I guess waking up at 4, flying to LA and conducting business about the E For All show floor before flying back home will do that.

Full report tomorrow, but here is a quick, off-the-cuff observation: Sony and Microsoft really screwed up by skipping this show. I don’t think it’s going to be a massive show or anything, but for a Thursday (and a day mostly given over only to press) it was much more active than I expected. And when you walk in the main door, there is Nintendo — with a wall of kiosks showing off their two biggest games. The gaming press is perpetually peeved at Nintendo’s tendency to do an end-run around us, but honestly it’s pretty smart of them. The company seems to go for connecting directly with gamers at shows like this and Penny Arcade Expo, where the main competition is largely a no-show. That sort of thing, I think, sends a message to the people who actually matter, i.e. the ones with dollars to spend on video games.

That being said, I sure don’t envy my coworkers who have to man the 1UP booth through Sunday. That show just doesn’t have enough going on to make four days of attendence even slightly palatable.