Anticipation surrounds this year’s E3, one of the largest video game expos, which kicks off this week in Los Angeles. Not only have Sony and Microsoft hinted at major hardware-related announcements, but also details related to upcoming software releases are expected to emerge. Video game enthusiasts started heavily discussing their expectations for E3 several months ago online. This traditionally vocal group of consumers is especially engaged in this year’s E3 – buzz for the month prior to the 2009 expo is up 31% over the comparable time period for E3 …

TIME reported Monday that the iPhone may provide the burgeoning cell-phone gaming market with just the boost it needs to establish itself as a portable gaming mainstay.
Currently, millions of Americans play games on the portable Nintendo DS and Sony PSP every day — but, the story noted, fewer than 10% of cell-phone users in the U.S. do the same on their mobile phones, according to Nielsen Mobile.
Armed with a spate of newly improved downloadable games and ample hardware capabilities for running games, the iPhone seems poised to lure gamers away from …