Sony is facing yet another challenge at this year's E3. Its press conference last year garnered widespread acclaim for its string of announcements, which included Shenmue III, the Final Fantasy VII remake, and the return of The Last Guardian. With such an impressive array of games, fans are likely to expect a press conference of the same caliber this year. But what does the company need to reveal this time to top its previous conference? Here's what our editors think Sony needs to do to win the hearts of gamers at E3 2016.
What do you think Sony needs to do to win E3 2016? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out our other round-ups asking the same question for Microsoft and Nintendo.
Bring Out Hideo Kojima | Zorine Te, Editor
We all know Kojima's working on something, but he's been very reticent about the nature of his current project. Can you imagine the reaction to Kojima suddenly appearing on stage, without warning? Given his record for dishing out surprises to gamers, and the recent tease he shared of his upcoming project, I wouldn't put it past him. Please randomly appear, Kojima-san. Tell us a little more about your game.
Address the Elephant in the Room | Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Sony is riding high with the best-selling PlayStation 4, dominating the market with some 40 million consoles. And Sony predicts to move another 20 million before the calendar year is out. But this is something of a different show for the company. Earlier this week, Sony confirmed it was indeed working on a more powerful PS4, but surprisingly, the company said it would not formally announce the system at E3. It's going to be the elephant in the room. Given that consumers know a more powerful system is coming, Sony needs to explain, or at least start to address, why gamers should continue to invest in the PS4.
Announce The Last of Us 2 | Tamoor Hussain
Naughty Dog knocked it out of the park with Uncharted 4, and what better way to keep the hype train rolling than to give fans what they really want: The Last of Us 2. The studio previously revealed it had created prototypes for a sequel in 2014, but stopped short of saying it was in active development.
Fortunately for us, Nolan North picked up where Naughty Dog left off. In June 2015, the voice of Nathan Drake said, “I know they're doing The Last of Us 2.” All Sony needs to do is show a couple of seconds and play a few notes of Gustavo Santaolalla’s haunting theme and watch the Antonio Banderas gifs cripple the internet.
Convince us to shell out $800 for new hardware this fall | Alex Newhouse, Editorial Intern
PlayStation 4 is winning the console war at the moment. Pretty handily, too. But Sony doesn't seem to want to rest on its laurels, and is apparently committed to expanding the PlayStation hardware family this autumn. PlayStation VR and the rumored PlayStation 4.5 sound interesting on face, why, exactly, do I need them? What can they do that I, as a satisfied PS4 owner, cannot experience without them? These are the questions that Sony needs to answer before anyone will drop $400 on the VR headset and probably $400 on the PS4.5. Console owners are used to upgrading consoles every five to seven years and not shelling out hundreds for expensive peripherals, so Sony is really going to have to sell it for this hardware lineup to win over the public. Sony's got some good console-exclusive games coming in the future--like No Man's Sky, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Last Guardian--but the way Sony sells its hardware can make or break its E3 performance.
The Last Guardian Flash Release | Alexa Ray Corriea, Editor
"The Last Guardian will be available to download...at the end of this presentation!" Adam Boyes spikes the mic. "Guile's Theme" plays him offstage.
Backwards Compatibility. Do it. | Scott Butterworth, Editor
Microsoft blew our collective mind when it announced its backwards compatibility plans last E3; now that Sony’s had a year to react, how rad would it be if the company came out with a similar announcement this year? PlayStation 2 has the single largest game library of any game console in history, and PS3 provided plenty of unforgettable exclusives. Sure, certain select titles are available through the PS Store, and while I appreciate those efforts, I think Sony can and should do more to support gamers’ back catalogues.
