E3 Sneak Peak at CNN.com

By Ian Bell Published April 7, 2005

“The new consoles will get the lion’s share of the spotlight, for obvious reasons. But software publishers have a few surprises up their sleeves that may shift the focus back to games by the time theshow wraps up. (Before you start planning your trip, I should point out that E3 is closed to the general public. We’ll have full coverage next month here at CNN/Money, though.)

Microsoft has the most riding on this year’s show. On Monday, two days before E3 officially begins, the company will finally take the wraps off of its next generation Xbox (which will almost certainly be named Xbox 360). Microsoft hopes the new machine will help it unseat Sony from its long-held industry leader position, which won’t be an easy feat. “

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All three companies, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are expected to announce their new gaming consoles just days prior to the show.

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