E3 2012: the best so far

This week we're seeing an E3 gaming convention roughly on-par with the past few years of presentations: lots of games, nothing really ridiculously ground-breaking, and just a few items that should have the gaming community holding on for more through the summer. What we've got is the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U on tap, and Sony and Nintendo at the helm. These things should come as no surprise to you, the hardcore gamer, but what items have really stood out thus far that you should pay attention to?

NOTE: The image above comes from Nintendo's Instagram account and shows the Triforce!

In the world of Nintendo, nothing seems to be bigger at the moment than the impending launch of the Wii U. This device has had dual-controller gameplay confirmed and we've seen a collection of new games that will pop up with it, including the fabulous Batman Arkham City Armored Edition which we're very much looking forward to.

As far as Microsoft's contribution to the game goes, you'll want most of all to see Xbox SmartGlass in our 101 guide. This system has devices connecting to one another like its nobodies business. Microsoft also brought the heat with a brand new look at their upcoming bigtime hit Halo 4 – filled with aliens!

Over in the PlayStation universe, there a giant fight of a game coming with the name PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and our first look at gameplay has been released this week with fire! In Sony's mobile connection to the world you'll find the smartphone and tablet friendly PlayStation Mobile and it's first hardware partner HTC. Finally behold the great connection: PlayStation VITA gets PS One classics.

Our favorite item this year thus far has to be the Lucasfilm contribution to the world of gaming. In a game called Star Wars 1313 you'll be jumping down into the pits of the core city of the universe, Coruscant, in a high definition adventure made by the whole team: Lucasfilm, Industrial Light and Magic, Skywalker Sound, and Lucasfilm Animation Ltd. – it's a LucasArts party!