The name of PS3's upcoming motion sensing controller may have been revealed by Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello.
"In the coming year, both Sony and Microsoft have announced new controllers. Motion sensor controls, Natal and Gem, these are likely to bring new consumers into the marketplace," he said at the UBS 37th Annual Global Media Conference, according to IGN.
Responding to Riccitiello’s comments, Sony told the site that "No official name for the PlayStation motion controller has been announced," while EA said that it was unable to confirm the accuracy of the executive’s remarks.
Utilising PlayStation Eye technology, PS3’s motion controller was first unveiled at E3 in June. The following month we caught up with SCEE’s vice president of research and development and the company’s head of developer services to talk about the controller and its capabilities.
The prototype controller that has been on show during tech demos since June looks like a plastic microphone with a glowing sphere on the end that the PlayStation Eye tracks, although Sony has said that the device’s visual appearance will change ahead of its release in spring 2010. A March launch in Japan has been rumoured.
At the Tokyo Game Show in September Sony named eight first party motion control titles in development. It also said that the controller will be compatible with a number of existing games including LittleBigPlanet, EyePet, Flower, Pain, High Velocity Bowling "and more".
A recently uncovered Sony patent hinted at some unannounced possibilities for the motion controller, including ways in which it could be combined with exiting PS3 Sixaxis and DualShock pads.