If Microsoft’s E3 keynote was all about the other stuff the Xbox 360 could do, Sony’s was more about games – and lot’s of ‘em too, at the front, centre and stunning conclusion of a near two hour presentation.

There was also the small matter of a new PSP and Sony’s own entry into the motion-sensing market. We’ll get to those in good time, though. And Sony didn’t seem to be in a particular rush, with CEO Jack Tretton taking the stage, tie-less and fashionably late. But good things come to those who wait, right?

Here then is our précis of the highlights, pretty much in the order they were presented. It’s a big read, but there’s plenty to cover:

PlayStation 2 first, and Tretton is quick to remind the eager masses that the ageing console is still a very viable, not to say lucrative force in videogames. Indeed, as the platform nears its tenth birthday Tretton reveals that Sony is not planning to retire the console any time soon. Small wonder – it still delivers the cash, there are more than 100 PS2 titles in the works this year and, at $99, it represents great value for money. Yes Jack, but when’s the last time you blew the dust off yours, we wonder...

More figures, and Tretton reiterates that the PS3 has sold 22 million globally so far. The newly opened Latin American market is doing well, he says, and it’ll all help add to the extra 13 million extra sales Sony’s targeting in 09. The PlayStation Network has 24 million subscribers globally too, and will have Final Fantasy VII by the time you read this. Ker-pow!, So what about those other games then...?

In answer to that unarticulated query Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is shown by developers Naughty Dog. It’s looking brilliant too, as Drake and his female chum clamber up to the top of a hotel roof, plummet down a zipwire, across a slender beam, and into a debris strewn building as they attempt to escape a hailstorm of bullets from a hotly pursuing attack ‘copter. It’s heart-racing stuff, and ably demonstrates the new climbing mechanic and the sense of vertigo it induces. Drake’s cover system is still intact and doubly useful given the massive holes the chopper is blowing into the side of the building. Better yet, the multiplayer Beta test should have started by the time you read this.

Next up, the highly anticipated MAG, which is put through its paces by an enthusiastic couple of dudes from Zipper Interactive. As a solid looking first-person military shooter it’s already impressive. The fact that it hosts 256 players LIVE online is frankly unbelievable. Whether that many players can remain disciplined, following the orders of the assigned squad commanders, remains to be seen. It launches this autumn.

Now it’s time to be reminded how well the PSP has been doing, with its impressive 50 million installed user-base. Dissidia: Final Fantasy is coming October 25th and Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines arrives November 10th we’re told. The new Lilac livery is very fetching too. Er...

Next the one many of you’ve been waiting for – big bossman, Kaz Hirai, comes on to introduce the PSP GO. As if you needed reminding, that’s the name for the newer, smaller handheld that ditches the UMD format in favour of digital downloads only. And it’s positively tiny! Especially compared to the original unit. 50% smaller and 40% lighter, in fact. It will not replace the existing, UMD-playing Slim and Light model, though.

Sony is really throwing its weight behind its handhelds this year too. Starting with an 80% reduction in the cost of tools for developers – that alone should kickstart a few innovations. Sony is also launching a PC application called Media Go, which is intended to facilitate the easy transferral of all media files to and from the PSP. Then there’s a new app called Sense Me which organises your music files based on your moods. Finally Sony announces its intention to expand the video download service to PSP, which is great news, even if most of the new content partnerships announced seem to be very US focused.

The PSP GO launches October 1st for the same price as the original PSP – i.e $249 or 249 Euros. We guess that’ll mean £249 too. Bah!

But back to the big games and Polyphony Digital take the stage (nervously!) to talk about Gran Turismo on the PSP. We’re told to banish all thoughts that this might be a cut-down version of the forthcoming PS3 game. GT PSP boasts 800 cars to trade and share with other players, ad hoc races for up to four, standard, time, trial, drift and licence modes, and slick visuals that punch well above the handheld’s weight. It’s out October 31st, to time with the launch of the PSP Go, no less!

Now Hideo Kojima comes on to introduce Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker on PSP. Set ten years after MGS3 this is being billed as a true sequel to the Metal Gear franchise. Kojima himself is handling writing and production duties, and the MGS4 team is making it into an awesome looking reality. Stealthy gameplay and sneaky kills are in order as Snake attempts to defeat a military power that has seized control of an undefended nation. Classic stuff.

Rounding off the PSP section Tretton details a bunch of forthcoming biggies, including Resident Evil, LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM, Monster Hunter, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge, Jak and Daxter, Harry Potter, Pixel Junk Monsters, Hot shots Tennis and others we blinked and missed. In short it’s going to be a good year for PSP, and Sony is planning to release all new titles digitally and on UMD to satisfy the needs of all users.

After a bit of blurb about PlayStation Home and a quick video round up of a few non-exclusive PS3 titles it’s time to drop some proper bombs. To which end we’re told about a PS3 exclusive that, incredibly, wasn’t leaked before the show – Agent from GTAIV developers, Rockstar Games. Needless to say there’s not much to know about this hitherto unknown game. It’s set in the shadowy realm of the criminal underworld of the 1970s. We’re already convinced!

Assassin’s Creed II is now demonstrated to dazzling effect, before Tretton takes the stage once more to show extended footage of Final Fantasy XIII, which looks incredible. Of course that’s coming out on the Xbox 360 too. However, owners of that platform won’t be laying their hands on Final Fantasy IV, which is announced to the shock and awe of those assembled. This PS3 exclusive looks a bit more fairytale than XIII and is coming in 2010. We’re still stunned that Sony and Square Enix were able to keep this one quiet!

Now we come to the pivotal announcement of Sony’s presentation – the long rumoured Motion Controller. The Eyetoy developer guys shamble on holding what, for all the world, looks like a microphone with a glowing purple head. It’s only a prototype, but they reckon it far surpasses what’s currently available on the market. Presumably they hadn’t seen/heard of Project Natal when they wrote their script.

Anyway, it’s an impressive device, interfacing with the existing Eye Camera and tracking movements in all dimensions on a 1:1 basis. The first tech demo has the device doubling up as a number of handheld objects – golf clubs, swords, spiked maces, stop signs, flashlights, baseball bats etc; all of which transpose onto the player’s hand in-game and move in real-time. Another demo shows the device drawing and painting with an accuracy margin of just 7mm. It really is better than we could have expected, if a little clumsy-looking at present. The Motion Controller launches spring 2010 – i.e. months ahead of Natal.

So that’s it for the big Sony announcements, right? Wrong – Sony still has a fistful of exclusive aces up its sleeve. ModNation Racers is a multiplayer cartoony kart game with fun combat, neat customisation facilities, a track editor that redefines the word ‘intuitive’ and a host of community create/share options that make it akin to LittleBigPlanet. It’s a speedy bugger too.

Meanwhile The Last Guardian is the confirmed name for the game formerly known as Project Trico. A boy and a giant, feathery cat-like thing make friends, and the rest is a complete and utterly compelling mystery. At least until creator, Fumito Ueda, deigns to tell us more.

Penultimately, Gran Tursimo 5 sets a new benchmark for photo-realistic visuals. The teaser shown is way too short to satisfy the appetites of those present, and we’re still no nearer a confirmed release date.

Finally, Stig of Sony’s Santa Monica studios comes on to play God of War III, which is every ounce as brutal and spectacular as you may have dreamt. New weapons, devastating attacks, relentless action, behemothic bosses, stunning mythical vistas. We could go on, but suffice to say it more than lives up to series fans’ expectations. And as an explosive finale to an impressive two hours spent in Sony’s company it did the job splendidly.

And that’s it. Tretton concludes with bold statements about this being the biggest year in PlayStation history, how many of these games shown can only be made on PS3 (yeah, right!) and how Sony will not become complacent in the future.

All told it’s been a confident presentation by Sony, with its fair share of surprises, a reassuring number of must-have games and a debut for the Motion Controller that far exceeded our admittedly limited expectations. The PSP GO is a highly desirable object too, albeit a touch too pricey for our threadbare pockets. Guess we’ll see whether it’s all enough to attract users to the Sony camp. However it’s hard to fault the direction Sony is taking, nor their dogged sense of self belief. In which case, job done!