Consoles take centre stage at E3

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, kicks off this week in Los Angeles and looks like being console heaven for those who take their game playing seriously.

The buzz at this year's Expo is that games consoles will steal the show, with the Sony PlayStation 2 - due for launch in the UK this autumn - and Microsoft's much-hyped X-Box - which is unlikely to hit the streets before next year - enjoying the starring roles.

Nintendo is also expected to make major announcements on its console, codenamed Dolphin, which is slated to debut next year, and to reveal updates on its Advanced Gameboy.

Sega is not being left out of the picture, either. There will be a plethora of second generation titles for the Dreamcast console that promise to be real eye-candy for gamers, now that developers have worked out the real potential of the system.

The games themselves may be taking a background seat at the moment, but some cool new titles are expected, including Blizzard's Diablo II and Interplay's Baldur's Gate II.

More than 2400 new software titles spanning 14 genres will be unveiled at E3 this year, many of which will be out in time for Christmas. With its "Beyond the Imagination" theme, this year's show also promises to debut 1250 completely new products. With the games industry now bigger than Hollywood, some big-name celebrities are also expected to take to the red carpet during this year's show.