E3 2006: Nintendo comments on PS3 controller

PS3 News | Mario unfazed by Sony's thievery - and it may not be as good anyway.

While the internet is currently in an uproar about Sony's new PS3 controller 'borrowing' one of the key features from Nintendo's innovative Wii controller, it seems Nintendo themselves are not fussed. If you missed it, Sony announced at their pre-E3 press conference this morning that a motion sensing feature has been added to the PlayStation 3 controller, a key element of the Wii controller and what Nintendo hoped would set them apart in the next-generation console wars. Nintendo has been a constant innovator of the hand controller as we know it over the years, and in due time pretty much all their ideas have been shamelessly copied by the competition - shoulder buttons, the analogue stick, the rumble feature and wireless are just a few examples.

But never before has someone so brazenly stolen their idea, and in this case even before Nintendo got their device to market. Sony were even so brash as to claim that the motion sensing idea was their own innovation - which was quite hypocritical of them, espescially given that earlier in the press conference they dismissed the "controller gimmicks" of the competition.

Well, Nintendo has commented on the PS3 controller. CNN Money asked a Nintendo spokesman about Sony's 'non-boomerang', and the spokesman had this simple message: "...imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

And perhaps Nintendo has nothing to worry about, anyway - IGN is suggesting that the motion sensing in the PS3 controller is severely limited compared to the Wii-mote's functionality. IGN's answer to the question "Is the technology [in the PS3 controller] the same [as the Wii controller]" is a resounding "No". They say that the PS3 controller only has the functionality of the Wii's left hand nunchuck attachment, and the fancy gun like controls available in first person shooters on the Wii like Red Steel and Metroid Prime 3 would not be possible at all on the PS3 controller, and neither are the sword play and tennis racquet like motions.

There's also apparently one final secret about Nintendo's upcoming console, to be revealed at tomorrow's pre-E3 press conference by the Big-N. Stay tuned for more on the subject soon.

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32 Comments

tullyano7

6 years ago

i think Gerstmann pretty much sums up the PS3 Controller

"So if you wanted to be a cynic, you could say that this is a wireless PS2 controller with analog triggers like the Xbox, a central guide button like the Xbox 360, and internal motion sensors like the Wii"

ugh the boot

6 years ago

Nintendo know that there is nothing to worry about cuz the motion sensor addition is not even a scratch on the functionality of the wii controller. Which one ends up being better for games? Well that's something we'll have to wait and see.

Mark

6 years ago

I don't think many people were saying it 'was' a copy of Nintendo's Wii feature. Perhaps the idea sparked interest from the original Revolution design, but in all honestly what was shown in Warhawk, while it looks fantastic, isn't anything new or what we've seen with the Wii controller.

The motion sensoring from the PS3 controller only has '6 degress of freedom', meaning that it hasn't got the flexibility of the Revolution. In the 6 degrees of freedom, the PS3 controller can only do the following:

Six Degrees of Freedom according to mechanical engineering:

1.Moving up and down (heaving)
2.Moving left and right (swaying)
3.Moving forward and backward (surging)
4.Tilting up and down (pitching)
5.Turning left and right (yawing)
6.Tilting side to side (rolling).

So, technically it isn't really touching anywhere near what the Wiimote can achieve, aside from the fact that both controllers interact with what's shown on the screen. The Wiimote has a lot more dimensions of movement where you can virtually touch, pull, feel and manipulate what's on the screen, whereas the PS3 controller can only manipulate objects in a 3D space.

I don't see the PS3 controller working as effective as a mouse as the Wiimote could, and I think it is limited in what can be achieved since it's only motion sensoring of where you're directing the controller and not being placed within the game like the Wiimote does - the motion sensors put on the side of the tv will enable gamers to move inside a game for example.

I'm sure this will be something Nintendo will be wanting to address at their conference tomorrow to highlight why (in the opinions of some) their controller is better.

And there's me talking crap.

ugh the boot

6 years ago

^that's all folks..

EvilHayama

6 years ago

What you say is very true Mark, Sony only has half the Wii motion stuff. It's not easy to explain or realise that however, so joe average might just see that they both have some sort of motion thingy in the controller and call it even.

Cerebral

6 years ago

I've been hearing things, a little bird told me the secret to Nintendo's controller is a speaker inside the remote itself. Just in case it's true, you heard it here first!

I sincerely hope this bird is incorrect, and would like to eat it.

k1dcharm

6 years ago

Cerebral wrote

I've been hearing things, a little bird told me the secret to Nintendo's controller is a speaker inside the remote itself. Just in case it's true, you heard it here first!

I sincerely hope this bird is incorrect, and would like to eat it.

There are a lot of birds saying PS3 controller has no vibration cause it interfere with the tilt sensor. If all the birds are true, then the speaker must be for vibration purpose.

Let's go bird hunting:P

Jag

6 years ago

the controller was the only real thing bringing to towrads the wii but i think i'll be happy with the ps3 version of it though it is limited

Andronicus

6 years ago

Well, it comes down to this for me...

Will I be able to hold the PS3 controller like a golf club, and swing it infront of my TV to hit a virtual golf ball?

Will I be able to hold the PS3 controller like a hunting rifle and shoot virtual ducks out of a virtual sky?

Will I be able to paint a picture on a virtual canvas, using the PS3 controller as a paintbrush?

I'd say there's probably going to be quite a difference in the functionality of the PS3 controller to the Wii-mote... quite a bit indeed...
Different ballparks altogether.

gamefreedom

6 years ago

EvilHayama wrote

Well, the big things that will stand out are that the PS3 controller can't be used to point at things, and games can't position something exactly where the controller is. The "big things" aside from (as Andronicus points out) the fact that it looks like a normal controller that you hold with two hands!

I wrote a bunch of comments on the hardware differences and potential impact on the games industry in general on my blog: http://tinyurl.com/goc33 (not a plug, there are no ads on the site, it's just easier to post at one place)

ObsoletE

6 years ago

^ question is, will you be able to do those with the wii-mote? (@Andro)

i know that's the hype for the Nintendo controller, but unless i've missed something (it's very possible, new job, i've been busy) i have yet to see any actual proof that the remote works in this way, and then whether it does it well is another thing again.

don't get me wrong, i want it to work as well as they claim, but i'm still not convinced.

i'm also not convinced of the worth of the PS3 motion sensors either.

i hope i'm proved wrong on both counts in 12 months time.

admeister

6 years ago

Damn that Sony, there always have to take a piece out of everyone, really makes me dislike them sometimes. Can't they just leave Nintendo alone, they're making an honest effort to do well this gen, and they're trying to wreck it. Scrooges.

Jag

6 years ago

yea true but sonys trying to catch up on the advantage xbox has with the early relase so by taking the other compitetion the can focus better

EvilHayama

6 years ago

ObsoletE wrote

^ question is, will you be able to do those with the wii-mote? (@Andro)

Nintendo has said pretty much all along that the wiimote part of their controller works as a sort of pointing device, so it's position in space is tracked relative to some sensors near the screen. The guy quoted in this article says that the PS3 controller doesn't do this and can't support the pointing/swinging thing.

ObsoletE

6 years ago

so we believe Nintendo, but bag out Sony?

Good Game.

Jag

6 years ago

im all over the place right now so excuse me if a contradic my self in any of my post but i made a new solgan sony can use to help sell the ps3

'' Sony S***ing on the little guy

Jellyfish

6 years ago

What about those poor people who move the controller around violently when they're playing. I can just imagine that looks on people's faces when they're shuddenly kill them selves or crash because they've forgotten about the motion sensor.

Andronicus

6 years ago

ObsoletE wrote

^ question is, will you be able to do those with the wii-mote? (@Andro)

Granted, I'll agree with your sentiment there ObsoletE - we can't say for sure yet if the Wii-mote will, in fact, work the way Nintendo has said it will.

But, going from the recent report in TIME, it seems that some level of new controllability is on the table here.

I guess we'll find out a whole lot more my tomorrow.

DancesInUnderwear

6 years ago

admeister wrote

Uhhhhh.... what?

Nintendo aren't some little Ma and Pa operation sent from heaven to defeat the evil Sony mega-hyper-corporation, who is hell bent on destroy the world. Nintendo are just as 'evil' as Sony in many cases, but thats because they are, you know, companies.

I love Nintendo, and I always will, but man, your perspectives are very skewed.

As for the topic, I don't think this will do anything special, for the simple fact that the Wii is built around this technology, while it is merely gonna be tacked on to the PS3.

Qbert

6 years ago

ObsoletE wrote

^ question is, will you be able to do those with the wii-mote? (@Andro)

Most likely yes.

Will I be able to hold the PS3 controller like a golf club, and swing it infront of my TV to hit a virtual golf ball?

The golf game that is launching with th rev.

Will I be able to hold the PS3 controller like a hunting rifle and shoot virtual ducks out of a virtual sky?

Red Steel.

Will I be able to paint a picture on a virtual canvas, using the PS3controller as a paintbrush?

Rob Boss painting.

Granted, we don't know how much the wiimote will let you simulate these experiences accuaratly.

Andronicus

6 years ago

Qbert makes some good point there!

ObsoletE

6 years ago

Qbert wrote

Granted, we don't know how much the wiimote will let you simulate these experiences accuaratly.

and that's exactly my point.

like i said, i DO hope it works as well as Nintendo are claiming, but i'm maintaining an air of caution about the wiimote, since Nintendo ARE a company, just like Sony and Microsoft, and aren't above hyping their wares either.

ugh the boot

6 years ago

Jag wrote

'' Sony S***ing on the little guy

You got that from iRobot.

Man i'm totally with Obs on this one! I've seen no proof of the Wii controller doing those things. Also a golf game, a shooting game and a fishing game are not my ideas of next gen gaming. Hell you can go down to the arcade and use boxing gloves to play a boxing game! Also these aren't my type of games so hopefully they can be used in a more traditional manner....or with some cooler more innovative software. How about a RTS where you can select individual units by pointing at them and pressing a button or drawing a box around them to select a group etc.

I need proof......but I am hella g'd about the other surprise Nintendo have cuz if it wasn't for the Wiimote the Wii would be my most anticipated console (full backwards compatability for 16 bit games is the shizzle)...plus it's nintendo who are my favourite. I've just been a little put off because the Wiimote might not be something I like (then again it could change the way I play games forever) and I think the 'Wii' name is a bit lame aswell.

Anyways....i guess we'll find out a little more tomorrow.

EDIT: DancesInUnderware.....I couldnt've said it better myself.

Jag

6 years ago

u know the only thing i didnt like about the wii is that it cant play dvds unless u get a seperate dongle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii.

while ure there search ps3 and other consoles coz this site givs a really good over all view

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