Sony to show off PS3 at E3

So although Sony will spend this week promoting PS3's technical credentials to the 100,000 or so gamers attending the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the company's real aim is to anchor the device at the hub of the digital living room.

"The PS3 is Sony's Trojan horse," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities.

Central to Sony's strategy is to use PS3 to win rapid acceptance of its high-definition DVD technology, called Blu-ray. In a fight reminiscent of the battle between VHS and Sony's Betamax format, Blu-ray is jockeying for consumer favor with a rival standard called HD DVD.