Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft: The Biggest E3 Announcements

— -- The Electronic Entertainment Expo -- or E3 for short -- gets into full swing today, but that hasn't stopped some of the biggest names in gaming from sharing some early surprises.

Here's a look at some of the most notable announcements (so far) to come out of E3.

Nintendo

Super Mario turns 30 this year, but the quintessential Nintendo game is still undergoing transformations that make it a fan favorite.

Later this year, Super Mario will let players become creators and build their own shareable Mario levels, the company announced.

Among some of the other big announcements were a new The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes game for Nintendo 3Ds.

The latest in the Zelda franchise has a focus on multi-player cooperative elements, including solving puzzles, going through dungeons and a totem mechanic letting players carry their friends on their shoulders to reach higher places.

Nintendo fanatics can also expect more amiibo toys which will also be compatible with Activision's Skylander games. Also expect a slew of new games, including Hyrule Warriors: Legends and Fire Emblem: Fates coming to 3DS.

Microsoft

Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality goggles first caught the attention of gamers in January when the software company showed off the device at its Windows 10 event.

At E3 on Monday, Microsoft revealed Minecraft, which the company acquired last year, will be available for HoloLens. A demonstration showed how Minecraft could be projected into 3D on a table, giving a person wearing HoloLens an immersive experience they can control with natural gestures.

Executives also underscored the importance of their relationship with Oculus Rift, which was announced last week. The Facebook-owned company's virtual reality headsets will ship with an Xbox One controller and allow players to stream their favorite games to the device via Windows 10.

Microsoft also gave gamers a sneak peek at Gears of War 4 for Xbox One. The game is slated for release late next year.

Sony

The Last Guardian headlined Sony's event -- with executives showing off several minutes of footage on PlayStation 4 from the highly anticipated game, which has been given a vague release date of sometime late next year.

A Kickstarter campaign to fund Shenmue 3 was also announced, with fans flooding the site with more than $2.4 million in funding less than a day after the campaign was announced, surpassing its fundign goal.

The project is expected to be available on the PS4 and PC, although a release date has not yet been given.

Other titles announced by Sony include Destiny: The Taken King, Final Fantasy 7 and new installments of Hitman and Streetfighter.