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Sony's newest motion controller, called the PlayStation Move, isn't much to look at but its precision blew us away. Looking like two ice cream cones, the Playstation Move was demonstrated at the 2010 Games Developer Conference.
"A more precise, immersive, and responsive game experience" - SCE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida
Sony Playstation Move demonstrates its gaming capabilities
The PS Move showed us its 'moves' over a wide range of games:
First up was a friendly game of table tennis, where the Playstation Move showed us it accurate recognition of subtle wrist movements and its ability to call the differences between a backhand and a power smash. We couldn't quite figure out what gesture spinned the ball but saw it occurring frequently.
Next up was an ancient slash-and-bash 3rd person fighter. The Playstation Move allowed the smooth weaving of the sword and quick raising of the shield for blocks. Additionally, placing your hands behind your back allowed you to taunt your opponent, a nice touch as it would be unfair to do so while still pummeling them.
Last up was the Move Party, a game that allowed you to interchange your body with inanimate objects. What does that mean? Read on.
With Move Party, the Playstation Move would allow you to select an object, such as a hand fan, after which the camera angle would switch to the fan's POV. You would then be controlling the fan, blowing harder or softer and pushing objects around the environment. Next, the Playstation Move became a paintbrush and you had a full palette of colours. The remarkably precise controls allowed you to fill in the drawings without spilling outside the lines. At this point we were not certain if Move Party was a game or a demo to show the capabilities of the Playstation Move. But it certainly was entertaining.
PlayStation Move eyes Nintendo Nunchucks
Obviously a direct competitor to Nintendo's nunchuks, the move did manage to trump the NS in terms of precision and the fact that it is wireless. However we can only be certain who the clear winner is when developers begin creating games for both the controllers.
Playstation Move prices, packages and release date
The Playstation Move is slated for a late September release in the US and Australia, and will be available in three package choices:
- Just the Playstation Move wand
- Playstation Move wand + Playstation Eye
- Playstation Move wand + Playstation Eye + a game + PS3 console
Prices haven't been released yet but expect the wand to cost less than AU$110 (US$100).
