Sony’s motion controller for the PS3 first unveiled at E3 in 2009 now has a final design along with an official name. At the Game Developer Conference (GDC) 2010 the company officially announced the PlayStation Move motion controller touting its precision and calling it the “next generation of motion gaming”. The controller works in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye camera that tracks the controller’s glowing “light sphere” in three dimensions and that is the key to the Move’s accuracy.
At the launch Sony Computer Entertainment America marketing head Peter Dille said the Move offered greater precision than current motion controllers, (read the Wiimote), with controller latency under one frame – the same as the DualShock 3. And for the rave crowd and to provide an extra bit of visual feedback for gamers the light sphere also changes color.
Sony also unveiled a Subcontroller that includes analogue stick input to function like a wireless version of Nintendo’s Nunchuk controller. For first person shooters (FPS) like the upcoming SOCOM 4 the Move controller is used to control the camera, while the Subcontroller is used to control the character.
Sony is hoping to appeal to a wide range of gamers including the casual gamers that the Wii has been so successful with, as well as more hardcore gamers for whom accuracy and responsiveness is key. Upcoming Move compatible titles designed to appeal to serious gamers include:
- DUKES - a bare-knuckle boxing game
- Slider – a kung-fu action game
The Shoot – which appears to be a cross between a western FPS and movie making game
The Shoot western themed FPS
Games targeting the casual gamer include:
- Move Party – a collection of multiplayer games
TV Superstars – a collection of five TV game shows
Games like DUKES and the medieval dueling in Sports Champions will require two PlayStation Move controllers unless you fancy yourself and think you can fight well enough with just one hand.
Many existing franchises such as SOCOM will also be enhanced with PlayStation Move functionality. Sony says it is also able to add Move functionality to existing games such as LittleBigPlanet without compromising graphical quality or gameplay because of the Move’s low performance impact on the PS3 system.
The PlayStation Move motion controller will be available in a number of different packs.
- In a “starter kit” consisting of a PlayStation Eye camera, Move controller and a “starter disc” of demos of upcoming games
Aside from the starter kit aiming for a sub-US$100 price point there’s no further details on pricing from Sony yet. The PlayStation Move is slated for a Fall 2010 release.
Via PlayStation Blog
The article explains how you would aim in a FPS without infra red: \"For first person shooters (FPS) like the upcoming SOCOM 4 the Move controller is used to control the camera\".
It\'s strange but the games look too realistic for motion control. I have a feeling most casual gamers (read girls) will prefer the cartoon bobble head characters found in many Wii games.