Hot News: Sony hits all the PlayStation 4 high notes at E3 2014

Josh Miller/CNET

LOS ANGELES--Sony closed out a day of high-profile press conferences here at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) with a strong showing that not only played to all of the PlayStation-maker's strengths, but also managed to surprise as much, if not more, than it confirmed what we already knew was the way.

The event's even blend marks a rare moment for E3 at a time when the game industry's biggest annual confab is plagued by industry leaks and an aura of met -- but hardly ever exceeded -- expectations.

Sony's PS4 press conference was, above all else, an opportunity for the company to prove that it could not just take the lead in consoles, but keep it. 'To ensure that PlayStation is above all else the best place to play,' Andrew House, Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO, said. 'We know what best means: It means the best visual quality, it means choice, it means not being a lone gamer but part of a extensive community of rivals and friends.'

Beyond the slew of game trailers, release date confirmations, and unveilings of a surprising number of previously unannounced titles, Sony managed to squeeze in its first refreshed PS4 hardware. The first white version of the console will be bundled with Destiny and will hit store shelves concurrently with the sci-fi space shooter on September 9. PS4 rundown: From Destiny to Bloodborne

House took the stage first to reveal not only the PS4 Destiny bundle, but also some reassuring news for PlayStation fans: Destiny's first-look alpha is available exclusively to PS4 players this Thursday, June 12 while the Destiny multiplayer beta will be available exclusively to the PS platform on July 17.

Thanks to an extensive partnership with publisher Activision and developer Bungie, of Halo game, the Ps4 is also getting a number of Destiny day-one content, including new weapons and character customization options.

'The trailer for Destiny that kicked off our show is the embodiment of our vision -- it will help define our next generation of games,' House said. 'Destiny isn't just first on PlayStation. It's better on PlayStation.'

Though Destiny was an obvious opening choice, Sony proceeded to surprise viewers with a calculated string of games both anticipated and unexpected.

There was the first ever gameplay shown of PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886, an alternative history horror game, and Far Cry 4, a multi-paltform title that was officially unveiled earlier today Ubisoft's press conference with a trailer. New downloadable content for Infamous, titled First Light, will arrive in August 2014 as well.

Those who have been keeping tabs on the E3 rumor mill will be happy to know that Project Beast, the mysterious new title from Dark Souls and Demon's Soul creator From Software, was confirmed as Bloodborne, slated for a 2015 release. Another new intellectual propery (IP), as new games not under the helm of an stablished franchise are called, is Let it Die, a brutal looking fighter sure to compete with the upcoming Mortal Combat X.

There were also a few sequel unveilings -- LittleBigPlanet 3 and Dead Island 2 -- and exclusive content deal announcements for Disney Infinity 2 and Magicka 2: Learn to Spell. This is a developing story. Follow CNET's live blog of the Sony PlayStation E3 press conference.

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