E3 2013: our top 10 moments from gaming's arms race

We are here live in Los Angeles to bring you all the latest from the 2013 edition of this epic gaming show. E3 has already fired its opening salvo, with major announcements on the Xbox One, PS4, and EA showing us what's coming up.

And with more from Nintendo and a host of gaming giants to come, plus hands on reviews with the consoles and peripherals you need to know about, it's shaping up to be the best E3 for years.

We're pretty jazzed...you?

Here's all the latest from the conference:

Getting our hands on the PS4

To say that Sony has had a good E3 is an understatement. The consumer electronics maker has managed to take the wind out of the Xbox One's sails at every turn.

At Sony's press conference on the first night of the show, the company addressed many of the problems plaguing its rival - backwards compatibility, disc sharing and online check-in - and how the PS4 offers a solution to those issues.

hands on PS4

PS4 is trying to offer everything the Xbox doens't

Just as the second day of E3 was coming to a close, we were able to get a hands on with the much-talked about PS4.

Xbox One defines next-gen

Despite the controversy swirling around the XBox One, our hands on with Microsoft's gaming console found that Xbox is still a forward thinking device.

From the so-far-superior Kinect camera to the live TV integration, Microsoft's system feels as if it isn't beholden to the past.

No Nintendo games on smartphones

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata doesn't mince words when it comes to putting his company's games on the iOS or Android platform.

Iwata claims that including Nintendo games on mobile devices would provide a short-term revenue spike, but he's thinking more long-term than that.

No Nintendo games on smartphones

Sorry, Mario. Iwata says 'not on his watch'

Iwata added: "If I was only concerned about managing Nintendo for this year and next year - and not about what the company would be like in 10 or 20 years - then I'd probably say that my point of view is nonsense.

"But if we think 20 years down the line, we may look back at the decision not to supply Nintendo games to smartphones and think that is the reason why the company is still here."

No sour grapes for Nvidia

Nvidia graphics are no where to be found in any of the next generation gaming consoles, but the company id not holding a grudge.

In fact, Nvidia Senior Vice President Tony Tamasi is plucky about the whole thing. The reason: he's hoping that more powerful graphics will help cross-platform developers.

"Developers can now build really awesome content that can then scale to the PC," Tamasi elaborated, adding that "consoles are great because they catch up from a features perspective."

Tretton's deep dive into third-party DRM policies

Sony's president and CEO of their computer entertainment division, Jack Tretton, brought the crowd to their feet last night at a press conference when he announced that there will be no used game restrictions or 24-hour check-in requirements with the PS4.

Today, Tretton had more to say about the DRM policy.

"...We create the platform, we've certainly stated that our first-party games are not going to be doing that, but we welcome publishers and their business models to our platform."

Hands on with the Dualshock 4

Sony's new accessory was first introduced in February during the first PS4 announcement, and featured several enhancements.

PS4 Dualshock 4

The Dualshock has had quite the facelift

The revamped accessory comes complete with a touchpad across its face, and a lightbar across the top. The start and select buttons are now on the sides to make room for the touchpad, and the DualShock 4 also features a "share" button next to the triggers and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

But that's only the tip of the iceberg. We got a chance to get our hands on the controller and found that there's so much more to like about it.

Nintendo makes a showing at E3... kind of

Even though Nintendo decided to skip this year's E3, they did manage to show off a few new titles via a livestream.

Nintendo Super Smash Bros

Nintendo shows it's still in the game

The Japanese manufacturer unveiled several new games for their Wii U console, including Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, and Super Smash Bros.

'Play the game!'

Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo America, began Nintendo's software show case with this edict.

Nintendo press conference

Fils-Aime makes a passionate plea to the crowd

Since Nintendo has no new hardware to show off this year, Fils-Aime's statement - which could also be a plea - hopes to galvanize gamers to focus less on the "magic box" that plays the games, and focus more on "how you feel when you play the game."

PS4 price: Steep but still lower than Xbox One

The PS4 will cost $399 in the U.S.,(£349, €399) when it goes on sale later in 2013.

It's cheaper than the Xbox One, which was outed as $499 (£429, AU$599, €499) earlier today.

Xbox One

It's pretty, but is it worth the price?

Gamers didn't seem to thrilled at the console's price point, but that price does include a Kinect along with the system and Gamepad.

PS4 finally shows itself

Well it's about time. Sony finally drew the curtain back on the PS4 console at a press event the day before E3. And the gaming community got a good gander at the device in the flesh.

PS4 console

Lookin' good, PS4

Looking very sleek, angular, and a bit like the PS2, the new PlayStation 4 will feature services like Music Unlimited on the first day of the PS4's availability, while Verizon's Redbox Instant and Flixter are heading to PlayStation Network.

EA wheels out 11 next-gen titles

Waiting anxiously for news on Star Wars: Battlefront and Mirror's Edge 2? EA heard your calls and talked up both titles, along with nine others, during its pre-E3 press conference.

All the games are destined for the PS4 and Xbox One, and while we won't see either console for awhile, EA generated some buzz by enlisting some celebs to talk up the titles. It was interesting, to say the least.

The Xbox One is US$499, £429 and coming this November

We saw game after game at the Microsoft E3 press conference, but at the end, it made good with the numbers. It seems that the Xbox One will be arriving just in time for the holidays.

It's not surprising that Microsoft's new console should arrive in time to be tucked under Christmas. It could be quite a retail battle if the PS4 arrives in the same month. Sony had previously announced a "holiday 2013" release date.

A new Xbox 360 and 13 exclusives for Xbox One

Microsoft is making its E3 2013 conference all about games. Its promised 13 games just for the upcoming Xbox One.

Its also shown a brand new, redesigned Xbox 360 that looks a lot like its sibling the Xbox One. Microsoft also has rewards on the way for Xbox Live Gold subscribers: free game downloads every month. Surely that was designed to give PlayStation Plus a run for its money.

The wait begins

We're waiting for the doors to open for Microsoft's E3 2013 press conference, and the whole new generation of console gaming that waits for us inside. We've heard all about the powerful hardware and features of the Xbox One, but what new games are going to be revealed?

What sort of exlcusives will Microsoft reveal Will there be an official price tag for the Xbox One? How about a release date? Say with us as we report from inside the conference.

E3 2013

Waiting to see the Xbox One
Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.