GDC 10: Sony's motion controller is PlayStation Move

PS3 News | Glowy ball wand thingy is out, then.

Sony has announced the official name for their motion controller at their GDC 2010 press conference - the PlayStation Move. The Move is split into two controllers, one of which has a glowing coloured ball on the end (which is used to detect the controller's position) and one which has a D-Pad and analogue stick, in a design which is reminiscent of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck.

The Move will be sold in various bundles depending on what you need, as it requires a PlayStation Eye and PlayStation 3 to function. If you have both of those, then you can buy the Move separately. There will also be a bundle with both the Eye and Move and a game in a 'starter pack' for under US $100. Finally, there will be a PlayStation 3, Eye and Move pack for gamers who need the complete kit.

So far, Sony have demoed games such as Move Party!, Gladiator Duel and a variation of LittleBigPlanet which use the Move. Keep your eyes peeled for more information as it arises.

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42 Comments

Jarrod

2 years ago

Ken_Gooner wrote

Probably the major reason why this would fail, imo, is because companys simply aren't going to bother developing games for the PS3 with motion controls. Wii port or not Wii port, I just struggle to see game companies making money out of it; because not many people are going to buy the motion controller.

Of course, I don't know how much it costs to develop for a new console (I heard PS3 was hard to develop for), but I presume that it would be an amount that some companies might not be bothered to do.

Now to wait for someone to pwn this post...

No pwnage needed, you're quite correct.

This is the big issue with the wands being a peripheral; nobody is going to want to support a device that has a small market. So the device needs to sell well to earn support, yet as with most hardware needs support in order to sell. Its a catch 22.

The thing with motion controls is that the best, most interesting games are the ones built from the ground up. I wouldnt be surprised if Sony shoehorn a lot of backwards compatability with the device, allowing you to play shooters and stuff with it, but in those instances its literally no different from the hated Wii waggle. All that extra tech and motion power is pointless if its not being used for unique, motion heavy games.

And the reality is nobody is buying a PS3 for motion controls, and there are no established waggle brands on the platform. Why did Wii Sports Resort sell so well? Because Nintendo had established the Wii Sports brand with every console sold.

Plus, as you said, the PS3 is rather difficult to develop for, and quite expensive. Why would company A want to develop a high budget motion controlled blockbuster when the market is unproven?

Just look at the Wii. Its the market leader and 3rd parties are still wary about developing high profile motion based exclusive games. Its not going to be much different for Sony.

On the plus side, they'll probably see some visually enhanced Wii ports, which could potentially give a boost to the peripheral, as they'd be quite cheap to develop and port.

THEMAN

2 years ago

I'd buy it. Wii type games in HD?

MMm

plus this is implemented in socom4.

http://au.ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/19332/socom-iv-us-navy-seals/videos/gdc10_sonymove_socom4demo.html;jsessionid=h5bw61r5f0th

official video

http://au.ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/14318622/playstation-motion-controller-e3-demo-series/videos/gdc10_sonymove_trailer.html;jsessionid=ybg0xfk5e3by

+

just saw this GREAT THREAD at http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=389846 <--- whole bunch of HD screens of forthcoming games.

LOOKS GREAT.

pom013

2 years ago

EatChildren wrote

Plus, as you said, the PS3 is rather difficult to develop for, and quite expensive. Why would company A want to develop a high budget motion controlled blockbuster when the market is unproven?

I will bet to high hell that sony is providing substantial financial incentives for developers, that is assuming that sony is as serious about this as they claim; if they're not of course it all becomes irrelevant anyway.

THEMAN

2 years ago

dp!

THEMAN

2 years ago

pom013 wrote

EatChildren wrote

Plus, as you said, the PS3 is rather difficult to develop for, and quite expensive. Why would company A want to develop a high budget motion controlled blockbuster when the market is unproven?

the whole ps3 thing.. well, by now. EVERYONE knows how to work it. Lets see who's onboard for move.

*Square Enix, Activision, Konami, And Namco Bandai Developing PlayStation Move Games

Um, seems like a hit!

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/03/10/square-enix-activision-konami-and-namco-bandai-developing-playstation-move-games/

lots of people onboard

Jarrod

2 years ago

THEMAN wrote

*Square Enix, Activision, Konami, And Namco Bandai Developing PlayStation Move Games

Um, seems like a hit!

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/03/10/square-enix-activision-konami-and-namco-bandai-developing-playstation-move-games/

lots of people onboard

Yeaaah, 'on board' =/= quality. Nintendo got the same treatment. Wait until you see what games they actually have before you get too excited.

Azza

2 years ago

THEMAN wrote

*mega-snip*

Yay! Gimmick games! Because that's exactly what Sony needs to make this thing anything but a novelty! MOAR PLOX SONY

THEMAN

2 years ago

EatChildren wrote

THEMAN wrote

Yeaaah, 'on board' =/= quality. Nintendo got the same treatment. Wait until you see what games they actually have before you get too excited.

How about you wait before you detract?

Jarrod

2 years ago

THEMAN wrote

How about you wait before you detract?

What? I'm simply stating the situation. Publishers claiming support does not guarenty high quality worthwhile products. Thats a fact. They might be good or they might suck. Considering the Wii got similar treatment from 3rd parties (UbiSoft's "Nintendo-like quality"), and it never actually panned out, I'm not going to act like Sony are free sailing with this.

Especially when the current demos look nothing spectacular.

G3ck0

2 years ago

After watching the Socom video, it looks exactly like the Wii. Not really interested in it, I suppose if something cool comes out I might, but I'm not going to buy it for something like that room they showed at first, with the 1:1 objects, which would be fun, but get boring too quickly. I think I'll stick to the Wii for motion controls, hopefully we get one again.

ObsoletE

2 years ago

bring out a Star Wars Lightsaber game, and i'll consider it.

The Brett

2 years ago

I'm pretty excited by this. I'm hoping this means what we've hoped for from Wii - better use of motion control for 'hardcore' games. The PS3, being more of a hardcore machine with greater visual capabilities, will hopefully fill that void now. I'm looking forward to using motion controls on an un-watered version of a future Call of Duty, going head to head online with people using 'traditional' controllers.

Johnsmith-2000andlate

2 years ago

Stop comparing it to the wii because the wii setup is basiclly an adapted ps2 eye camera, who's copying who??? As soon as this is released I will buy it and my wii is going in the bin... literally!! Wii fit or not I dont really care, the games will be backward compatible anyway - the tech demos of previous 'similar' controllers for ps3 show this as they worked with games such as harry potter without changing the game at all.

Right.... and nobody ever thought weapon based games are better by pointing weapons at the screen (ahm... original time crisis series etc.) or proper control over character movement. Its annoying when chracters are set to certain moves as opposed to more rag doll physics... what man(maybe even some women) hasn't dreamed of fighting with full control, a safe environment for proper hack 'n' slash sword fighting... or archery... or jousting on horseback as opposed to the set moves you see in wii games due to their unresponsive ways and bad (even wii+) motion sensing. Perhaps with the update for PS3 to 3D in the summer these real actions will come even more into their own.

I also don't know one ps3 owner who wouldn't jump at the appeal of this style of controller for PS3 - especially the teenage and young adult market or even family market. With yougn people who have expendable cash flow and money to waste under $100 is not bad, in the UK its like Â£50 and thats nothing.

Arcade centres... how old are you, perhaps it doesn't appeal to you but it will to most people under 105 lol. Anyways back to the wii and xbox, 'fighting competition' hardly loads of people may have ps3's and xbox's but all my mates who have xbox's are scrapping them for a ps3 now because the price has fallen and (more likely) their xbox broke and the internet is free. Also xbox is losing its exclusive rights over games and ps3 is winning them... ahm GTA liberty city stories (finally on ps3), heavy rain (because ps3 is inherintly more powerful despite other set backs). Xbox breaking is also down to its shoddy build - e.g. senarios of xbox's breaking with new funny 2 disk driving game (hah not blu-ray: fail)because it can not cope with the power needed and its hard drive is conected up all wrong (Microsoft = shoddy - vista braking alot -ring any bells.) I expect the same would happen to the wii if they had proper competition (e.g.PS3 move), it uses a graphic chip on par with ps2 and is under-powered. Power is everything thats why the PS3 move will be a success.

(btw I'm not personally an advocate for or against the PS3 Move but I am just pointing out the flaws in some peoples arguements against PS3 move and I would like to see it working cos it looks amazing - remember innovation is not bad p.s. and it is innovation because Sony introduced the first mass market motion sensative gaming product of this sucess ration for consumer use with eye camera not nintendo with the wii)

pom013

2 years ago

Its lucky you said 'first commercially successful' motion controller because the power glove came before that and arcades had alternate controllers before that. And just thinking about it now, technically wack-a-mole is motion controlled though it probably wouldn't pass a a computer game.

DancesInUnderwear

2 years ago

So Johnsmith, what's it like working for Sony?

IISpacebreakII

2 years ago

I don't care who made the technology, if Sony can make it better and deliver more decent games to use it with, then I'll definitely be interested ^^

I hope they go back and patch a few old games though.

raffieltiger

2 years ago

When you consider that six axis is the best motion control available, I don't have a problem trying this out.

Should see the trailer that shows a guy throwing punches in a game. That's a little bit more involved than waving some "stick".

john_solids

2 years ago

wasnt it said that tiger woods would work with it? i remember reading it 5 mins ago lol
thats good enough for me, it was great with the wii, so now it should be great with the ps3 and in hd, so im happy
basically if they get plenty of sports games out there, baseball, cricket etc. it will be great. anything outside of sports i dont know how it will go but me personally i dont really care if its not sport.

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