E3 2011 preview

The 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo kicks off this week, taking place between June 7 and 9 at the Los Angeles Convention Centre in California. You’ll find in-depth coverage of the show and all the big announcements on our site throughout the week, but ahead of that, here’s our guide to some of the event’s highlights.

While not officially the first day of the show, many companies have chosen to hold their respective press conferences on Monday.

Microsoft’s corporate communications vice president Frank Shaw has already alluded to the company’s entertainment strategy, so expect to hear plenty about how Xbox 360 will become the centre of your living room during the 9 to 11am PST "media briefing".

While new hardware from the US technology giant has also been rumoured, don’t expect to see new Xbox 360 or Kinect systems this year. Do expect plenty of software for both though, including Forza Motorsport 4 and maybe even a Kinect outing for Gears Of War and a new fighting game from Yu Suzuki.

Electronic Art’s press conference comes later in the day, running from 12 to 2:30pm, and will deliver more information on a range of big titles including Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic and FIFA 12, along with several as yet unannounced projects.

Ubisoft’s conference follows directly afterwards, lasting another two and a half hours, the company promising never-before-seen demonstrations of this year’s line up including the 'casual' Move exclusive MotionSports Adrenaline, as well as new Your Shape and Just Dance titles. Of course, Driver: San Francisco and Ghost Recon Future Soldier (which may well sport some kind of Kinect functionality) will all put in an appearance, and you can expect some exclusive new announcements, too.

The busy day is rounded off by Sony, which will be addressing the press in a mammoth five-hour session. Expect to learn more about the NGP - perhaps even its official name - and the games that will be available for it. The PS3’s line-up will also be bolstered with new exclusive titles.

Just like last year, Nintendo has scheduled its press conference for 9am on the first official day of the conference, Tuesday 7. The big news here, of course, will be the reveal of its Wii successor, which is almost certainly not going to be called Project Café. Expect a certain plumber to demonstrate the hardware’s HD prowess.

Better still, the system will be playable at the event. Of course, there’ll be plenty of 3DS and Wii announcements, too, including the rumoured debut of Mario Kart on Nintendo’s 3D handheld.

Along with Nintendo’s new hardware, Tuesday will also be our first opportunity of the week to get our hands on the many games on offer, including Activision’s Call Of Duty 3, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 3 and perhaps even Sony’s The Last Guardian.

They’ll be plenty more titles worth keeping an eye out for over the three days, such as Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the new XCom, Tomb Raider and Dead Island.

All in all, it’s looking like one of the most packed E3s of recent years. Expect news, previews and analysis from the show floor this week, all of which you can keep on top of by choosing to follow our E3 topic in your MyEdge feed.