Better known as E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is an annual event where all the major PC and video game companies display their upcoming games for the current year and beyond. This year's E3 begins next week on Thursday, May 17, but GameSpot's coverage of the show starts on Wednesday, May 16, when the three major video game hardware makers will be holding special press conferences.

　　The press conferences on the morning of the 16th should be nothing short of historic, as major new announcements are expected regarding the Nintendo GameCube, the Microsoft Xbox, and the Sony PlayStation 2. Microsoft's conference will take place at 8:00am PST, and we'll be posting news reports and video footage shortly afterward. The Nintendo press conference starts at 10:30am PST and the Sony press conference begins at 1:00pm PST, and you can watch both live on our site courtesy of GameSpot Live's E3 Live broadcast. You'll be able to tune in to catch the breaking news at these events as it happens--or watch the footage later on, if you miss it.

　　Late on Wednesday night, we'll be launching our E3 News special report, where readers will be able to easily find all the many hands-on previews and screenshot updates that we'll be posting from the show floor. You'll find in-depth looks at all the important games at the show for both the PC and video game platforms. And you'll definitely want to check GameSpot early and often during the show, as we expect to post new stories, previews, screenshots, and movies continuously throughout the event.

　　GameSpot Live will continue its broadcasts during the show, going from booth to booth, playing games, taking screenshots, and interviewing such industry luminaries as Will Wright, Sid Meier, and Richard Garriott and celebrities such as Tony Hawk, Mat Hoffman, and Kurt Angle and Lita from the WWF.

　　Live broadcasts from the show floor will appear every hour on the hour starting at 1:00pm on Thursday, 11:00am on Friday, and 11:00AM on Saturday, and they'll be hosted by GameSpot Live's Lauren Fielder. We'll be showing all the biggest games, interviewing developers, covering celebrity events, and even giving away prizes to lucky viewers.

　　E3 is an industry-only event, which means that only people that work in the game industry will be able to go to the show. So while being at the show should be amazing, watching GameSpot Live's webcasts and checking out our E3 News 2001 special report between May 16 and May 19 will be the closest thing to being there.