No big game releases coming this week; no new hardware due out, either. Just promises and speculation.

This week, gamers everywhere put down their controllers for a few days to see what comes out E3, the annual big show for gaming and software in Los Angeles. The invitation-only convocation starts Monday

In the past, E3 — once known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo — was a huge, sprawling, loud trade show for almost everything tech- and game-related. Out of it spilled some of the biggest announcements in gaming: The first Xbox debuted here in 2001; a year later, Xbox Live followed. In 2005, the public received its first close look at PlayStation 3.

The show’s a bit smaller now, to eliminate noise and confusion, but it is no less influential.

However, don’t expect huge news this time around. There’s no “Halo 3″-level game anticipated; no Wii-like technical innovation likely. Microsoft already spilled the beans on its Xbox 360 price cut, so that’s off the table. Potential newsmakers include “Gears of War 2,” “Rock Band 2″ and its rival “Guitar Hero 4,” which now becomes more like RB by adding a drum set.

And we’ve all heard about Darwin.

But do not fear, Game Guy will keep his ear to the ground, trying to pick out details you might find interesting and valuable, hoping like you that the coming year offers more than just an expensive stack of sequels.