Sony has had awful E3s these past few years. Too many games with far off release dates, games that have totally just vanished, and the same **** pretty much for all of them. Their last 2 conferences were abysmal. Just when you think it's getting good, they both abruptly end with a showing of Spider-Man.
Guess they don't have much to flex at the minute and they know it, which they even admitted this E3. Days Gone will be out before E3, Last of Us 2 probably won't even release in 2019, and then they have a remake for an obscure PS1 game. If they have nothing to bring to E3 other than the same games we've already seen for years, then it's probably best they don't waste the time, effort, and money on a conference this year as they're more than likely prepping for next gen.
Honestly, this is more of a blessing for Microsoft more than anything. They've really been getting their **** together and the future of the brand has never looked better and they can really drive that home at next year's E3.
Microsoft may have been lacking in the exclusive games department, not to mention their less than stellar outings of Halo and Gears this gen, but everything else they've done with the system has been really amazing and very pro-consumer. From play anywhere to cross-play, or gamepass and backwards compatibility. They definitely got Sony beat in those regards, and that's not even mentioning the power of the Xbox One X. They've come a long way since their awful reveal of the system at E3 2013 and all they really need now is some games, which after acquiring 7 game studios, shouldn't be a problem anymore.
Their 2019 lineup is already looking good with games like Crackdown 3, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Gears of War 5, Battletoads, and possibly even Halo: Infinite and there may even still be room for some surprises from some of their newly acquired studios who have probably had some things in the works for a while now. E3 2019 is definitely gonna be a big one for the Xbox, and while I doubt Sony will be pulling their punches as they trickle out their last bit of releases for the PS4 and set their sights on the next gen, it's great to see the Xbox have the spotlight on them when they need it most.