LOS ANGELES – With Microsoft's Kinect controller fully unveiled, the eyes of E3 turn to Nintendo's 3DS.

Nintendo will show a packed Nokia Theater its latest and greatest gaming invention Monday morning. The Nintendo 3DS is the followup to its incredibly successful portable gaming platform Nintendo DS. It will feature 3-D graphics that don't require a user to wear glasses. But beyond that, we've been told by sources who have played with the new system that it has some impressive features that have nothing to do with 3-D. What are they? We'll find out in minutes.

Besides the 3DS, Nintendo is also expected to pull back the curtain on new projects for Wii, including the new version of The Legend of Zelda and its Vitality Sensor accessory, which can measure a gamer's heart rate and breathing and transmit the data back to a game. And the company never leaves the stage without a few surprises.

Live blog coverage starts below.

8:33 AM – We're in. The Nokia Theater is the biggest press conference venue I've been in so far this year, and it is quickly getting packed to the gills with media, developers and suits. Video game trivia is showing up on the big screen to entertain us before the conference begins at 9 AM.

8:45 AM – Still waiting. I know this is really exciting for you.

8:59 – Oh man, there are a lot of you reading this. I feel like I should be entertaining you more. I don't know what to do.

Hello my baby

Hello my honey

Hello my ragtime gaaaaaal

9:00 AM – People are still milling about, finding their seats, etc. But now a video is playing, which means we are about to get going. Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime takes the stage. Sit down everyone.

9:02 AM – This morning, Fils-Aime says, he'd like to adjust our perspective. Hot new technology, he says, is only a tool. The thing that matters most is the experience. And the best experiences always come when technology and game design are perfectly matched, he says.

9:03 AM – Not messing around. Kicking it off in style with a Legend of Zelda trailer. The graphic design is a combo of Twilight Princess and Wind Waker – realistic looking Link, but cel-shaded. It's called The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Miyamoto appears in a video to introduce the new game.

9:05 – Miyamoto is talking about creating a Zelda game that lets you use your sword and shield naturally. The Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus will be used for swordplay and Link's shield – raise your shield using the nunchuck. It makes using items very natural, too, he says. Bill Trinen, on stage, will play the game for us.

9:07 – Miyamoto appears on stage now to play the game for us, kicking Bill off the stage. Wild applause, catcalls. By moving the Wii MotionPlus around, the sword moves with your movements. If you press the Z button, you'll target the thing in front of you.

9:08 – To slice up the piranha plant dudes, you have to slice them in the same direction that their mouths are open. A door with an eyeball on it will follow the tip of your sword, so you spin the sword around in a circle to confuse the eyeball and open the door.

9:11 – Enemies will hold their swords up to protect themselves, so you have to swing your sword in a way that gets around their defense.

9:12 – You use the nunchuk to run around, A to dash. There's a little power meter that shows how much dashing power you have left.

9:13 – Holding down the B button lets you select an item from a radial menu. You can pull out the slingshot like Miyamoto just did and fire pellets by aiming with the MotionPlus. You can throw a bomb by flinging the Wiimote forward. You can even roll the bomb on the ground by throwing it underhand. You can even put a little English on it, "if you're good," he says.

9:15 – Ouch. Wireless interference is stopping Miyamoto from showing us how to use the bow and arrow; the pointer is messing up. A rare technical glitch in a Nintendo show. He's got it working now. Sort of. He shoots an arrow into the ground. "We'll try a new item," he says. You can shoot a beetle, then fly around the level as a beetle by tilting the Wii Remote. You can use the beetle to fetch items for you.

9:16 – He's giving up on the beetle flying, too, and changing to the Whip. The whip changes its movement depending on how you use it. We're using a whip to make an enemy angry.

9:17 – Looks like development is going to take a little while on this one, and Skyward Sword won't be out until 2011. Looks like I win my bet. Disappointing delay, though. They're showing a reel of more moments from the game.

9:18 – Reggie comes back on stage. "There's a lot more to come," he says. I certainly hope so, now that it's delayed. Now he's going to talk about games that are based on expanding the audience. We're starting with some sports games, he says.

9:21 – New, exclusive Wii version of NBA Jam on the show floor. But we're not talking about that. We're talking about Mario sports. Mario is hitting the volleyball court on Wii.

9:22 – And hockey. And dodgeball. And basketball. Looks like it's a full-on Mario sports collection for Wii. Mario Sports Mix is the title. Coming in 2011.

9:23 – Fils-Aime talking up sales figures. Wii sales were at record highs in December. More games have sold on Wii in its 43 months since launch than the first 43 months of any system ever. Etc.

9:25 – Talking up "bridge games," which push new gamers into traditional gaming. Mario Kart Wii, New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Now showing us a new bridge title that "moves consumers along their gaming journey." It's Wii Party, the Mario Party style game using Mii characters. Coming this holiday season.

9:27 – Just Dance 2 trailer. Only on Wii, Fils-Aime says. This holiday season. 40 tracks.

9:28 – Golden Sun: Dark Dawn for Nintendo DS. "You haven't heard or seen a lot since (last year), so let's fix that right now." Cel-shaded RPG. This was a real fan favorite on Game Boy. Looks good on DS. Also this holiday season.

9:30 – Let's talk about another "golden" game. Showing videos of gamers in focus groups talking about the original Nintendo 64 version of Goldeneye. They're really building up the hype for this. This game had better be fantastic if they're pitching it as the true successor to that legendary Nintendo 64 game. They're setting stratospheric expectations. Published by Activision. "There are people watching today who aren't old enough to understand the impact that Goldeneye had," says Fils-Aime. Don't remind me.

9:33 – Goldeneye arrives this holiday. Now Fils-Aime is introducing Epic Mickey, Disney's new Wii-exclusive Mickey Mouse game.

9:35 – General manager of Junction Point Studios, Warren Spector, is doing a demo of the game. Mickey can use paint and paint thinner to erase characters, objects, or the ground. Or they can restore characters. "Players can dynamically change the game world to save it." Spector really pitching this as a deep game with unique choices for players.

9:39 – Side scrolling platform level based on Steamboat Willie. Looks pretty cool. End of demo. No release date, apparently. Wow, apparently they did an "Iwata Asks" interview with Spector at Nintendo's website.

9:41 – Fils-Aime says it's time for Kirby to star in a home console game again. Well, considering that they've had this game on their release schedule ever since the GameCube days, it is about time. Trailer for new game begins. It's called Kirby's Epic Yarn. The whole game looks like it's made of bits of string and paper sewn together. Looks very charming, pretty. Kirby can throw his yarn-body to snag and throw enemies.

9:44 – Playable on the show floor. Will be released this fall. Well, looks like that's what you're getting instead of Zelda, hardcore gamers! At least he'll be frowning on the box.

9:45 – Fils-Aime talking up Dragon Quest IX for Nintendo DS. Talking about Tag Mode, which I've written about previously based on the Japanese version – the game will seek out new players and hook you up with them. A Nintendo employee has already logged 140 hours into the game, he says. Arrives in the U.S. on July 11.

9:46 – August 31 brings us Metroid: Other M. Let's have a new trailer.

9:48 – Yep, that's definitely Metroid. "Sense of isolation and exploration," says Fils-Aime. "Pushed franchise down emotional corridors it's never traveled before."

9:49 – Hey, let's talk about what Retro Studios in Texas is doing, since they're not doing Metroid. They're making Donkey Kong. Which IGN leaked a few days ago. Hey, it's a side-scrolling Donkey Kong platform game. With the classic Donkey Kong Country music. Looks very similar to the Super NES games.

9:51 – Official title is Donkey Kong Country Returns. Will be available this holiday season. Okay, time to talk 3DS. Let's see it.

9:52 – Talking down living-room 3-D and why wearing glasses is bad. Really pushing how expensive Sony's 3-D is going to be, doing a little tearing down of the competition. The Nintendo 3DS logo is the Nintendo DS logo with a red 3 in it.

9:53 – Company president Satoru Iwata takes the stage to show off the 3DS. The unit he's holding is a remarkably ugly two-tone color, black and metallic blue. But let's concentrate on the real features – it's got a widescreen top screen and what looks to be an analog stick.

9:56 – A slider on the side of the unit lets you adjust the depth of the 3-D effect. The bottom screen is a touch panel. Fingerprints and smudges reduce the 3-D effect, so a touch screen and 3-D screen "do not get along very well." So the bottom is a touch screen, but not the top. The top is the 3-D screen.

9:58 – 3DS also has better graphics. No kidding. They're not showing any game demos yet. There's a "slide pad" for analog control. There's also a motion sensor AND a gyroscope in there.

9:59 – Two camera lenses on the outside of the unit means you can take and view 3-D photos.

10:00 – 3DS will also be able to display 3-D movies from Hollywood. Disney, Warner Bros. and Dreamworks already on board with How to Train Your Dragon, etc. Showing at Nintendo's booth.

10:01 – Remember when Nintendo and Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai formed a developer called Project Sora? Apparently that was actually started so that Sakurai could make a Kid Icarus game for Nintendo 3DS. Kid Icarus Uprising. The graphics looks really cool – like WIi quality graphics, maybe a little less that that. It's like a third person shooter/flying game.

10:03 – Let me say this again: the graphics look really good. Coming "soon." Iwata says we should go see it for ourselves. 3-D game trailer on the show floor (but not playable).

10:05 – A new communication function – the hardware will do that sort of Dragon Quest style automatic communication with other users regardless of what game you're currently playing. So if you want to trade Nintendogs with someone, for example, it can automatically download them even if you're not currently playing Nintendogs. You might leave the house, come back and find that all kinds of new data have been downloaded to your 3DS for your games, from other people's hardware.

10:07 – Miyamoto working on Nintendogs and Cats for Nintendo 3DS. Many publishers are working on games, including Harmonix. Activision is making DJ Hero 3D. Level 5 is doing Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. Square Enix is doing Kingdom Hearts 3D and a Final Fantasy game. Konami is doing Metal Gear Solid. Capcom is making Resident Evil. Lots of big franchises just dropped in rapid succession.

10:10 – A reel of developers like Hideo Kojima talking about how much they like the 3DS. Getting the feeling they're going to hold back on game footage at this press conference because there's no way of really showing it to us.

10:15 – A silly video of Miyamoto, Reggie, and Iwata playing the Nintendo 3DS. They're talking about how hard it is to actually convey the impact of Nintendo 3DS. How are they going to do it? A whole mess of women.Like, a hundred, two hundred booth babes walk out on stage. They are going to come to us and let us try the 3DS. There is just a whole massive massive pile of women with Nintendo 3DS units. We're all going to get a brief taste of how it works on site.

Photos: James Merithew/Wired.com