For many, the highlight of Sony's was the unveiling of PS Vita TV - even though it was pitched almost as an afterthought.
The new device can play PS Vita, PSP and original PlayStation games on a TV via a PS3-era DualShock 3 controller at a relative bargain price of sub $100, opening the door to a whole new audience of gamers for PS Vita developers.
And all this without having to buy a PS Vita itself - classic microconsole territory.
We turned to a panel of PS Vita developers to ask what they thought of the PS Vita TV and what it means for their games, their audience, and the industry as a whole.
James Marsden, Futurlab
What did you think of the announcement of PS Vita TV?
We're surprised and delighted to see PS Vita TV announced.
It shows that Sony is in tune with new and emerging games industry trends, which is hugely reassuring as a PS Vita developer.
We chose the PS Vita as our target platform at a time when everyone we spoke to advised against it, but it's a great platform and ecosystem that rewards indie developers who want to create high quality games.
Assuming that it's released in the west, who do you think will buy it?
Who wouldn't buy it? It's a great concept with remote play from PS4 being a highlight of the specs.
It's affordable and great value with PS One classics, PSP games and PS Vita games on the TV, for what sounds like less than a hundred quid.
Do you think there's potential to sell more games via the PS Vita TV and expand your target market, or do you think it's an inherently niche product?
Definitely. Today is a very good day for PS Vita developers; not only does it show Sony's continued commitment to the platform, it's going to be such an easy sell at that price and with that catalogue.
What really interests me is whether this is another step toward a future where Gaikai technology enables all PlayStation catalogue games to be streamed with very little initial outlay on hardware - bandwidth permitting.
Pascal Bestebroer, Orange Pixel
What did you think of the announcement of PS Vita TV?
It surprised me, and I think it surprised a lot of people!
As soon as I read it, I posted this to twitter: "Oh shit.. Ouya started this fight, but Sony might have just kicked ass?"
Assuming that it's released in the west, who do you think will buy it?
Me for sure! But I think it will be bought by the same people who liked the idea of Ouya, including those that liked the idea of having a microconsole but had been shouting that the hardware was crap.
A console for such a low price with a bunch of awesome games and a host of "indie" titles that stray from the AAA route, what gamer wouldn't buy that?
Do you think there's potential to sell more games via the PS Vita TV and expand your target market, or do you think it's an inherently niche product?
I'm all behind the microconsole concept, no matter who creates it or what it runs on. If I can get my games on all of them, I will.
If it will be niche product? For now, sure, but it's a niche product that every company seems to be working on.
Tim Dawson, Witch Beam
What did you think of the announcement of PS Vita TV?
In a lot of ways it adds legitimacy to the microconsole market to see a company like Sony heading into it.
Assuming that it's released in the west, who do you think will buy it?
I could see it being popular with families as well as gamers with a considerable PlayStation Network investment.
Do you think there's potential to sell more games via the PS Vita TV and expand your target market, or do you think it's an inherently niche product?
It's tricky, a game like Assault Android Cactus would definitely suit the format, but I wonder if like the Ouya, a lot of its appeal will be in its other functions, particularly the media capabilities.
Laurens Bruins, Jaywalkers InteractiveWhat did you think of the announcement of PS Vita TV?
Well, I definitely didn't see it coming, but there's quite a bit to like for $99 - the most unique feature has to be the PS4 Remote Play, there'll be no more fighting over having to watch The Voice or playing FIFA.
There isn't much particularly new apart from that, but Sony can do this micro-console thing right.
I think it offers more value than an Ouya, with a proper controller and a backlog of quality games, and more than an Apple TV, as Apple keeps refusing to make a TV-box that can play games.
Assuming that it's released in the west, who do you think will buy it?
If you can stream from your phone as well, it could be a real competitor to the Apple TV and other such devices.
Apart from PS4 and Vita owners with cash to spare, I see it selling to gamers or parents of gamers on a budget and people looking at buying a streambox who are also interested in playing a game once in a while.
Do you think there's potential to sell more games via the PS Vita TV and expand your target market, or do you think it's an inherently niche product?
There's definitely potential.
It's an affordable device and people without the need for a portable console can now play these games as well, which could turn out to be a good thing for both developers - more customers - and gamers - more games.
My crystal ball is a bit foggy on this though, so whether it's enough for it to break out of its niche, and not just sell to Vita and PS4 owners remains to be seen.
Phil Gaskell, Ripstone Ltd.What did you think of the announcement of PS Vita TV?
I absolutely love it, not just for what it is but the way it's completely broadsided everyone and come out of nowhere.
Up until the E3 unveil Sony were getting a bit of a bashing from all angles, and it goes to show that you shouldn't underestimate them. PS Vita TV will most certainly have an impact on the living room. It's a smart move from Sony and shows they're clearly pursuing a much more holistic and connected approach to their hardware and services.
Assuming that it's released in the west, who do you think will buy it?
If Sony maintain a similar pricing strategy then it's going to have very broad appeal.
Those considering a microconsole will be tempted as the games for the device will inevitably be a step beyond smartphone games.
However, when you start to add in the PS4 connectivity and the streaming of TV and films, it becomes a very attractive gizmo for a lot of people beyond just games.
It's perhaps a great little companion device for dedicated gamers planning on buying a PS4.
Do you think there's potential to sell more games via the PS Vita TV and expand your target market, or do you think it's an inherently niche product?
There's nothing wrong with niche. You could argue that the audience for mobile and tablet games is actually a massive collection of niches.
We definitely think it will expand the market and give all our existing and forthcoming Vita games an extra boost.
However, given Sony's recent run of form I don't think we've seen the full extent of how the PS Vita TV, and the broader PlayStation ecosystem will evolve and expand.
Are you a PS Vita developer with a view on Sony's new microconsole? Drop us a line answering the three questions above to matt.diener [at] pocketgamer.co.uk.
