E3 2011: The Sony Press Conference – Everything you need to know

Sony has had a tumultuous 2011 so far. Highs included LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3 and all the positive buzz about its follow-up to PSP, and the lows included its hardware being hacked to the point of a total online shutdown that ended very recently. Sunnier skies seem ahead, including more concrete details on the NGP (perhaps an official name that may or may not be Vita?), plus probable appearances by Resistance 3 and Uncharted 3, we couldn’t wait to soak in Sony’s E3 press conference...


- After an amazing sizzle reel filled hinting at games to be announced later in the show, Jack Tretton hit the stage.

- Tretton quickly touched on the PlayStation Network, and after some light jokes, he thanked the third parties and retailers for their support, then apologized to the players, a rather humble moment. Happy now haters?

- Tretton went on to talk about how awesome PSN is now that it works again. He followed that up with a new partnership with Cinema Now, a media streaming service.

- Then it was time for Uncharted to kick us in the ass. The demo began with Nathan Drake walking around an eerily empty cruise ship on volatile seas. After dispatching a few guards and scaling some ledges, it was time for a shootout, only for it to be inconveniently interrupted by the boat sinking.

- Nate did his best not to drown, scaling through the now vertical ship, but the demo ended before he made it out, so we should assume he died.

- Then it was glasses time, as the 3D trailer began. Taking up the rumors of Nathan’s lineage connected to his ring, and both Chloe and Elena made welcome appearances, and the action looked pretty damn impressive.

- Next up was Resistance 3. Must have been a little tense for Insomniac to show off this game after making its multiplatform debut a few hours earlier. The action takes place an alternate 1950s version of St. Louis, as the heroes avoid a giant monster straight out of Starship Troopers. It was brief but fun.

- Then they announced Resistance 3 would have Move support, which went over like a lead ballon.

- It was time for HD Collection talk, as the PSP God of Wars and Ico/Shadow bundles are hitting PS3 in September and will be in 3D. Yay!

- Tretton went on about lowering the price of 3D TVs to gain more consumers. Good luck with that.

- 2K Sports had NBA 2K12 and NBA on the move. It allows one to individually target players for precise blocks, steals, and passes. Kobe Bryant came out to emphasize that people who don’t care about games can excel without really trying.

- Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest. An all new Move game from the makers of SPORTS CHAMPION! Bows, arrows, swords, and barely worked on stage. Can’t believe how used to this we’re getting. Although the lack of inventory is a bit notable, as the players 1:1 actions dictate what weapon you’ll use. Fall 2011.

- InFamous 2 – They showed a trailer… what else ya want? It’s out tomorrow and people seem to like it less than the first.

- Sony isn’t giving up on Move any time soon, with slate of new games ready for it that you probably will never think about let alone buy, and LittleBigPlanet 2’s getting a fall update to incorporate PlayStation Move.

- StarHawk was next. It’s the western flavored space follow-up to WarHawk from Lightbox Entertaintment with tons of crazy violence over land, air and space. Just how big are these maps going to get?

- And then it was time for Sly Cooper to make his stunning return. Hinted at a while ago, we’re overjoyed to see his reappearance. Subtitled Thieves in Time, it’s coming in 2012.

- Dust 514 then took the stage. A persistent shooter and PlayStation exclusive from the makers of EVE Online. Move support, Homespace (?), with an “extended experience” to the NGP. Out in 2012, with a closed beta coming soon.

- After a surprise trailer for BioShock Infinite premiered at Sony, BioShock creator Ken Levine took to the stage, touching on his less than nice comments about the Move. Surprisingly, he decided to give Move controls a shot and added them to Infinite. He sounds pretty excited about the potential. Then Levine makes a promise that the BioShock universe is finding a new home on the NGP. Sadly, that’s all we know.

- Saints Row is also getting an exclusive mode for the PS3. So there’s that, as does the next Star Trek game, and we’ll also get a Move controller that looks like a Phaser.

- EA has exclusive features too, including MT. Fuji for SSX, seven extra cars for Need for Speed: The Run, and Battlefield 3 comes with Battlefield 1943.

- Kaz Hirai hit the stage, talking up the PlayStation Suite more, with PS content coming to Androids.

- H iraifirst says the PSP isn’t dead, then praises its killer by talking up the NGP.

- PSVita was its real name after all. We suppose some rumors are true. And it’s pronounced vee-tah.

- AT&T is going to be the exclusive Vita carrier, which went over pretty poorly with the live audience. Must be iPhone users.

- After talking up social features, it was time for games. First up was Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Though it was hard to keep up with the earlier Uncharted 3 footage, it looked pretty great, even with touch screen capabilities that are totally optional, meaning you can play it like a real game if you so choose.

- Next was a social action RPG that communicates with the PS3, called Ruin. It’s a top down fantasy adventure, it looked like it totally deserved to exist, with hooks into Twitter and Facebook. You can buy a version for the PS3 and switch between saves with ease.

- ModNation Racers is coming to the Vita. They showed a very simple interface for creating tracks in this original game in the player-friendly series.

- Cross-platform functionality is apparently going to be a big part of the Vita, including in Wipeout 2048.

-LittleBigPlanet was announced for the Vita. It looks like the team found quite a lot to do with all the system’s features. It was easily one of the most impressive Vita games they showcased.

- Street Fighter X Tekken is coming to the Vita?!? That one took us by surprise, and it looks quite impressive on the Vita. And Cole from InFamous is going to be a playable character! What the hell is happening?!?!

- After a sexy sizzle reel of games, including Hot Shots Golf, Kaz returned to the stage and announced a holiday launch for all territories.

- Price? Wi-fi only model will retail for $249, and 3G for $299, a little lower than some estimates. Not a bad way to end the conference if we say so ourselves.

So what hit you as the biggest news? Sold on the Vita? Stoked for Uncharted? Can’t wait for more Sly? Let us know in the comments.

Jun 6, 2011


- After an amazing sizzle reel filled hinting at games to be announced later in the show, Jack Tretton hit the stage.

- Tretton quickly touched on the PlayStation Network, and after some light jokes, he thanked the third parties and retailers for their support, then apologized to the players, a rather humble moment. Happy now haters?

- Tretton went on to talk about how awesome PSN is now that it works again. He followed that up with a new partnership with Cinema Now, a media streaming service.

- Then it was time for Uncharted to kick us in the ass. The demo began with Nathan Drake walking around an eerily empty cruise ship on volatile seas. After dispatching a few guards and scaling some ledges, it was time for a shootout, only for it to be inconveniently interrupted by the boat sinking.

- Nate did his best not to drown, scaling through the now vertical ship, but the demo ended before he made it out, so we should assume he died.

- Then it was glasses time, as the 3D trailer began. Taking up the rumors of Nathan’s lineage connected to his ring, and both Chloe and Elena made welcome appearances, and the action looked pretty damn impressive.

- Next up was Resistance 3. Must have been a little tense for Insomniac to show off this game after making its multiplatform debut a few hours earlier. The action takes place an alternate 1950s version of St. Louis, as the heroes avoid a giant monster straight out of Starship Troopers. It was brief but fun.

- Then they announced Resistance 3 would have Move support, which went over like a lead ballon.

- It was time for HD Collection talk, as the PSP God of Wars and Ico/Shadow bundles are hitting PS3 in September and will be in 3D. Yay!

- Tretton went on about lowering the price of 3D TVs to gain more consumers. Good luck with that.

- 2K Sports had NBA 2K12 and NBA on the move. It allows one to individually target players for precise blocks, steals, and passes. Kobe Bryant came out to emphasize that people who don’t care about games can excel without really trying.

- Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest. An all new Move game from the makers of SPORTS CHAMPION! Bows, arrows, swords, and barely worked on stage. Can’t believe how used to this we’re getting. Although the lack of inventory is a bit notable, as the players 1:1 actions dictate what weapon you’ll use. Fall 2011.

- InFamous 2 – They showed a trailer… what else ya want? It’s out tomorrow and people seem to like it less than the first.

- Sony isn’t giving up on Move any time soon, with slate of new games ready for it that you probably will never think about let alone buy, and LittleBigPlanet 2’s getting a fall update to incorporate PlayStation Move.

- StarHawk was next. It’s the western flavored space follow-up to WarHawk from Lightbox Entertaintment with tons of crazy violence over land, air and space. Just how big are these maps going to get?

- And then it was time for Sly Cooper to make his stunning return. Hinted at a while ago, we’re overjoyed to see his reappearance. Subtitled Thieves in Time, it’s coming in 2012.

- Dust 514 then took the stage. A persistent shooter and PlayStation exclusive from the makers of EVE Online. Move support, Homespace (?), with an “extended experience” to the NGP. Out in 2012, with a closed beta coming soon.

- After a surprise trailer for BioShock Infinite premiered at Sony, BioShock creator Ken Levine took to the stage, touching on his less than nice comments about the Move. Surprisingly, he decided to give Move controls a shot and added them to Infinite. He sounds pretty excited about the potential. Then Levine makes a promise that the BioShock universe is finding a new home on the NGP. Sadly, that’s all we know.

- Saints Row is also getting an exclusive mode for the PS3. So there’s that, as does the next Star Trek game, and we’ll also get a Move controller that looks like a Phaser.

- EA has exclusive features too, including MT. Fuji for SSX, seven extra cars for Need for Speed: The Run, and Battlefield 3 comes with Battlefield 1943.

- Kaz Hirai hit the stage, talking up the PlayStation Suite more, with PS content coming to Androids.

- H iraifirst says the PSP isn’t dead, then praises its killer by talking up the NGP.

- PSVita was its real name after all. We suppose some rumors are true. And it’s pronounced vee-tah.

- AT&T is going to be the exclusive Vita carrier, which went over pretty poorly with the live audience. Must be iPhone users.

- After talking up social features, it was time for games. First up was Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Though it was hard to keep up with the earlier Uncharted 3 footage, it looked pretty great, even with touch screen capabilities that are totally optional, meaning you can play it like a real game if you so choose.

- Next was a social action RPG that communicates with the PS3, called Ruin. It’s a top down fantasy adventure, it looked like it totally deserved to exist, with hooks into Twitter and Facebook. You can buy a version for the PS3 and switch between saves with ease.

- ModNation Racers is coming to the Vita. They showed a very simple interface for creating tracks in this original game in the player-friendly series.

- Cross-platform functionality is apparently going to be a big part of the Vita, including in Wipeout 2048.

-LittleBigPlanet was announced for the Vita. It looks like the team found quite a lot to do with all the system’s features. It was easily one of the most impressive Vita games they showcased.

- Street Fighter X Tekken is coming to the Vita?!? That one took us by surprise, and it looks quite impressive on the Vita. And Cole from InFamous is going to be a playable character! What the hell is happening?!?!

- After a sexy sizzle reel of games, including Hot Shots Golf, Kaz returned to the stage and announced a holiday launch for all territories.

- Price? Wi-fi only model will retail for $249, and 3G for $299, a little lower than some estimates. Not a bad way to end the conference if we say so ourselves.

So what hit you as the biggest news? Sold on the Vita? Stoked for Uncharted? Can’t wait for more Sly? Let us know in the comments.

Jun 6, 2011


- After an amazing sizzle reel filled hinting at games to be announced later in the show, Jack Tretton hit the stage.

- Tretton quickly touched on the PlayStation Network, and after some light jokes, he thanked the third parties and retailers for their support, then apologized to the players, a rather humble moment. Happy now haters?

- Tretton went on to talk about how awesome PSN is now that it works again. He followed that up with a new partnership with Cinema Now, a media streaming service.

- Then it was time for Uncharted to kick us in the ass. The demo began with Nathan Drake walking around an eerily empty cruise ship on volatile seas. After dispatching a few guards and scaling some ledges, it was time for a shootout, only for it to be inconveniently interrupted by the boat sinking.

- Nate did his best not to drown, scaling through the now vertical ship, but the demo ended before he made it out, so we should assume he died.

- Then it was glasses time, as the 3D trailer began. Taking up the rumors of Nathan’s lineage connected to his ring, and both Chloe and Elena made welcome appearances, and the action looked pretty damn impressive.

- Next up was Resistance 3. Must have been a little tense for Insomniac to show off this game after making its multiplatform debut a few hours earlier. The action takes place an alternate 1950s version of St. Louis, as the heroes avoid a giant monster straight out of Starship Troopers. It was brief but fun.

- Then they announced Resistance 3 would have Move support, which went over like a lead ballon.

- It was time for HD Collection talk, as the PSP God of Wars and Ico/Shadow bundles are hitting PS3 in September and will be in 3D. Yay!

- Tretton went on about lowering the price of 3D TVs to gain more consumers. Good luck with that.

- 2K Sports had NBA 2K12 and NBA on the move. It allows one to individually target players for precise blocks, steals, and passes. Kobe Bryant came out to emphasize that people who don’t care about games can excel without really trying.

- Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest. An all new Move game from the makers of SPORTS CHAMPION! Bows, arrows, swords, and barely worked on stage. Can’t believe how used to this we’re getting. Although the lack of inventory is a bit notable, as the players 1:1 actions dictate what weapon you’ll use. Fall 2011.

- InFamous 2 – They showed a trailer… what else ya want? It’s out tomorrow and people seem to like it less than the first.

- Sony isn’t giving up on Move any time soon, with slate of new games ready for it that you probably will never think about let alone buy, and LittleBigPlanet 2’s getting a fall update to incorporate PlayStation Move.

- StarHawk was next. It’s the western flavored space follow-up to WarHawk from Lightbox Entertaintment with tons of crazy violence over land, air and space. Just how big are these maps going to get?

- And then it was time for Sly Cooper to make his stunning return. Hinted at a while ago, we’re overjoyed to see his reappearance. Subtitled Thieves in Time, it’s coming in 2012.

- Dust 514 then took the stage. A persistent shooter and PlayStation exclusive from the makers of EVE Online. Move support, Homespace (?), with an “extended experience” to the NGP. Out in 2012, with a closed beta coming soon.

- After a surprise trailer for BioShock Infinite premiered at Sony, BioShock creator Ken Levine took to the stage, touching on his less than nice comments about the Move. Surprisingly, he decided to give Move controls a shot and added them to Infinite. He sounds pretty excited about the potential. Then Levine makes a promise that the BioShock universe is finding a new home on the NGP. Sadly, that’s all we know.

- Saints Row is also getting an exclusive mode for the PS3. So there’s that, as does the next Star Trek game, and we’ll also get a Move controller that looks like a Phaser.

- EA has exclusive features too, including MT. Fuji for SSX, seven extra cars for Need for Speed: The Run, and Battlefield 3 comes with Battlefield 1943.

- Kaz Hirai hit the stage, talking up the PlayStation Suite more, with PS content coming to Androids.

- H iraifirst says the PSP isn’t dead, then praises its killer by talking up the NGP.

- PSVita was its real name after all. We suppose some rumors are true. And it’s pronounced vee-tah.

- AT&T is going to be the exclusive Vita carrier, which went over pretty poorly with the live audience. Must be iPhone users.

- After talking up social features, it was time for games. First up was Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Though it was hard to keep up with the earlier Uncharted 3 footage, it looked pretty great, even with touch screen capabilities that are totally optional, meaning you can play it like a real game if you so choose.

- Next was a social action RPG that communicates with the PS3, called Ruin. It’s a top down fantasy adventure, it looked like it totally deserved to exist, with hooks into Twitter and Facebook. You can buy a version for the PS3 and switch between saves with ease.

- ModNation Racers is coming to the Vita. They showed a very simple interface for creating tracks in this original game in the player-friendly series.

- Cross-platform functionality is apparently going to be a big part of the Vita, including in Wipeout 2048.

-LittleBigPlanet was announced for the Vita. It looks like the team found quite a lot to do with all the system’s features. It was easily one of the most impressive Vita games they showcased.

- Street Fighter X Tekken is coming to the Vita?!? That one took us by surprise, and it looks quite impressive on the Vita. And Cole from InFamous is going to be a playable character! What the hell is happening?!?!

- After a sexy sizzle reel of games, including Hot Shots Golf, Kaz returned to the stage and announced a holiday launch for all territories.

- Price? Wi-fi only model will retail for $249, and 3G for $299, a little lower than some estimates. Not a bad way to end the conference if we say so ourselves.

So what hit you as the biggest news? Sold on the Vita? Stoked for Uncharted? Can’t wait for more Sly? Let us know in the comments.

Jun 6, 2011


- After an amazing sizzle reel filled hinting at games to be announced later in the show, Jack Tretton hit the stage.

- Tretton quickly touched on the PlayStation Network, and after some light jokes, he thanked the third parties and retailers for their support, then apologized to the players, a rather humble moment. Happy now haters?

- Tretton went on to talk about how awesome PSN is now that it works again. He followed that up with a new partnership with Cinema Now, a media streaming service.

- Then it was time for Uncharted to kick us in the ass. The demo began with Nathan Drake walking around an eerily empty cruise ship on volatile seas. After dispatching a few guards and scaling some ledges, it was time for a shootout, only for it to be inconveniently interrupted by the boat sinking.

- Nate did his best not to drown, scaling through the now vertical ship, but the demo ended before he made it out, so we should assume he died.

- Then it was glasses time, as the 3D trailer began. Taking up the rumors of Nathan’s lineage connected to his ring, and both Chloe and Elena made welcome appearances, and the action looked pretty damn impressive.

- Next up was Resistance 3. Must have been a little tense for Insomniac to show off this game after making its multiplatform debut a few hours earlier. The action takes place an alternate 1950s version of St. Louis, as the heroes avoid a giant monster straight out of Starship Troopers. It was brief but fun.

- Then they announced Resistance 3 would have Move support, which went over like a lead ballon.

- It was time for HD Collection talk, as the PSP God of Wars and Ico/Shadow bundles are hitting PS3 in September and will be in 3D. Yay!

- Tretton went on about lowering the price of 3D TVs to gain more consumers. Good luck with that.

- 2K Sports had NBA 2K12 and NBA on the move. It allows one to individually target players for precise blocks, steals, and passes. Kobe Bryant came out to emphasize that people who don’t care about games can excel without really trying.

- Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest. An all new Move game from the makers of SPORTS CHAMPION! Bows, arrows, swords, and barely worked on stage. Can’t believe how used to this we’re getting. Although the lack of inventory is a bit notable, as the players 1:1 actions dictate what weapon you’ll use. Fall 2011.

- InFamous 2 – They showed a trailer… what else ya want? It’s out tomorrow and people seem to like it less than the first.

- Sony isn’t giving up on Move any time soon, with slate of new games ready for it that you probably will never think about let alone buy, and LittleBigPlanet 2’s getting a fall update to incorporate PlayStation Move.

- StarHawk was next. It’s the western flavored space follow-up to WarHawk from Lightbox Entertaintment with tons of crazy violence over land, air and space. Just how big are these maps going to get?

- And then it was time for Sly Cooper to make his stunning return. Hinted at a while ago, we’re overjoyed to see his reappearance. Subtitled Thieves in Time, it’s coming in 2012.

- Dust 514 then took the stage. A persistent shooter and PlayStation exclusive from the makers of EVE Online. Move support, Homespace (?), with an “extended experience” to the NGP. Out in 2012, with a closed beta coming soon.

- After a surprise trailer for BioShock Infinite premiered at Sony, BioShock creator Ken Levine took to the stage, touching on his less than nice comments about the Move. Surprisingly, he decided to give Move controls a shot and added them to Infinite. He sounds pretty excited about the potential. Then Levine makes a promise that the BioShock universe is finding a new home on the NGP. Sadly, that’s all we know.

- Saints Row is also getting an exclusive mode for the PS3. So there’s that, as does the next Star Trek game, and we’ll also get a Move controller that looks like a Phaser.

- EA has exclusive features too, including MT. Fuji for SSX, seven extra cars for Need for Speed: The Run, and Battlefield 3 comes with Battlefield 1943.

- Kaz Hirai hit the stage, talking up the PlayStation Suite more, with PS content coming to Androids.

- H iraifirst says the PSP isn’t dead, then praises its killer by talking up the NGP.

- PSVita was its real name after all. We suppose some rumors are true. And it’s pronounced vee-tah.

- AT&T is going to be the exclusive Vita carrier, which went over pretty poorly with the live audience. Must be iPhone users.

- After talking up social features, it was time for games. First up was Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Though it was hard to keep up with the earlier Uncharted 3 footage, it looked pretty great, even with touch screen capabilities that are totally optional, meaning you can play it like a real game if you so choose.

- Next was a social action RPG that communicates with the PS3, called Ruin. It’s a top down fantasy adventure, it looked like it totally deserved to exist, with hooks into Twitter and Facebook. You can buy a version for the PS3 and switch between saves with ease.

- ModNation Racers is coming to the Vita. They showed a very simple interface for creating tracks in this original game in the player-friendly series.

- Cross-platform functionality is apparently going to be a big part of the Vita, including in Wipeout 2048.

-LittleBigPlanet was announced for the Vita. It looks like the team found quite a lot to do with all the system’s features. It was easily one of the most impressive Vita games they showcased.

- Street Fighter X Tekken is coming to the Vita?!? That one took us by surprise, and it looks quite impressive on the Vita. And Cole from InFamous is going to be a playable character! What the hell is happening?!?!

- After a sexy sizzle reel of games, including Hot Shots Golf, Kaz returned to the stage and announced a holiday launch for all territories.

- Price? Wi-fi only model will retail for $249, and 3G for $299, a little lower than some estimates. Not a bad way to end the conference if we say so ourselves.

So what hit you as the biggest news? Sold on the Vita? Stoked for Uncharted? Can’t wait for more Sly? Let us know in the comments.

Jun 6, 2011

Henry Gilbert

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts.