2000 saw even more expansion for the convention, with several major console releases on the horizon from Sony, Nintendo, and newcomer (to the console world) Microsoft. Sony showed off the PS2, Nintendo released more details about the Gamecube and it’s 2001 launch, and Microsoft showed off some Xbox demos behind closed doors. One of the biggest events of 2000 was the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo, and a nascent build of Halo was publicly shown for the very first time. Sega finally showed off the power of online console gaming with a real demonstration of Seganet, using the NFL2k series as a model.

2001 was an E3 filled with feverish anticipation. Set a few months before two major console launches (Xbox and Gamecube), each of the big three held hype-worthy conferences. Nintendo featured their wavebird wireless controller alongside the Gamecube launch titles and newly launched Game Boy advance, bringing the handheld market back into the forefront. Sony unveiled their online plans with Socom 2 and featured several buzz-worthy titles like Gran Turismo 3 and Devil May Cry. Microsoft showed off Project Ego (Fable) and a jumpy version of Halo was demoed. Rockstar showed off Grand Theft Auto 3, the grand daddy of free roaming “sandbox” gameplay, to uninterested audiences, later to become one of the biggest titles of the year. And Sega, now an independent software company, was all over the new consoles with titles from the Sonic and Panzer Dragoon series. The industry was changing.

2002 was all about big, hit titles –software reigned over hardware this year. Doom 3 was shown for the PC, stealing the show with hype over the graphics engine. Nintendo unveiled it’s most impressive first party line-up ever, with Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, and Zelda: the Wind Waker all lined up for successive Gamecube launches, along with GBA games from the Zelda and Kirby series.. Microsoft officially announced Xbox Live, with a $49.99 yearly fee allowing access to the world’s first fully integrated online network for a console, and Ninja Gaiden as an Xbox exclusive. Sony stole attention with their announcement that they had won the console wars, having shipped 30 million ps2’s worldwide, and hyped the Disney/Square collaboration Kingdom Hearts.

2003 Half-Life 2 headlined the PC titles. The Playstation Portable was announced, ready to compete with Nintendo’s established dominance in the handheld market, while Nintendo unsuccessfully hawked GBA/Gamecube connectivity as their big feature for the show. Nokia had a disastrous unveiling of the N-Gage, a mobile phone/game system. Big titles Resident Evil 4 for the Gamecube, Metal Gear Solid 3 for the PS2, and the new multiplatform Prince of Persia title all made waves.

2004 was a bit more sedate than years past. The biggest news was Nintendo’s unveiling of the innovative DS handheld as part of it’s new strategy, and the beginning of Reggie Fils Amie’s bombastic presentations as Nintendo’s new head of marketing. Halo 2 dominated the Microsoft booth, with a multiplayer demo that garnered huge lines of show goers. Blizzard showed off World of Warcraft, and God of War rocked Sony’s conspicuously PSP-free booth.