Sony PS Motion Controller

Sony Corp has unveiled its new motion-controlled video game system, pitching it to both casual and hard-core gamers alike, as the company looks to ride one of the hottest trends in gaming. The new system will help Sony keep pace with rivals Nintendo Co Ltd, which pioneered gesture-based gaming, and Microsoft Corp, which is launching its system later this year.

The five mini-games in Championship Sports—the game that comes bundled with a Move controller and a PlayStation Eye camera—demonstrate the benefits of one-to-one motion control. By using an accelerometer, gyroscope, and camera to track the controller’s position at all times, games can accurately map your physical motions on your in-game avatar. Whether it’s the movement of a sword and shield, a Frisbee toss, or the angle and stroke of a table tennis paddle, the level of precision that the Move delivers is a welcome improvement to the motion game genre.The added precision makes the Move games less about the enthusiastic waggling that many Wii titles feature, and more about precise motion, perfect timing, and control.   The Move works by combining information from a gyroscope (which measures the Move’s orientation) and an accelerometer (which measures relative movement) with motion tracking from the PlayStation Eye camera. Because the PlayStation knows where the glowing ball on the end of the controller is, the game can keep track of your hand’s orientation, location, and movement in 3D space. When paired with the Wii Motion Plus, the Wii Remote could provide similar inputs, but only when pointing directly at the Sensor Bar mounted above or below your TV. Because the Move places the camera on the TV instead of in the controller, games can track the controller’s position whether it’s pointing at the TV or not.

The Sports Champions game is a good showcase for the Move’s capabilities, and is fun, despite a strong similarity to last year’s Wii Sports Resort and a cast of unfortunate stereotyped characters. The bad news is that you have to spend a lot of money to get the full multi-player party game experience. At minimum, you’ll need a pair of Move controllers, at $50 each, plus a PlayStation Eye camera ($40), if you don’t have one already). While all of the mini-games include a single-controller option, the three games that are excellent when used with dual controllers range from unsatisfying (Archery) to frustrating (Gladiator Duel) when played one handed.