Will Nintendo divulge its launch date and show off its new Wii console in all its unfortunately named glory? Do Microsoft and Bungie have Halo 3 in the pipeline?

These and a whole host of other questions are hoped to be answered as the big E3 gaming conference gets under way in Los Angeles this week. Already a mass of speculation surrounds the conference as gamers the world over have their ears peeled for answers to some of their most burning questions.

In what’s become a tradition leading up to the E3, some of the big name companies are already vying for their time in the spotlight, planning to answer at least a few of those questions. A pre-event conference for Sony is already in the books. Microsoft and Nintendo will give presentations today.

As the conference unfolds, there’s no doubt some of the big questions will be answered and some will, unfortunately, remain mysteries — at least for now.

Some of the biggest announcements expected, of course, revolve around the three next-gen consoles. Lots of questions still surround the PS3 and the Wii. But, also, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has been anything but strong on the new releases as of late. Gamers, especially those who have managed to snag a console of their own, are hoping to hear about a solid conga line of titles upcoming for that console and also get some assurances that freeze issues and non-compatibility problems will be solved once and for all.

In a perfect world, answers to questions about Halo 3, the next handheld in the pipeline from Nintendo and even how Sony’s version of Xbox Live will work would all be forthcoming along with a whole lot of news about anticipated releases such as Spore.

But, alas, it’s not a perfect world and we’ll all just have to see what the gaming companies have in store for us as this week unfolds. It's sure to be a fun ride.