Monday E3 Wrap: Microsoft, EA Debut Games to Much Applause, Ubisoft, Sony Headline Evening Press Conferences

Although the conference does not formally kick off until Tuesday, Monday was the unofficial start of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly referred to as E3. Presentations from Microsoft MSFT and Electronic Arts EA headlined press conferences Monday while presentations from Ubisoft and Sony SNE headline tonight's presentations.

Microsoft

Microsoft followed up on its recent announcement of the Xbox One by debuting a suite of games exclusive to the console as well as the price for the new system. Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One will cost $499 in the U.S., 499 euros in the EU, and 429 pounds in the United Kingdom.

Microsoft debuted 13 exclusive games or content for the new system as well in its press conference. Key announcements included World of Tanks, Ryse: Sons of Rome, Sunset Overdrive, (from the maker of past hits such as Resistance), Forza Motorsport 5, Quantum Brake and an accompanying television show, Project Spark (similar to Minecraft), Dead Rising 3, Battlefield 4, Titan Fall, and an unnamed follow-up to the Halo series to be released in 2014. Microsoft also debuted exclusive content from EA's Battlefield 4.

Aside from games, Microsoft debuted its Upload Studio, where users can edit clips saved by the in-game DVR service. Also, Microsoft showed off the new "Drivatar" feature in Forza which customizes the game to the playing style of the player. Microsoft also updated users on the Smart Glass interface and announced that the company was doing away with Microsoft points in exchange for directly accepting currency for downloadable content.

Electronic Arts

EA followed up Microsoft by debuting its next year of games. The company announced 11 new next generation games in its press conference, headlined by Need For Speed: Rivals and the accompanying full-feature movie, Dragon Age: Inquisition, NBA Live 14, Madden NFL 25, Fifa 14, and Battlefield 4. For its sports games, EA highlighted three new features: human intelligence, true player motion, and living worlds.

With new thought processes, players in game controlled by the CPU can think four times faster than in the previous engine. The Living Worlds feature brings stadiums and arenas to life as the crowd reacts to the gameplay in ways never before seen or heard and True Player Motion allows players to react and move in ways never before seen in games.

Monday Night Schedule

French game-maker Ubisoft is set to take the stage at 5:40 pm eastern followed by Sony at 8:20 eastern. Sony's press conference in particular will be of interest as the company is set to launch the Playstation 4 to compete with Microsoft's Xbox One. Analysts will be keen to see what exclusive content Sony is going to roll out following Microsoft's announcement of lots of exclusive games.