E3 2014: Sony news roundup – did PS4 go and win it again?

The race to declare a ‘winner’ of E3 each year can often verge on the idiotic and essentially comes down to a host of immeasurably subjective criteria.

If you’re a Halo nut then obviously Microsoft’s presentation would have excited the most. If for some reason you like balancing plastic figures on your controller then Nintendo’s presentation tonight may be for you.

But looking at what was on show at Sony’s E3 2014 press conference last night, it is understandable why many are hailing PS4 as the champion of this year’s show.

On the exclusives front the selection was decent. Uncharted 4 will undoubtedly be brilliant, and while the jury is still out on The Order: 1886 the new trailer on show was visually stunning and suggested there’s perhaps more to the game than we suspected.

Add to that the likes of Ratchet & Clank, The Last of Us: Remastered, LittleBigPlanet 3, Suda 51’s new game and of course From Software’s fan-pleasing and forum-conquering BloodBorne, and you’ve got a great selection of exclusive triple-As on the way to the machine.

It doesn’t end there. Getting No Man’s Sky on the stage was a stroke of genius and when added to the likes of Abzu and the fantastic selection on the way from Devolver Digital – and the selection of Paradox games getting the PlayStation treatment – it’s hard to dispute the rich variety of wares on show.

Also striking the right notes was news of a Grim Fandango revival. That certainly put the non-event that was Microsoft’s Phantom Dust announcement into perspective.

You could argue that Sony had the better of the third party reveals, too. While Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare was a solid pick for Microsoft it was a bit one note – and certainly was trumped by Grand Theft Auto V. The more light-hearted pitch adopted by Dead Island 2 went down a treat, Destiny and Arkham Knight remain hot news and having early contender for game of the show Far Cry 4 on stage was a strategic masterstroke.

Add to that a smidge of new hardware in the shape of PS Vita TV’s Western release and confirmation of a white PS4 and talk of champagne popping backstage after the show starts to become understandable.

Even the protestations of Vita owners this morning should be taken in context. Sony has not abandoned its handheld, despite the lack of air time. The truth is there’s only so much that can fit into the timeslot, and of course Sony will focus on where the money is– and that’s PS4. Vita may never be the world-conquering machine many are calling for, but Sony certainly hasn’t forgotten it. Owners who cling on to the hope that the platform holder has plans for a swathe of triple-As for the device will be disappointed, however. It’s hard to class Vita as a ‘success’ on those terms. It’s future lies in indie titles and PS4/PS Now streaming.

Yes, the pacing of the E3 presentation was a bit off and yes, there were some technical issues on the night, but this was a Sony bristling with confidence and in full stride and it shows.

Here’s a recap of the all the news from overnight:

Destiny alpha available to PS4 owners this week – link
White PS4 coming this September – link
LittleBigPlanet 3 announced – link
New PS4 game Entwined available right now – link
From Software’s Bloodborne out in 2015 – link
You can play Far Cry 4 on PS4 without owning the game – link
Dead Island 2 exclusives for PS4 – link
Paradox making multiple PS4 exclusives – link
PlayStation teams up with Devolver for a host of indie games – link
Grim Fandango resurrected by PlayStation – link
Next Suda 51 game is a PS4 exclusive – link
505 Games’ Abzu revealed – link
The Last of Us Remastered out in July – link
25 free-to-play games coming to PS4 – link
Over 100 Vita titles in development – link
PlayStation TV out this Christmas in Europe – link
Ratchet and Clank re-imagining and movie out in 2015 – link
GTA V coming to PS4 – link
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End out in 2015 – link
PS4 gets exclusive Batman Arkham Knight content – link