Why you won't be playing Playstation 3s at E3 this week

[Sony's Playstation 3 conceptual designs shown at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show]

Several articles are out this morning (here's one), predicting that Sony will have Playstation 3 consoles at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this week and will demonstrate the power of their product as soon as this afternoon. Putting on my marketing hat, I have just one reaction:

Are you kidding? I wouldn't do that in a million years.

Yes, E3 is a big showcase for Sony. It is where they announced the Playstation 3 last year. Everyone is drooling in anticipation at seeing whether the console lives up to its hype and promise and so they can decide whether they want to preorder now for delivery in November.

Which is exactly why I expect to see only a trickle of new information from Sony this week. At this afternoon's press conference, I predict they will talk about the success of the Playstation Portable (PSP), announce the new PS3 controller, show a few movies, and call it a day. I don't expect any consoles on the floor of the show, nor any playable games.

Why not? Well, Sony has set the date of launch of the console for November. It's not November yet.

Let's face it, it's not like there is a lot of upside for any Sony announcement at the show. Every developer that Sony wants on board has already signed and is in the schedule for delivering Playstation 3 games. Any developer Sony wants to court, it can invite back to its hotel suite and show them console games until the cows come home. But going public with its product that won't be available for six months at the show will only provide information for its competitors, not win any new business.

Great launches and marketing programs are built on suspense, not on pre-announcements. By not announcing anything at E3 other than the controller, Sony will build more buzz about its console than any announcement would achieve. Yes, some of it will be negative, but you can be sure, everyone will talk about it. And with about 4 million XBox 360s in the market, that platform is going to be old news. All eyes will be on Sony.

So expect Sony executives to stand up at the show, smile, talk about how they are committed to delivering a great gaming experience, and then refuse to answer any detailed questions. It's not because they don't know the answers; it's because drama and anticipation is better marketing than any information they could give.

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