10 Almost Certain Sony Announcements For E3 2012

This year, Sony has promised to unveil the "the future of gameplay and innovation", delivering 20 game announcements at their E3 press conference. Big promises, of course, but Sony always has at least a few grand surprises at the biggest stage in gaming.

Traditionally, the PS3 platform holder reveals their upcoming games just before the conference, and 2012 has been no different. Sony has already announced God of War: Ascension and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Still, there's plenty of speculation about just what Sony will reveal. We analyse the ten most certain Sony announcements for E3 2012.

#10 - Sony's cloud gaming unveil/Gaikai deal or purchase

There’s been rampant speculation about Sony’s involvement with cloud gaming company Gaikai. Initial reports suggested Sony would be announcing their purchase of a "cloud gaming firm" at their E3 press conference, followed by a rumor hinting that Sony's partnership with Gaikai will see the confirmation of a return to backwards compatibility for the PS3.

Gaikai, meanwhile, invited journalists to an E3 event which promises to deliver news that will "change the future of videogames":

Gaikai has some major announcements in store for E3 that have the potential to change the future of video games, game consoles and how we play.

#9 - The Last Guardian appearance

With several delays and notable developers leaving the PS3 exclusive, it's hard to fathom that The Last Guardian will be at E3. It's unclear in what capacity Sony will show off Team Ico's next title. It's been a good few years since the game's debut and, since then, we've only seen a few trailers during TGS. However, if it does appear at Sony's E3 presentation, gameplay footage seems to be the likely option.

#8 - New PlayStation Plus features

Sources say that Sony will announce a revamp of PlayStation Plus during its E3 press conference, accompanied by the unveiling of the service's proper integration with the PlayStation Vita. To add credence to the rumor, PlayStation Plus content manager Ross McGrath stated that "now is the time" to become a member of the service if you hadn't joined already.

As for specifics, sources suggested a tiered service model. An online survey further solidified the speculation by asking users about a three-tier system for PlayStation Plus. Such options consisted of the number of new games offered per year, how often the games itself are uploaded to the catalogue, the quality of the titles and the pricing pertaining to the tier’s size. It’s a fair bet that there will be an announcement at E3.

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