Katamari Damacy Mobile announced, with cosmic tilt-sensor controls

While the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are getting to roll around in Katamari fun with Namco Bandai‘s next installment in the franchise, Beautiful Katamari, who’d’ve thunk that the developers would expand and finally confirm a title on the mobile platform? Yes, it’s been confirmed that Bandai Networks will be rolling out Katamari Damacy Mobile come June in Japan for 904i phones (iMode series).

The game will come pre-bundled with the phones, but owners of other kinds of phones can still download it through the Namco Games portal. It’s yet to be confirmed if (and when, if ever) the mobile game gets a Western release.

The cosmic catch for the mobile version is that it will be using a tilt-sensing software called GestureTek EyeMobile as a method of control. SIXAXIS, anyone? And you thought that the PS3 version will be the only one to have it? If you can grab hold of a Japanese iMode, you can practice your tilt-rolling as early as June.

The GestureTek EyeMobile technology uses the phone’s built-in camera to detect tilt and vibration (as to how a camera can detect vibration… let’s just assume the Japanese have gone that far in their gadgets). Those who don’t want to tilt their phone around to control a katamari space-ball, there’ still an option to use traditional controls (of course, the dual analog sticks of the PS2 won’t be there, so we can’t quite figure out the definition of “traditional controls”).

All this talk of a tilt-sensing Katamari (on the mobile platform, no less), has got us thinking… Maybe Namco Bandai’s ready to post over a Katamari game for the Wii? While you’re trying to ponder on that question, check out the screens for Katamari Damacy Mobile:

  

While the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are getting to roll around in Katamari fun with Namco Bandai‘s next installment in the franchise, Beautiful Katamari, who’d’ve thunk that the developers would expand and finally confirm a title on the mobile platform? Yes, it’s been confirmed that Bandai Networks will be rolling out Katamari Damacy Mobile come June in Japan for 904i phones (iMode series).

The game will come pre-bundled with the phones, but owners of other kinds of phones can still download it through the Namco Games portal. It’s yet to be confirmed if (and when, if ever) the mobile game gets a Western release.

The cosmic catch for the mobile version is that it will be using a tilt-sensing software called GestureTek EyeMobile as a method of control. SIXAXIS, anyone? And you thought that the PS3 version will be the only one to have it? If you can grab hold of a Japanese iMode, you can practice your tilt-rolling as early as June.

The GestureTek EyeMobile technology uses the phone’s built-in camera to detect tilt and vibration (as to how a camera can detect vibration… let’s just assume the Japanese have gone that far in their gadgets). Those who don’t want to tilt their phone around to control a katamari space-ball, there’ still an option to use traditional controls (of course, the dual analog sticks of the PS2 won’t be there, so we can’t quite figure out the definition of “traditional controls”).

All this talk of a tilt-sensing Katamari (on the mobile platform, no less), has got us thinking… Maybe Namco Bandai’s ready to post over a Katamari game for the Wii? While you’re trying to ponder on that question, check out the screens for Katamari Damacy Mobile: