Game On

The rock-star simulation game Guitar Hero has built its success on a true-to-life model of games. In addition to its original plastic guitar, the game's designers this year showed off a version featuring a drum-kit component and also a microphone that measures the pitch of a singer's voice.

At first glance, a team of four people playing the new Guitar Hero set looks like a real rock band -- at least until someone makes a musical mistake that brings the game to a halt, as Microsoft Vice President Peter Moore did a couple of times this week during his demonstration.

Guitar Hero originally became a hit on Sony's PlayStation 2, but it will soon be available on Nintendo.

Sony, which won the last round of console wars by a wide margin, has been struggling with an image problem among gamers. Demand for the PS3 , which flew off retail store shelves after its launch last year, has died down.

At the show, Sony has staked some of its hopes on a game it hopes will help it reclaim some of its old buzz. The game, Killzone 2, a realistic-looking combat game, met with praise from some bloggers and attendees.

In years past, the E3 trade show won a reputation among gamers as being an extravaganza where game companies battled for people's attention with stunts, scantily clad women and ear-splitting product booths.

This year's version has greatly been toned down. The Washington-based Entertainment Software Association, which runs E3, hopes a smaller version of the show would focus more attention on the business of games.

ESA President Michael Gallagher said the battle between Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo was too early to call. It's like playing a game, he said -- things can change quickly.

"It's a little early in this race to declare a winner or a loser," he said. "All it takes is one compelling title."