Nintendo’s Wii U saw plenty of 
excitement at E3. Lines at the company’s booth for a few moments of hand-on time were five hours long, as people jockeyed to be among the first to tinker with the next-generation system.
But outside of the Los Angeles Convention Center, the attitude towards Nintendo’s new machine was decidedly cooler — and in the days following the show, things haven’t warmed up at all.
After riding high from the thrill of 
E3 last week, the video game industry got a harsh slap in the face Monday.
As reported by the NPD Group, sales of video games in the month of May were down 19 percent compared to a year ago — the worst performance for the industry in nearly five years.
Everyone hates a copycat, but the cyber 
attack on Sony’s PlayStation Network has created more than a few. For hackers seeking notoriety or fame, there is no easier target these days than gaming companies.
The latest victim is Bethesda Software, makers of hit games like Fallout 3 and the Elder Scrolls titles. LulzSec, the group that has claimed responsibility for the Memorial Day weekend takeover of PBS Websites (posting false news stories that rapper Tupac Shakur was still alive and living in New Zealand), says it has breached the company’s servers and plans to release the data today.
E3 is a three-ring circus — and 
like any circus, it’s filled with spectacular sights and things of wonder. (And, thanks to Twisted Metal, it also has a few freakish, scary clowns.)
But it also has a slew of attractions that are just downright weird. We didn’t see any lines of dancing poodles at this year’s show, but here are a few of the less common things on and around the show floor.
Nintendo, for the 
majority of this console generation, has been content to play its own game. Now it’s ready to take the fight to Microsoft and Sony.
The company on Tuesday unveiled its next generation home video game machine — dubbed Wii U — that will be flush with the high-definition graphics gamers have come to expect, as well as a unique, touch-screen controller. It’s scheduled to launch in 2012.
EA is digging deeper into
the digital distribution space.
The company has completely revamped its online store, expanding its focus and renaming it ‘Origin’ in the process. The move will put EA in direct competition with Valve Software’s dominant Steam service — and, in some ways, Apple’s GameCenter.
Early adopters of the Nintendo 3DS have been a pretty 
patient bunch. New games for the system haven’t exactly been rushing to retail, and there’s only so much you can do with that 3D camera. But relief is on the way.
Nintendo says the long-awaited 3DS eShop will launch June 6 — and to celebrate, the company is letting owners of the handheld system download a copy of Excitebike 3D Classic for free, if they grab it within the first 30 days.
Even if you’re just a casual fan of video games, the E3 
video game extravaganza is a truly exciting time of the year. It’s Christmas in July! Or, more often, May! Or, recently, June! Ok, so the moving dates ruin the analogy, but it’s a festive time nonetheless that always brings a flood of gaming news. And every year, there’s one story that tops all the others.
Here’s a look back at the show stealing moments of the past 16 years.
Nintendo is increasing the stakes in 
its fight for control of the handheld gaming market.
The company will drop the price of its popular DS Lite portable system to $99.99 on Sunday June 5. That $30 cut is the first time Nintendo has adjusted the system’s price since 2006.
The ever-creeping deadline to get the 
PlayStation Network fully operational has crept a little further out – but the company says it’s now confident everything will be up and running by the end of the week.
Sony, in a blog posting, said Monday that it expects to have its online service fully operational by the end of the week. That’s a few days later than the previous vow to have it up and running by the end of the day – and more than a week later than it told developer partners it hoped to have the PlayStation Store operational again.
Chris Morris: Journalist 