 and wireless connectivity through 802.11b and you have yourself a serious portable gaming system. The DS will be available at the end of the year and the PSP will come to the US in Spring 2005. When do I get to put down my deposits?