PlayStation’s Move into motion gaming

The PS3 already has a foothold in motion gaming – there’s the PlayStation Eye, and let’s not forget that the PS3 controllers already come with some form of motion control. Sony is stepping it up further with PlayStation Move, which they are now counting on to compete in the motion market. The three major players in the industry each have their own ideas on the subject, but how exactly is Sony playing its cards?

The PS3 already has a foothold in motion gaming – there’s the PlayStation Eye, and let’s not forget that the PS3 controllers already come with some form of motion control. Sony is stepping it up further with PlayStation Move, which they are now counting on to compete in the motion market. The three major players in the industry each have their own ideas on the subject, but how exactly is Sony playing its cards?

 

Since its big E3 reveal, Sony has kept the scene updated on the features and progress of the new device, though many of those updates carried basically the same info from the E3 presentation. More recently, however, Sony has been showing Move in action through its supported games, such as Brunswick Pro Bowling and The Fight: Lights Out.

 

The most commonly-repeated criticism of PlayStation Move is its similarity to the Wii. It looks much like the Wiimote, minus the glowing orb on top, and it even has its own version of the Nunchuk, the Navigation Controller. Like always, there’s the bash-and-praise commentary coming from different sides of the industry, with varying measures of bias depending on their stake in the game.

 

Boom!

 

Sony, however, responds to the criticisms by displaying how their gizmo will be the biggest kid in the playground. Along with the PlayStation Eye, it is capable of 3D movement tracking as well as minimal processing lag – the latter being the bigger trump card. In fact, they’re so confident with Move’s response and accuracy that they say you could play an RTS game like StarCraft with it.

 

But where does this controller lie for the gamer? The Wii has the controller, Natal is a camera, Sony’s playing with both. To reduce the cost of being able to play with the technology, Sony made sure that the supported games will be playable using a single Move controller. Sony will also be bundling Move with the PlayStation Eye and a starter disc containing demos under US$ 100.

 

As far as getting gamers to spend that money, Move will be supported by a wide variety of first and third-party publishers, big and small, promising software for both the core and casual market. Apart from wanting to bring motion gaming to core gamers, Sony also wants a share of that profitable casual market that the Wii so enjoys. They will, however, need to do a great job of convincing them to make the investment. Move and a new PS3 won’t come cheap, and cheap is a big factor in the Wii’s success.

 

It is true, however, that we have yet to see how the market will receive PlayStation Move. Will it graduate Wii owners into the PS3? Will it dispel the magic of Natal? It all depends on how PlayStation makes its Move.