E3 2013: Sony PlayStation 4 launches with hearts and wallets of gamers in mind Then it was time for the PlayStation 3's moment in the sun, highlighting this Friday's release of the sensational survival horror, The Last of Us. The PS3 unquestionably has the strongest tail of the current generation consoles, highlighted here by the upcoming Puppeteer, the beautiful looking Rain, Quantic Dream's ambitious paranormal thriller Beyond: Two Souls and racer Gran Turismo 6. The PS3 charge was impressive, and one wonders if the strength of its twilight years will help turn gamers to the PlayStation 4. Now it was time to actually see what that console will look like, with SCE CEO Andrew House revealing its final form, a monolithic item that seems to be a combination of the PS2 and PS3 designs. Somewhat contrary to Microsoft's games, games, games approach, the first order of business for the PS4 was its television, music and film services. Sony Pictures announced that there will be programs made exclusively available to PS4 owners, and Music Unlimited, Movies Unlimited, Netflix and Live Events Viewer will be available at launch. It was a relatively brief diversion, with SCE president Shuhei Yoshida coming on stage to laud the gaming qualities of the PlayStation 4. Yoshida has developed an impressive rapport with fans on Twitter, and tellingly Sony flashed up a tweet from a fan asking Yoshida not to block used games on PS4. Finally, after a fairly bloated start, it was time for PlayStation 4 gameplay, starting with a brand new game from ReadyAtDawn. The Order looks to be an interesting action game based on a steampunk vision of Victorian London. However, the announcement was limited to a CGI trailer, so it's hard to gauge how it will shape up. Then Sony showed a reel of the games that were announced at the PS4's initial reveal; sci-fi FPS Killzone: Shadow Fall, racer DriveClub, comic-book thriller inFamous Second Son and cartoon adventure Knack. Little more information was released about each game, other than Killzone Shadow Fall, DriveClub and Knack will be available at launch, with inFamous coming in early 2014. Then was a rather extraordinary and funny skit from Quantic Dream, as The Dark Sorcerer showed some truly fabulous animation and detailing. Though however amusing it was, there was a sense that Sony's conference was lacking some bona fide PS4 gameplay. This was to come from an unlikely source, independent developer Supergiant Games (Bastion) showing off Transistor, an isometric fantasy adventure with a charming aesthetic. It gave Sony a chance to reiterate that independent developers would be able to self-publish on the PlayStation 4. To drive home the point, Sony then showed off terrific and original looking independent games with OctoDad, first-person horror Outlast and a new Oddworld: Abe's Odysee proving the pick of the bunch. Time then, for the blockbusters. What fascinates at this E3 is that Microsoft and Sony are offering a real range of games. Where Microsoft's blockbusters were western powerhouses, Sony kicked off with an Eastern flavour via Japanese RPG Final Fantasy Versus-XIII, the announcement of Final Fantasy XV and the Disney-inspired Kingdom Hearts III. Enormous games in their own right, but significantly different from the likes of, say, Killer Instinct. This can only be good news for choice and variety. We then saw why Ubisoft's press conference had so little to show in the way of gameplay, as Sony stole it for their show. Demos of Assassin's Creed IV and Watch Dogs displaying potential, if a deal of familiarity. It was something Sony's conference struggled with in a similar way to Microsoft. This was all strong stuff, with each game showing real quality. However, at this stage it's difficult to pinpoint the concept of the next generation beyond visual splendour. But if nothing else there's a sense of swagger and potential back at E3 that was sorely lacking last year. And that's a welcome change. One area that is becoming more and more prevalent is in online gaming. Sony announced that fantasy MMO The Elder Scrolls Online would be coming to PlayStation 4. A fabulous coup, and it's worth stressing that in this generation, such a persistent online world would only be possible on PCs. An important step for consoles. In an outright attack on the Xbox One's pre-owned and online check-in policies, Tretton announced that the you will not need to be online to authenticate disc-based games, and the PS4 will support used games. The reception was raucous and knowing. Sony had stayed quiet on the issue until now, and took full advantage of an easy PR victory. It could be its most important. The first gameplay from Bungie's online sci-fi shooter Destiny was the final game, if not the final word. While the game will release on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Bungie seems to have thrown its lot in with Sony on Destiny, with Tretton promising exclusive Destiny content for PS4. Possibly to combat the competition of Xbox One exclusive Titanfall. The games share similar goals in the online arena, though Destiny seems more measured and atmospheric than Titanfall's raw, explosive thrills. Closing with Destiny did highlight one of the flaws in Sony's conference, in that there were a lot of multi-platform games, at times feeling like a showcase for the next generation as a whole rather than the PS4 itself. But then came a genuine shock, Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 would release in November to the tune of $399 and £349. That's $100 or £80 cheaper than the Xbox One's mooted RRP. It's a considerable difference in price and, along with the promise of no online requirements or restrictions on pre-owned, gave Sony a clear advantage over its competitor. Xbox One arguably had the better and more varied catalogue of games at this E3. But with the enormous, bewildering roar that greeted Sony's announcement they would allow used games, it's clear that the battle for the hearts, minds and money of gamers will not be fought in game lineups alone. It's also clear that, with Sony's blatant dig at its competitor, the console wars have truly begun. Your move, Microsoft.