1: Bring on the motion. We all know that MS was working on some sort of  Wiimote like device to get casuals gaming, although that idea seems to have went by the wayside.  But we now have rumors that the new 360 motion camera may be a reality.  If  MS can make some compelling games and uses for the new device, count us in. Imagine gyrating to the rhythms of your favorite music or kickboxing your way to a higher gamerscore. If this new device comes out and can deliver a full on body rocking gaming groove that makes you move, E3 will be set ablaze.

2: Games on demand. OnLive is a company that introduced a fairly complicated but intriguing idea of streaming games at this years CES.  And while streaming games may be a little ways off as far as bandwidth and server load is concerned. We can certainly see the value in downloading full Xbox 360 feature titles to rent or buy via Xbox Live marketplace.   With a little love from MS, a few business deals and some careful planning, we think it would be a homerun for MS and the gaming community.

3: More avatar love. The idea behind the cutesy avatars was a noble one. Let gamers dress up a representation of themselves and put it out there for the Xbox Live world to see. We’d really like  to see more interesting options for our online persona’s. Including new fashion styles, customizable clothes and colors. We’d also like to see more games use the avatars instead of just standing around in the dashboard (yawn). We know 1 VS 100 is one of the future games to use the avatar and we’re definitely looking forward to it. But we really want to see some more games that showcase our mini-me personas in a t-shirt that says “We Love Geeks.”

4: The MASSIVE online experience. Oh where art thou WoW and Huxley?  Even though Huxley was announced some time ago and WoW wasn’t, we think a compellingly rich MMO experience would really be the ticket for many Xbox Live gamers. And we’re not talking about the PS2riffic games like Final Fantasy online, give us some next gen MMO love, please, thanks!  We know the limitations of the platform and some of the drawbacks, like monthly fees.  We can just imagine it now…how great  it would be playing online with our friends, wasting hours questing to our hearts content.  MASSIVELY fun!

5: The future franchises. Sure, we’re all waiting with anticipation for titles like Halo ODST, Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Splinter Cell Conviction & Forza 3.  And while those titles plus many more that were announced or hinted at certainly merit our attention, it’s always the new games, the new experiences that tend to  grab us at E3 time.  Games like Alan Wake, Bayonetta & DJ Hero were announced a while back. But there’s the unknown, the unannounced gems waiting to be unveiled that we can’t wait to see. Can publishers/developers such as Lionhead, Bethesda or industry stalwart EA come out with the next big game that we all need to play? We’re hopeful and excited to see what’s in store for the future.

6: Zune gaming. It’s apparent that the Nintendo DSi and Sony PSP are currently the heavyweight handhelds,  but the iPhone/iPod Touch platform is increasingly  regarded as the most flexible, approachable, and most casual-friendly gaming platform.    Microsoft promised games for the Zune, and while a couple of games have since been made available, experts are anticipating the next gen Zune to make gaming a huge part of the device.  Being able to play Microsoft’s vast library of casual internet flash-based games and XBLA games would make a Zune a real contender not only in the handheld market, but more importantly in the casual/social gamer market.

7. Casual cool.  We’ve seen the Nintendo Wii become a household phenomenon, a name that is synonymous with the casual gamer. Nintendo has a great track record for providing gaming experiences that are approachable, characters that are memorable as well as likable and they accomplished it during a time when most console gamers were coming of age. While Microsoft built it’s Xbox platform through PC gaming roots and attracted a hardcore gaming crowd to play shooters, sports  and racing games in an online arena  to great success. The key for Microsoft will be in making gaming experiences that hardcore, casual and even non gamers will absolutely be thrilled by. It’s going to take some thought, planning and deft execution. Will we see it at E3?, it would certainly be cool.

Contributing writer: Rick Kim