Sony Insights » Sony Motion Controller

Move over Wii, The Sony Playstation Move has Arrived

Tom Pretty — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:01:23 +0000

Sony Playstation Move Logo

After so much rumour and speculation Sony have finally unveiled their motion controller, named the Playstation Move. Before the event at GDC 2010 many industry commentators had believed that the device would be called the Arc, these beliefs turned out to be wrong however as Sony spokespersons gave the official name as the Move.

The Playstation Move will hit the shops later this year and will be available in a range of different bundle options. Customers that already own a PS3 and Playstation Eye will be able to buy the Move as a sole peripheral to complement their existing set up. Customers will also be able to buy the entire package of a Move and Eye with a game and finally a bundle with a PS3 console and all the peripherals will be available. According to reports the Playstation Eye, Move and game package will sell for under $100 (£66).

At the GDC event Sony demonstrated a number of different games that will work with the Move and Playstation 3. One was a sword and shield fighting game, another was a table tennis game and finally a party style game was shown to highlight how the Move is able to augment reality by overlaying different items over the Move controller. Each of these games showed the deftness of the new Move controller, particularly the table tennis where slight adjustments in force and angle place spin upon the ball. It was also shown how the new controller may be used with existing titles Little Big Planet and EyePet.

As well as the single Move controller a second ‘nunchuk’ style sub-controller was demonstrated with an analogue thumb-stick and buttons. Expect to see a massive marketing effort prior to launch with all mediums from online through to PR and billboard campaigns as well as further information on how the Move will be incorporated into other titles at E3 later this year.

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Sony Playstation Arc to be Confirmed Next Week?

Naomi Roberts — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:32:41 +0000

The Playstation Arc controller

Rumours are still abounding that the PS3 motion controller will be labelled as the Playstation Arc. As previously reported, the Games Developers Conference next week is likely to be the place any official announcement will take place but in the last few days there has been further fuel to the fire due to one interesting development.

According to various reports Sony have now trademarked Playstation Arc in Japan; leading many to believe that Arc is going to be the name of Sony’s new motion controller device. Adding to the speculation reports are also filtering through that Konami have filed a trademark for a new game titled ‘Gradius Arc’. These latest developments join the newly registered PlaystationArc.com and hearsay evidence that some employees have been using the Arc title as the most forthcoming evidence for the name of the new Sony Playstation motion controller.

Due out in the autumn this year it seems that the rumours are gaining considerable ground with increasing evidence that Arc will be the name for the device. Our guess is that gamers and industry commentators will have to wait until the Game Developers Conference for any substantiated information on the title, if we are lucky we may even get to see more demos of how the “Arc” will be used.

Sony PS3 Motion Controller Announcement due at GDC

Josh Tait — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:01:17 +0000

the Sony Playstation 3 Motion Controller

Rumours about the Sony motion controller have been rife for some time. Since the launch of the ‘unnamed’ product at last year’s E3 show, gamers have been eagerly awaiting this accoutrement to their Playstation 3 consoles. Recently a name has even been thrown up, the result of Sony purchasing the internet domain PlaystationArc.com. Some of the rumour however may be settled next month as Sony Playstation has announced a special panel at this year’s GDC (Game Developer’s Conference).

It is likely that this panel will provide game developers and the world’s media with some updated information on the Sony Motion Controller. Whether an official name will be provided is still a matter of conjecture but it is likely that we will see new software for the device as well as ways in which it can be integrated by game developers in new titles.

The session has been scheduled to last an hour allowing for enough time for journalists and developers alike to have a proper look at the device. Hosting the panel will be two SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment America) members of staff, David Coombes (Platform Research) and Kirk Bender (Developer Support). What is certain is that this will be an important event for Sony Playstation as they hope to produce a device that will create serious competition to Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Project Natal.

With Sony Playstation stating that they will have around ten games ready at the time of shipping the motion controller (believed to be sometime in the latter stages of 2010), all eyes in the gaming industry will be on the GDC on 11^th March.

Sony Playstation Motion Controller due This Autumn

Naomi Roberts — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:01:46 +0000

With motion controllers one of the hottest topics in the world of video gaming at the moment, news that Sony’s motion controller for the Playstation 3 has had its release date delayed by 6 months has understandably spread like wildfire. The yet to be named device was originally planned for a launch date somewhere in the spring of 2010, however the revised date now places release at some time in the autumn of this year.

Videos have been circulating for some time detailing a prototype model of the motion controller as a result of its unveiling at last year’s E3 conference. Physically it is a stick that has a glowing ball mounted to the top; it is tracked by the Playstation Eye camera to create a 3 dimensional, motion sensitive control mechanism.

This type of game control has proven popular since the launch of Nintendo’s Wii, some even consider the technology a revolutionary step in the world of video gaming. As a result of the immense popularity of the Wii, Sony and Microsoft have both had to develop motion control systems for their consoles; Microsoft’s Natal does away with a controller completely whilst Sony’s offering uses both a camera and wand. Both are now scheduled for a launch in the latter part of this year.

Many industry commentators are keen to express the view that this will not only be a big year in video gaming but also very important for Playstation 3 owners. With the development of motion control, the release of Gran Turismo and the introduction of 3D gaming this could be a massive twelve months for Playstation and console owners more generally.