The return to glory of E3, the big video game show that ended Thursday, was accompanied by a trove of announcements that should keep the industry on track for another record-breaking year. With Microsoft touting its no-controller ‘Natal’, Sony countering with an ultra-precision 3D angle, and Nintendo trumpeting new Mario, Metroid, and Zelda games as well as a new version of their controller.

Participating companies took advantage of the bigger stage to introduce new hardware, motion-control systems a la the Wii, additional accessories and new digital download strategies. And, of course, there were plenty of games.

Both Sony and Microsoft’s consoles, respectively the XBox 360 and PlayStation 3, will now move the gamer off the couch, following the Wii model of more interactive game playing. Microsoft unveiled the Natal Project motion sensing interface on Monday, and Sony followed suit on Wednesday, serving up its answer to the Wiimote, the PS3 Motion Controller.

If Nintendo feels threatened at all by new product rollouts at E3 from Microsoft and Sony, it’s not planning on blinking in public. Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto told BBC News Friday:

“The fact that both Sony and Microsoftare looking at getting the gamer off the couch, taking advantage of motion control, and getting them to control the game by moving their body shows that they have looked at what we have done with Wii,” said Miyamoto. “And now they are moving in the same direction. To that end we are very flattered.”

Nintendo had a chance for a rebuttal, during which it chose to focus on Wii Motion Plus and its new games. The idea behind the new version of the controller is that it offers enhanced feedback, what they called “physical reality.” The idea is that the controller allows for much more precise, feedback-oriented motion.

Microsoft’s motion controller, codenamed “Project Natal,” combines a camera, depth sensor, microphone and processor running proprietary software to end the need for any button-mashing device. Microsoft said the controller can track players’ full body movements, recognize their faces and voices, scan images of real items and respond to both physical and vocal commands.

Sony’s wand-shaped motion controller has a light-emitting sphere on the end that can be “seen” by the PlayStation Eye camera. The unnamed device was demonstrated with minimalist software that transformed it on-screen into objects such as a sword, flashlight, whip and gun with one-to-one motion control — similar to the Wii MotionPlus.

The worst-kept secret of the show was the PlayStation Portable Go, a new slimmed-down portable system, news of which was leaked on the Internet just days before the show began. The leak, however, did not dampen enthusiasm for the new handheld.

A number of game sequels were also announced at the show, including Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2 and Just Cause 2. The one that generated the most excitement? See below:

More than 30,000 people attended the three-day event, where more than 100 companies showcased the latest in entertainment hardware and software.
It’s abundantly clear that what’s really going on here is an aggressive play by each of the three companies to make their offerings more palatable to mainstream audiences, people who have traditionally not considered themselves gamers.