Next-Gen on Display at Tokyo Game Show

Playable Xbox 360 and (possibly) PlayStation 3 games on show in Japan next week.

Videogame trade shows usually take cruel delight in excluding the public, but the Tokyo Game Show is different. And next week gamers will embrace that difference by going hands-on with the several playable next-gen games, according to reports from Famitsu.

Wanna get hands-on with the new Ridge Racer?
Better book your ticket.

Already 516 games - a new record - have been confirmed to show up at TGS, according to Next Generation. While the majority of these will be for PSP, DS and PlayStation 2, Sony and Microsoft will use the event to showcase some of their upcoming wares.

The Xbox 360 launch is now just months away, and Microsoft has gone to great lengths to attract the Japanese. Several big games, including the recently announced Ridge Racer 6, will be playable at the show, while others, such as Dead or Alive 4 and Dynasty Warriors 5, will be there in video form only.

Microsoft is also expected to use its press conference on the first day of the show to announce final details for the rollout of the Xbox 360 in Japan.

Sony, meanwhile, is not letting Microsoft run away with all the attention. There is little confirmed so far, but according to Famitsu attendees will see the first real trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4, Konami's eagerly awaited stealth-'em-up PlayStation 3 sequel.

But the biggest surprise could come from Nintendo, which doesn't even have an official presence on the TGS show floor. Rumour has it that company president Satoru Iwata will finally unveil the much-ballyhooed Revolution controller during his presentation on the first day.

The Tokyo Game Show takes place at the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo's Chiba prefecture and runs from 16-18 September.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games