Another year, another E3 expo goes on without me. I don't even really play video games any more, but the thought that E3 is right next door and I'm not there is eating me from the inside out.

For years I dreamt of attending. As a kid, I subscribed to both Nintendo Power and Electronic Gaming Monthly, but when E3 came around, I'd buy up a copy of every other magazine on the shelf as well, just in case one saw something the others didn't. When I was in the Nintendo World Championships in 1990 (no joke), I thought I might get a chance to attend E3 as a prize or a perk. Instead, I got Nintendo's lame 'PowerWalk,' featuring such generation-defining products as 'River City Ransom' and the U-Force.

Most of you probably know what the Electronics and Entertainment Exposition is, what quite a few people don't consider is that the video gaming industry has more than quadrupled since the expo's inception, and that the expo has grown at twice the rate. Representatives from every facet of entertainment will be there, kissing the hand of the pixel gods. This is a big money industry, and this year in particular is of great importance. This is the year that true multimedia convergence comes to the living room.

This year, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all have nextgen systems to premiere. Nintendo has two. They all incorporate bluetooth, wifi, networking, video, and other hot topics. The Sony Playstation 3 can power dual widescreen HD monitors at 1080p resolution in a huge panoramic 32:9 display. I think I just cried a little.

Anyways... I'm not there, but Anandtech, Gamespot, and even USA Today have made me feel like I am.

UPDATE - I ended up going to E3 this (friday) morning. More to come...