"Playstation Move" Fail? Yes? No?

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Sony is on the Move.

During an event at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco, the company officially unveiled the name of their upcoming Playstation 3 motion control device: Playstation Move. The controller will hit shelves this fall.

"It's fast, precise and accurate," said Peter Dille, Sony's senior VP of marketing. "We like to think this is the next generation of motion-gaming...we're really approaching this as a platform launch."

Sony's response to the Nintendo Wii remote, the Playstation Move system requires both the new wand controller and the Playstation Eye camera to work. Though exact pricing has not been set, Sony confirmed that a "starter kit" of one controller, one Playstation Eye and one game will be sold for under $100. The Move will also be sold as a standalone product or bundled with the Playstation 3 system itself.

The Move packs a ton of tech into its slim controller. A three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer and a magnetic field sensor work in tandem with the camera to purportedly provide more accurate spatial recognition than the Wii remote.

That weird little colored sphere stuck to the top? It's not just a fashion statement -- the camera uses that sphere to pinpoint the location of the controller by first detecting the dominant color of the room's background, then setting the sphere to a different color. That helps distinguish it from the environment...and puts on a nice light show to boot.

The company also showed off a "sub-controller" accessory that functions much like the Wii nunchuk device, a small, handheld joystick that lets players control games in a more traditional way.

Sony demonstrated several Move games, including new titles Sports Champions, Move Party and Motion Fighters (working title) alongside integration in current releases like LittleBigPlanet and upcoming shooter SOCOM 4.

According to Dille, Sony sees the Move as the next step for Wii users who are looking to move on to a high-def experience. He's hoping the Move's increased accuracy will work with "core gamers" in addition to the casual fans.

"Virtually every third-party publisher is on board with Playstation Move," Dille noted, although that might be overstating it a bit. Over 35 major publishers have officially signed on to work on Move games, including industry leader EA, who has already revealed that the upcoming Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will work with the Move.

Initial reaction has been mixed. Gizmodo was impressed by the SOCOM demo, calling it "much smoother" than similar experiences on the Wii, but considered the swordfighting game from Sports Champions to be only a slight improvement over the Wii Motion Plus.

MTV Multiplayer calls the controller's rounded form factor "much more natural to hold" than its Nintendo counterpart, but also takes issue with its newness -- or lack thereof.

"It's definitely neat, and fun to play, but it hasn't differentiated itself from the competition enough to make it feel "new." Wii Motion Plus with better graphics is a hard comparison to escape from," said editor Russ Frushtick.

Ars Technica agrees, pointing out that "the technology is mature, but it seems like a reaction to the success of the Wii, and not a brand-new experience."

With months to go before it releases, Sony has plenty of time to dial in the tech and announce more games. So what do you think? Are you excited by the Move, or is it just a Wii remote knock-off?

While it's gaming library isn't stupendous (with the exception of a few gems), the Wii has clearly revolutionized controllers for gaming. It's only logical for another company to follow suit. I see this as no different than gaming companies ditching joysticks in favor of the the D-pad after the success of the NES. I'm all for it.

Joshua wrote:While it's gaming library isn't stupendous (with the exception of a few gems), the Wii has clearly revolutionized controllers for gaming. It's only logical for another company to follow suit. I see this as no different than gaming companies ditching joysticks in favor of the the D-pad after the success of the NES. I'm all for it.

It's just, damn...I've never seen Sony care about what Nintendo has done. I mean sure the motion dual shock controller was nice but this not even joining them if they can't beat them-it's "lets ruin what the Wii took to the next level". What can Nintendo do now make the Wii unique again?

it could be a devastating blow to the wii. The wii is a great sell right now because of all the motion etc. The wii has shown that in total sales. But if this thing works and gets some great PR about it, this could help put the PS3 back in the lime light. A blu-ray player, a high powered gaming device, and now Wii like features (if it works games similar to the Wii fit will make their way to the ps3) will make the PS3 the "it" console...... but who knows Ill wait to see how it works in real life not just one high tech simulation

The Wii's sales, while definitely partially due to its controller, also stem from the fact from its affordable price point. Until the PS3 comes down in price, I think the Wii will be okay. Once the PS3 drops, the Wii needs some serious 3rd party support.

Fail. Apparently, Sony didn't get the memo about the Wii's piss poor third-party support. The Wii sold well primarily due to it's cheap launch price, a stable of dedicated supporters, and the motion control managed to pull in casual gamers. Focus on putting out stellar software and stay away from the gimmicks.

It already has a motion-controller, but this seems kind of neat. I honestly am not intrigued, though. But I could see why others would be.

Plus, Sony has always had the best controller, IMHO, for any console. For them to take the idea of Wii's isn't so much stealing as it is advancement. It's like the PS3 has a remote control for Blu-Ray, doesn't mean it is copying anything. It's just practical for that format of use.

^^ True, but the Wii's motion control was it's main selling point upon launch, as opposed to Sony's controller, which Sony has made minimal effort to utilize. I for one, never took it seriously, dismissing it as Sony's way of saying "look, I can do it too!", and the fact that they've failed to put out any notable software that supports this technology confirms my assumption. Judging by the Wii's recent decline in sales, I think its safe to assume that people have gotten over the razzle-dazzle of motion control.

in defense of the wii it is great for older adults or people who want to work out (but avoid the gym scene) keep in shape. Plus there has been research done that shows the wii balance board is as good as some medical equipment for rehabbing joints. Blue I agree with you. Playstation's remote is the best out of all the game systems in the last 20 years, inmho. I owned the ps1 and ps2 and have played the ps3 perfection. I own an xbox 360 and a wii. The 360 controller just feels a bit big...
but motion capturing for the ps3 is not so bad I mean it allows the hard core gamer to offer an alternative to casual/non-gaming friends and family members, but if theres no good software out for it, then well ....

Sony takes shots at Microsoft and Nintendo

^Funny, but i'll wager that Sony will produce just as much shovelware for this fancy vibrator than Nintendo has done for the Wii

While the Wii's lack of third-party support isn't doing it any favors, one contributor for its decline in sales could be the fact that it's already sold so many systems. At some point you will run out of consumers. Love it or hate it, you can't deny it's sold a shit-ton of consoles.