Network now...NEWS
PS3 Motion Controller Due Spring 2010
Sony has debuted a new PS3 motion sensing controller that links up with the PlayStation Eye.
The prototype controller looked like a plastic microphone and featured a glowing sphere on the end that the PlayStation Eye tracked during a tech demo. Sony said the device’s visual appearance would change ahead of its release in Spring 2010.
The demonstration showed how the controller could be used to play sports titles, shooters, fighting games and an RTS, as well as for writing. The controller was shown on-screen in the user’s hand as a baseball bat, sword or gun, and offered one to one motion tracking.
Sony said that the technology would surpass anything similar currently on the market and to expect more information on the PlayStation motion controller soon.
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Uh... Yeah. It's an eye-toy with glowing sticks that look like wiimotes.
I'm wondering, what the hell happened to Sony's consoles? First the PS3 and its ridiculous price tag/marketing/controller without rumble, now this crap. And I call it crap because honestly, I don't think third party developers will try to release products that require a peripheral for a system that is already awfully expensive. Or at least GOOD products, because with the work put into good products, the companies want them to SELL. We're stuck with something that has to be bought in addition to the PS3, and Sony thinks the casual crowd will actually take this? Heck, I'm not even casual, and I still dislike it because almost no good games will probably be out for it.
I understand motion control can be good, but the Wii had the right idea with it; package it with the console itself so it actually becomes familiar with the unwashed masses. And no, packaging horribly done motion control onto a normal looking controller will not get the masses to like Sony for its motion control.
I can only hope their next released PS3 comes with one of these, because otherwise it will pretty much be down there with the eye-toy in terms of interest.
Before calling me a fanboy, I enjoy a PC, Wii, and PS2. I go to my friend's house on weekends to play his PS3 and 360. Since fanboy is seemingly the standard issue insult, I might as well prepare for it.
So basically it's the Wii Motion Plus.
The veiled comments about competitors is getting ridiculous. Sony should just come out and say their intent -- to top the Wii.
But this'll be too little too late. The Wii's success is its market penetration, something a $400 machine simply cannot do. It also does not help that this device requires two peripherals that must be voluntarily bought in addition to the main console. I do not foresee the PS3 even getting wii ports, as it's just not cost-effective for developers to do so for a device that may not have a very large install base.
That said, the tech is still mildly impressive (only mildly because we saw wii plus a year ago.)
Unless there is some excellent titles, hence the reason to buy the Motion Controller, then i can't see the controller taking off the way Sony want.
As for the "Nintendo did it first bollocks"...nobody owns ideas, the tech has been around for a longtime and judging by the demo Sony showed...they just improved on the tech.
Is this really the "Eyetoy" with a microphone on top? That's it? As always, very specific verbage - "better than anything like it currently on the market."
Since the Wiimote's not "like it", & Natel's not out yet, this is better than......the Eyetoy!! Well that's a surprise!
Open invitation to everyone who's made fun of Natel so far. Let see if anyone can comment on the brilliance of this device & not look completely retarded.
That's the problem with being too critical of any one thing due to bias and not the product's actual content. When the tables are turned you're forced to be a hipocrite or be equally as baselessly critical as you were before.
I haven't seen this particular item yet (won't till later today) but from what I read it uses motion control in a way that allows traditional-type games to still be played while adding the demension of motion. How well it turns out to work, or how much it adds to gameplay is yet to be seen (sixaxis didn't turn out so well, but neither did MS' first foray into camera games). Both new technologies for both companies, so I guess we'll see if round 2 fairs better for the both of them (the 3 of them if you count wii-motion+).
Check...& Mate, Sir
The PS3 eyetoys always had this mike. This is an old pic, the peripheral in question is a controller.
Oh, Thanks.
This part of the presentation was just painful to watch. It reminded me of how Sony frantically threw in motion control onto the sixaxis at the last minute when they couldn't resolve the rumble lawsuit and saw what Nintendo was doing.
Several game journalists have now had hands on time with Natal and say that it works as advertised and is definitely not vapor ware - although it might be a while before we actually see it in stores. This glowy wand Sony showed looked like they just pulled these guys out of the lab last week and said "quick, we have to show something so just toss together whatever you have". I was actually embarrassed for Sony.
My theory is that they decided to show this at the press conference last minute to respond to MS's entry into controller-less interfaces.
The tool tracked extremely well, but one of the signs that it was still being tweaked and iterated on, was the hit detection. It was quite obvious that they haven't fully perfected the hit detection, and they maybe shouldn't have used something as small as the tennis balls (I think the guy demoing hit like 1 out 8 or more that were thrown at him).
I think it has potential still, it just may have just had a baptism by fire.
Personally the only aspect of future motion sensing technology that really interests me as a gamer, is the controller-less menu navigation they showed with Natal. IMO Natal has far more potential being used in the way Lionhead's "Milo" used it as an interface for character AI, that really seems like an interesting future use of this technology.
Yep, I think the thing that actually represents what the current hardware can do (and where the industry will be in several years) was Milo, but most people only saw it as a curiousity. For all the focus on graphics, it's A/I that has finally started demonstrating appreciable advances and the Milo demo was a hint of the future (and a somewhat creepy one at that).
Though it's obvious - unless some killer app comes out with this peripheral it's not going to be mass market.
Nintendo doesn't have to worry at all about either motion sensing device that coming from Sony and MS.
Still, I love peripherals and this one seems pretty cool (although I hope they tone down the ice cream cone look).
Well, Nintendo is the best positioned since every Wii comes with a wii-mote when Sony and MS' are just peripherals. Will the casuals take notice? Or is the PS3 and 360 synonymous with hardcore too much?
This looked rushed , I'm guessing they showed it because of the MS conference yesterday - but it's essentially a wii plus mote. There's better definition in terms of distance from the screen, but apart from that I don't see any difference.
What this means for Nintendo is unclear, now both rivals have some form of motion detection....
I'm not so sure about that. Sony tried to copy the Wii with Sixaxis and I would guess this has been worked on for awhile as a better answer to the Wiimote.
I think it would have been shown anyway. After all there wasn't really anything else exciting about their presentation. We knew about the PSP Go and having an exclusive on yet another FF snorefest isn't really newsworthy.
This controller is clearly further along than Natal since they're willing to actually demo it live unlike Natal which you'll probably find isn't all that accurate when it's used by real people and no professional actors following a script in a professionally cut video.
After all if Natal is all that then show it to everyone in a demo and no your very select few behind close doors where it will again, no doubt, be demoed in a scripted fashion to make it look good.
I personally think this has a better chance of taking off. Sure Natal can copy you but the complete lack of buttons is going to limit it and having to sit in exact poses to play a simple quiz game or having to stand up and kick and punch for an hour in a game will get really old.
That's what's good about the Wiimote. You can put in the effort but actually, if you're a bit lazy it works with less effort.
Hmm. Toad, did you not see the painting game and brick breaking ball game being demoed live at MS' press conference? That seemed to me two people, actors or not, participating real-time with the motion thing which looked pretty accurate.
I think because MS' is so different in the fact that it's motion and voice only (no buttons) that competely different gameplay experiences will be had with it. I don''t think other than using the voice or movement in conjunction with the standard pad we're going to see too many traditional games with the NATAL thing.
Sony's sounds like it can be more accurately used in traditional gameplay experiences like shooters than the Wii-mote can be. It's like a good mixture of what MS and Nintendo offer (without the recognition aspect).
If any of these motion controllers can further immerse you without negatively impacting your ability to control your character accurately it'll be a win-win for everyone.
Yeha, I forgot seeing the bottom of an avatar's shoe. :P
The thing is though Sony has already done Natal more or less with Eye Toy which also does 3D tracking and where have we got with that? Eye toy is a bore because it lacks feedback. My guess is the same will happen with Natal. Unless you're idea of having fun is chatting with pre-teen boys by a pond.
There is something to be said for being able to hold onto something to have feedback. This is why a lot of touch screens keyboards fail. People can't quite get the right feedback from them that they expect from a real keyboard.
My guess is it'll mainly be used for causal games and things that aren't even really games (like Milo) and it'll definitely be a niche product.
Where as Sony will have more of a chance of doing another "dual shock" and changing the control system completely for the PS3, like they did with the PSX. Not because it will have better motion tracking but because it can be used for more game types.
That said both companies are just trying to cash in on the Wii success and are playing catch up and neither will get the same success as the Wii.
I always thought the problem with the Eye-Toy was that it didn't work
But you're right. Releasing another Dual Shock seems more Sony's speed - No one can dispute that the SNES controller is the absolute "peak" of input technology
Touche!
For once I agree with you on something Toad. I think the best way to go is to maintain the ability to play traditional-type games but with the added immersion of movement. I think Nintendo was on the right track but with the accuracy degredation and the weak visuals hurt them (and they deliberate casual approach to the games that would utilize the motion stuff) we hardcore gamers don't have a true alternative.
I am excited about the different types of gameplay NATAL will bring to the table but other than maybe being able to issue commands via voice NATAL won't be bringing much to the table in terms of existing genres, at least to most of them.
Yep.
agree with that in general although their was a motion controlled shining light on wii imo, in the form of SSX blur.