Rejoice, gamers, the 2013 Gamescom in Cologne, Germany is now upon us, and there is plenty to discuss in terms of industry announcements. Though the trade show doesn't officially start till Wednesday (and isn't even available to everyone till Thursday), some of the biggest names in electronic gaming came out today to show their stuff.

First up, there's Microsoft. As it currently stands, popular opinion seems to indicate that the Xbox One is clearly lagging behind in Microsoft's next-gen console war with Sony's PS4. Therefore, there was a fair amount of pressure on the folks at Microsoft to step it up with a solid showing at Gamescom, though they certainly didn't seem to betray any urgency when talking of the trade show.

"We're gonna have a really short stage presentation with some news, talking about some unique exclusive coming to the platform," said Microsoft Studio's corporate vice-president Phil Spencer. "We're going to talk about Europe's biggest franchise and maybe some interesting things. We have some stuff, but most of the time will be spent with the press getting time with the developers, with their games."

That being said, the makers of the Xbox One still delivered some juicy details for their loyal followers. The much-anticipated FIFA 14 will have an Ultimate Team mode comprised of many of the soccer stars of the past, exclusively for the the Xbox One. Also for Xbox One gamers, there will be dedicated Cloud servers for those playing Call of Duty: Ghosts.

The folks at Microsoft also unleashed their list of titles to expect for the upcoming Xbox One console. Among the highlights of that list are Ryse, Dead Rising 3, and Fable. Also they gave a sneak peak of a new fighting game for the Kinect: The Fighter Within.

On the other hand, you have Sony with its PS4. It debuts in stores Nov. 15, according to Son'y press conference today. Already leading in the popularity contest with the Xbox One, they made sure to put on an impressive Gamescom as well. In fact, it's possible that they might have won this round as well.

For one, they gave a sneak peak at a still untitled Naughty Dog. With Naughty Dog being perhaps the hottest game developers on the planet right now after the success of The Last Of Us, this unexpected bit of info was certainly well received. The game itself was also of a post-apocalyptic nature, and it will be interesting to see if they can repeat their previous success.

Sony also showed that they were working on next-generation reimaginings of classic games. They showcased Shadow of the Beast, which got quite the overhaul from its days on the Amiga. If they start down that path with other, more popular, classic titles, watch out. We could see a whole new appreciation for classic gaming with next-gen aesthetics.

Overall, the unofficial first day of Gamescom went fairly well for the two big boys in the gaming industry. Nobody made any monumental splashes, but both the folks at Microsoft and at Sony definitely let their presence be known with some juicy details on their latest game offerings. Stay tuned to see how the rest of the week goes in Cologne.

Check here for a full list of press conferences at Gamescom 2013.