Your guide to E3 2014, the biggest week in video games
Virtual reality
OCULUS AFTER FACEBOOK
The last big news in virtual reality came during the Game Developers Conference in March. Oculus began taking preorders for the second (and final) version of its development kit, and Sony revealed Project Morpheus, its competing prototype headset for the PlayStation 4. Both companies will be showing off their hardware again at E3, but what exactly we’ll see is a mystery.
This is Oculus’ first big event since being acquired by Facebook, and it’s possible — though hardly certain — that we’ll hear details about a final consumer version of the Oculus Rift, which is currently expected in 2015. Oculus has also branched out from hardware to publishing, and it’s supposedly working with a number of major developers on dedicated VR games, so seeing some new games isn’t out of the question either. With much of the headset tech locked down, the next big hurdle is finding things to do with it.
VR GAMES GO COMMERCIAL
On that front, we’re looking forward to checking out Adr1ft, a virtual reality game developed by former Microsoft creative director Adam Orth — who started work on it after being notoriously fired for inopportune comments about the Xbox One’s always-on connection — and Call of Duty veteran Omar Aziz. A survival game about an astronaut attempting to repair a destroyed space station, it could end up being one of the first major VR titles.
PROJECT MORPHEUS
Sony hasn’t been talking about its headset for nearly as long, and its plans are more nebulous. Any details about pricing, release date, or final design would be welcome revelations. It’s also shown off little more than a few tech demos, so we’ll be watching carefully for any new content. But rumors have been scarce. Last month, inside sources supposedly said that Media Molecule was going to announce a "landmark" world-building game for Morpheus, but the company’s recent announcement shot that down.
Steam Machines
Valve was a big presence at January’s Consumer Electronics Show, but several months later, it’s nowhere to be seen. The company’s ambitious plans to release gaming-focused Linux "Steam Machines" with custom controllers have been pushed back to 2015, though we’re not sure yet how that affects partners like Asus and Alienware. Its prototype VR headset, allegedly superior to that of Sony or Oculus, seems to have appeared at a VR meetup in Boston, but it’s never been clear whether it will ever come to market. Obviously, it wouldn’t be E3 without rumors of a Half-Life 3 appearance, but Valve has called one such report "bogus." The company isn’t even on the exhibitors’ list, let alone ready to show a game that’s more apocrypha at this point than reality.
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