Despite being a relatively new tradition, E3 already proved to be a massive event in the gaming industry, especially by the 1996 convention. This year's presentation was seen by the industry as the start of the modern era of gaming, as shown by what was shown then and what came after. While future conventions would become more grand and expansive, E3 1996 would be considered one of the most memorable in the Electronic Expo's history.
While Nintendo would continue to showcase major announcements at Space World (for now), this year was the first where they attended E3. Their show is often considered the most notable despite having already showed details about their upcoming products beforehand. Regardless, the Ultra Nintendo was still big conversation starter at this time, as well as Nintendo's other major hardware product, the Game Boy pocket. Nintendo showcased more details about both systems,such as the pricing, designs, and, of course, the games. Super Mario Adventure was considered the premier title for the UNES, although other games were also present such as Pilotwings 3D, Wave Race 3D, Tobal No. 1, Kirby's Roll and Rock, and Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, among others [1]. Despite the attention the UNES was getting, the SNES did still receive considerable support with titles such as Super Mario RPG, Kirby Super Star, and Donkey Kong Country 3.
Sega was also having a rather large swing at the event, although not as strong as the big N's. Sega did have both decent first and third party support for the Saturn, with the major third party titles for the system coming in the form of Eidos' Tomb Raider, Tecmo's Dead or Alive, Capcom's Resident Evil, Midway's Mortal Kombat Trilogy, among others. However, their biggest boon would be their first party lineup, which included Virtua Fighter 3 and Panzer Dragoon II, as well as new titles such as NiGHTS into Dreams (which included a new controller capable of analog movement, similar to the UNES controller) and Fighting Vipers. The biggest title of them all, however, was Sonic X; the newest installment for the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the first 3D title of said series, which is scheduled to be released by Christmas [2]. Obviously, Sonic X was the most anticipated announcement of the event, however Sega did have another product to showcase in the form of a Sega NetLink. The NetLink was seen as Sega's answer to Nintendo's Ultra-Online, being an addon that allowed users to browse the internet whenever they please. The addon was scheduled for release in October, way earlier compared to the UO's own release (especially since the latter would end up getting delayed). Overall, while Sega's presentation wasn't as much a spectacle as Nintendo's, it was still considered a solid showing.
Then there was the underdog, Sony. While Sony didn't have as nearly a strong first party lineup than either of their competitors, they made up for it by having what's was considered the strongest third party scene out of the three, being backed by video game giants such as Namco and Konami. This included Crash Bandicoot, Tekken 2, Contra: Legacy of War, Jet Moto, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Twisted Metal 2, and other titles. Another major announcement was a price cut for the Playstation as $199 (a decision that actually scared Sega and Nintendo enough to announce price cuts of their own). Sony's presentation was considered favorable, though they were severely lacking in first party games (though their first party library would build up as time goes on).
All in all, this year's E3 was seen as a solid one for insiders and consumers alike; though compared to future events, it was a rather mild one.
[1] This project was originally known as "Kirby Bowl 64" but IOTL, that project never went any further beyond tech demos and some development.
[2] Not to be confused with the anime Sonic X.