Focus
One of the most important aspects of a press conference is its focus. It’s the driving force of the presentation and controls the pulse of everything that follows. At E3 2015, it was all about the games. Microsoft showed off their best lineup ever for the Xbox One and Sony focused on the revival of long forgotten IP and nostalgia that tugged at the hearts of everyone.
This year at E3 2016, Microsoft’s focus was more on options. The games shown weren’t exactly new, with the vast majority being returns to the screen. Instead, two new versions of the Xbox One, a slim one and the more powerful Project Scorpion.
Sony, on the other hand, didn’t give tech much attention. Prior to E3 2016, the company revealed that the PS4K was really a thing, and that it wouldn’t be at the press conference. With that out of the way, Sony was able to focus on strictly the games, and that carried on throughout the entirety of their press conference. There wasn’t much speaking from executives as each experience spoke for itself.
While neither was necessarily a better focus, it did make for two very unique experiences. This is definitely notable considering that at E3 2015 both companies seemed to be on the same page. The different focuses will definitely be a deciding factor in deciding your winner of E3.