Virtual reality set to turn the gaming world on its head at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is expected to kick start virtual reality as well as showcasing for the first time some of the biggest video games of the coming year - including the new Star Wars and Call Of Duty.

Virtual reality is expected to feature heavily among the announcements and Oculus has already confirmed a partnership with Microsoft's Xbox to stream games from the console when its Rift headset goes on sale early next year.

The event opens with a series of press conferences hosted by the console makers Xbox and PlayStation, along with major studios such as Electronic Arts (EA), the makers of the Fifa franchise and the new Star Wars Battlefront game.

Bethesda, which will introduce a new version of controversial shooting game Doom, is also hosting an event on Sunday evening.More than 40,000 visitors will then flock to the Los Angeles Convention Centre over four days to try out the latest games for the first time, across around 200 exhibits on show.

As well as the Oculus Rift, news is expected from Sony on its Project Morpheus virtual reality experience, which made its first appearance at E3 last year.

Dedicated VR gaming experiences are likely to feature more prominently, with more developers beginning to embrace the technology as consumer products begin to go on sale.

The next instalments in the hugely popular Call Of Duty and Assassin's Creed franchises will also be previewed. Call Of Duty Black Ops 3 is set for the traditional winter release by publisher Activision, while the next Assassin's Creed, called Syndicate, is set in Victorian London.

With the new Star Wars movie due out in December, EA will showcase its new game set in the Jedi universe. Battlefront is said to contain scenes and battles that fill the timeline between episode six and the upcoming seven in the film series, making any in-game footage highly anticipated.