Be sure to temper your expectations accordingly. It's no secret that Sony won't be there, for instance. While you may see PlayStation 5 games, the odds aren't great of seeing first-party titles or any big hardware news. Microsoft is expected to use E3 for a splashy Xbox Series X preview, but you probably won't get into the press conference. And Nintendo hasn't held a press conference at the show for years. Although that's not a problem if you want to try upcoming Switch titles on the E3 floor, you won't catch earth-shattering news any earlier than the folks at home.

A staple of the show, Geoff Keighley, added that he wouldn't produce the E3 Coliseum and otherwise participate in E3 this year. He didn't share specific reasons, but said there were a "ton of factors" that led him to reconsider based on what he knows about the expo.

As in the past, the focus is more likely to be on developers, with studios like Bethesda, Capcom, Square Enix and Take-Two already having committed to making an appearance. The future consoles could make the show more interesting -- they just shouldn't be the only reason you make a pilgrimage to downtown LA this spring.