Sony gets the E3 jump on Microsoft

News - Only three hours though

Sony have announced that the Playstation 3 will now be the first of the next-gen consoles to be revealed to the world. After Microsoft announced that their pre-E3 conference schedule, it was only a matter of time before Sony announced that their own event would kick off just before their competitor's. Sony plans to reveal the PS3 to the assembled press at 15.00 on May the 16th, a scant three hours before Microsoft goes before the world with the first unveiling of the Xbox 2.

The distance between these two essential events, both to be held in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, is going to cause some headaches for the attending media, with the journey time between the two locations raising the possibility that Sony could drag their show out to disrupt the timing of Microsoft's party. Of course, Sony would never do such a thing intentionally. Even before the machines have been revealed, the next-gen console wars are off to a vicious start.

Up to this point any specific details on the hardware makeup of either console have been rarer then one-legged unicycle riders, but a little is known about the broader outlines of each console. So far, the PS3's most hyped feature is the new custom Cell processors which will form the heart of the machine. The Xbox 2 counters with a switch from Nvidia to ATi for graphics duties. Apart from these few titbits just about everything else concerning the new consoles, from storage to looks and from controllers to connectivity, remains conjecture and rumour, so come May the 16th it's going to be a very busy day for gaming sites around the world. We will have all the news as soon as we know more.