When we saw the PlayStation motion controller unveiled at E3, it certainly looked interesting, but Sony didn't give us much to go on. Details? There were none. They were like here's this thing you can wave around. Now we know what's up, thanks to an interview with PlayStation R&D man Richard Marks. No, not the singer/songwriter.
The interview, found on the PlayStation.blog, takes us through the development of the PlayStation Motion Controller. Toward the end, you get to hear about some of the updates to the controller, including the addition of an analog trigger and rumble support.
As for the analog trigger, Marks says that it fits the bill for picking items up with varying pressure. Think of it as a control for grip power. The placement on the controller looks as if you'd grab something like you would with a pair of tongs. That could be neat. Marks calls the action a metaphor for squeezing, and teased at some unannounced usages of this capability.
The rumble gives you tactile feedback, just like any other controller these days.
Marks also touched on how the device detects what you do with it. It seems that a camera tracks on-screen placement and 3D depth, while internal sensors give angles and tilt. The combination, they say, gives this controller a new level of accuracy. From what we saw in this video, the control looks highly accurate.
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Cool, I hope Lucasarts can bring a Jedi Knight game to the table......I miss the Kyle Katarn Jedi-style games....pull the analog trigger to activate your lightsaber and activate the rumble feature......pretty cool idea, huh....So cool, I won't even license it, I'll let Sony and Lucasarts have it if they actually produce such mechanics in said game.
I love how hard he's trying to avoid mentioning the Wii. "...that, mixed with the angle accuracy that... other people have worked on... " i lol'd so hard.
Yeah, Wii should have done it, but I think they missed the bus on it, it's a no-brainer, Star wars fans would go nuts over it, especially if it's done well......anyone else agree?
This is looking pretty damn cool. As far as motion tech goes this is definitely looking to be way more accurate and responsive than the Wii. It's like motion plus x 1000.
This has some huge potential, considering that the controllers are quality and gives accurate results, there could be a possibility of a PS4 compatibility when that time comes.
But now it all falls and depends on whether or not the damn thing gets supported with good games or not, and of course, pricing. Sony could do some great stuff here, or they could fail miserably. I am not sure what they will do right now.
I'm amazed this didn't get the bigger reaction at E3. Maybe I'm fooled, but this seems like the first version of this technology that will actually deliver on the promise of motion control rather than just show a smiling family in Ikea playing a hypothetical game.
Amazed it didn't? haha, it didn't get attention, because it has been done before...haha, ever heard of a wii? hahaha, surely this remote styled motion gaming controller has never been done before!haha, never by Nintendo!
The key to the succes of either Sony's motion wand of Microsoft's Natal will depend on how well developers use them. I do like the rumble feedback on the wand though. I think it would be cool to feel a rumble as you strike a bad guy using a sword slamming into it's armor. That would take realism giant step forward in my opinion.
Yes, because the Wii mote sure can't make sounds or even rumble. haha, you guys keep giving proof that sony is doing nothing original like they say they are.
@ Artson - Nintendo games are by far the best motion sensing games on the Wii. All the other developers simply either cannot do motion controls as well or choose not to put the necesary effort into making motion controls good.
Microsoft and Sony's tech may very well be carried by first party alone.
So far, I think that Sony's "wand" looks like the best motion control option. I'm still not impressed with the wiimote, even after the motion plus (now I actually have to stand up to golf). And I have no space for Natal in my apartment. It looks like sony is right in that middle space where I can use it and hopefully appreciate it when used in games.
Or maybe it will just become another unused hunk of plastic in my living room. I'm fine with that option too.
@ hacapt
You maybe right on that, but seeing I have never played a Wii I won't comment on it. my statement wasnt to promote either system, it was just an opinion I what I think will either make or break Sony's or Microsoft's efforts at motion control.
This thing may be the Wiimote of the future it could be better, more percise and have more quality than the wii's line up of motion games. It will certainly not be a the "Wii-killer" people are saying it will be because I doubt that people are going to stop playing the wii just because Sony has a motion controller too.
It could however lead some more break throughs with motion control but that's unlikely considering how we're nearing the end of this generation and all games pre-wand are not going to be used with it. The third party developers will certainly now look at the new software and create some cheap, rushed games for a quick buck but if Sony can convince them that they can't do that on their console those will fail.
The best route of thinking for these things is to just hope it works but not to hope it will cause the PS3 or the other consoles to fail because that's their fight not ours. We just want to see some quality games.
h5e5l5l5o5: Hey troll, can the Wii remote be sighted accurately with any amount of calibration? Can it determine absolute position in 3D space? Can it even perform "1-to-1" motion tracking without constant recalibration?
That's what I thought, and why I LOVE what Sony is doing. Maybe it won't turn out all that great (and it certainly looks ridiculous, which I'm enjoying) but they're definitely making the right decisions in the direction they're taking with motion controls. Microsoft has some neat tech but I don't see any gameplay potential there, but they'll probably be using some sort of "wand" by the time they launch anyway, even if it's only a prop to give the gameplay some context and a couple of buttons.
Nintendo had a chance to do something really amazing with Wii and they blew it mostly by cutting corners that they didn't have to in order to shave a couple of quarters off the price of something they were selling at a huge profit from the get go. It would have cost PENNIES to include more accurate accelerometers even when they launched the Wii.
It would been a similar price to improve the pointer so that it was actually accurate, the original prototype they showed off featured two "sensor bars" (those actually are just lights since you're stupid enough that you likely don't know) for either the sides or top and bottom of the screen. But this was likely dropped because Nintendo stupidly put the camera IN THE CONTROLLER where it is much less likely to have a clear view of both sides of a television than a camera on the television would to have a clear view of a controller anywhere in the room it is facing.
And don't even get me started on the internal storage, which has crippled games on Wii even further. For what? Saving a buck or two a system? It's pathetic and shows a short-sighted agenda. Which is maybe what Nintendo wants, but they're not really in the business of making games for gamers anymore so I don't see why any of us should care.
Now I've got to go decide if I'll hook the stupid thing up to play this Metroid Trilogy I bought or if I'll just leave it in shrink wrap because I can't stand plugging the system in.
@hpn:
Not to forget that nintendo putted put the Wii Motion Plus which was what the Wii was suppused to to 3 years ago.From what i can see Sony is doing it right on the first time.Its really sad that people cant realise the pontetial this has.Its motion technology with playstation 3 graphics , something that can be neat.
Also it may not be used only for Casual users.IT may be targeted for a more mature kind of people.
So in the six-seven years that it has taken Sony to develop this tech, Nintendo managed to create, market, and highly profit from a money-printing, inexpensive, audience-expanding console that has gotten even your grandma to play videogames.
I think Sony's and Microsoft's solutions to motion tracking will probably be excellent and will fix some of the Wiimote's shortcomings, but their tech won't impress me until I see some games with innovative motion-based gameplay. The Wii has been out for a while now and only a fraction of its games really pull off the motion control integration without it feeling forced, gimmicky, or unnecessary.
"I don't know, I still think Trauma Team is best with an actual pointer device, which the PS3's controller lacks."
It does, only the instead of having the camera on the controller and the light sitting on the TV it's vice-versa. Beside that, the other sensors would make up for it. Did you not seeing them drawing/writing with it?
The Wiimote hasn't exactly failed, but there's so much lacking on the Wii. I love my Wii but it's been stone cold ever since I finished Twilight Princess. All those big numbers from the Wii sales really show me is that Nintendo gets to stay in business for another round, and yay I love Nintendo games so it makes me happy to see that.
As for Natal/ps3wand... Am I the ONLY person who sees that Natal is just a rip off of the playstation eye?! Everyone keeps talking about "hands-free" and how revolutionary it is but wtf. So it's a better eye-toy. None of this crap will replace real controllers anyways, they're all just novelties for the casual and obsessed gamers.
I believe The Reverend talked about this, but I am reminded of this idea again. Wouldn't it be so cool if you used your controller for certain parts of a game, and then had to "unsheathe" a sword, stick...or glowing dildo, and then that became the controller for portions of the gameplay? It would at least open up a new feel to a game.
It has it's pros and cons, but I think, like pretty much everything, that it will only be as good as its support. If it's utilized in good ways, it'll be awesome, if not, then it'll collect dust.
And hey, Sony could charge like what...50 bucks and it'd still be cheaper than a fucking wiimote with motion plus attachment, fuck you Nintendo. Even though I still love you.
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Contest:
5:20 PM on 08.28.2009
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It's what should have been done with the Wii games, but alas...
@phantomile
The controller does look rather dildo-tastic.
If it does what it's meant to do, then great. I just hope Okamiden has something to do with this tech...hint, hint, Capcom...
But now it all falls and depends on whether or not the damn thing gets supported with good games or not, and of course, pricing. Sony could do some great stuff here, or they could fail miserably. I am not sure what they will do right now.
i need a ps3 >.>
Interactive games that we haven't seen before?! hahaha, good one.
Interactive games that we haven't seen before?! hahaha, good one."
/s, I hope?
I don't know, I still think Trauma Team is best with an actual pointer device, which the PS3's controller lacks.
I'm really excited for this, though. It seriously looks like the Wii on steroids. I can't wait to see what horror games come out of this.
Good job Sony! keep ripping off stuff!
Microsoft and Sony's tech may very well be carried by first party alone.
They've been working on this controller and have had videos of it in action on YOUTUBE since before the Wii was even announced...
Or maybe it will just become another unused hunk of plastic in my living room. I'm fine with that option too.
You maybe right on that, but seeing I have never played a Wii I won't comment on it. my statement wasnt to promote either system, it was just an opinion I what I think will either make or break Sony's or Microsoft's efforts at motion control.
It could however lead some more break throughs with motion control but that's unlikely considering how we're nearing the end of this generation and all games pre-wand are not going to be used with it. The third party developers will certainly now look at the new software and create some cheap, rushed games for a quick buck but if Sony can convince them that they can't do that on their console those will fail.
The best route of thinking for these things is to just hope it works but not to hope it will cause the PS3 or the other consoles to fail because that's their fight not ours. We just want to see some quality games.
That's what I thought, and why I LOVE what Sony is doing. Maybe it won't turn out all that great (and it certainly looks ridiculous, which I'm enjoying) but they're definitely making the right decisions in the direction they're taking with motion controls. Microsoft has some neat tech but I don't see any gameplay potential there, but they'll probably be using some sort of "wand" by the time they launch anyway, even if it's only a prop to give the gameplay some context and a couple of buttons.
Nintendo had a chance to do something really amazing with Wii and they blew it mostly by cutting corners that they didn't have to in order to shave a couple of quarters off the price of something they were selling at a huge profit from the get go. It would have cost PENNIES to include more accurate accelerometers even when they launched the Wii.
It would been a similar price to improve the pointer so that it was actually accurate, the original prototype they showed off featured two "sensor bars" (those actually are just lights since you're stupid enough that you likely don't know) for either the sides or top and bottom of the screen. But this was likely dropped because Nintendo stupidly put the camera IN THE CONTROLLER where it is much less likely to have a clear view of both sides of a television than a camera on the television would to have a clear view of a controller anywhere in the room it is facing.
And don't even get me started on the internal storage, which has crippled games on Wii even further. For what? Saving a buck or two a system? It's pathetic and shows a short-sighted agenda. Which is maybe what Nintendo wants, but they're not really in the business of making games for gamers anymore so I don't see why any of us should care.
Now I've got to go decide if I'll hook the stupid thing up to play this Metroid Trilogy I bought or if I'll just leave it in shrink wrap because I can't stand plugging the system in.
Not to forget that nintendo putted put the Wii Motion Plus which was what the Wii was suppused to to 3 years ago.From what i can see Sony is doing it right on the first time.Its really sad that people cant realise the pontetial this has.Its motion technology with playstation 3 graphics , something that can be neat.
Also it may not be used only for Casual users.IT may be targeted for a more mature kind of people.
I think Sony's and Microsoft's solutions to motion tracking will probably be excellent and will fix some of the Wiimote's shortcomings, but their tech won't impress me until I see some games with innovative motion-based gameplay. The Wii has been out for a while now and only a fraction of its games really pull off the motion control integration without it feeling forced, gimmicky, or unnecessary.
It does, only the instead of having the camera on the controller and the light sitting on the TV it's vice-versa. Beside that, the other sensors would make up for it. Did you not seeing them drawing/writing with it?
As for Natal/ps3wand... Am I the ONLY person who sees that Natal is just a rip off of the playstation eye?! Everyone keeps talking about "hands-free" and how revolutionary it is but wtf. So it's a better eye-toy. None of this crap will replace real controllers anyways, they're all just novelties for the casual and obsessed gamers.
It has it's pros and cons, but I think, like pretty much everything, that it will only be as good as its support. If it's utilized in good ways, it'll be awesome, if not, then it'll collect dust.
And hey, Sony could charge like what...50 bucks and it'd still be cheaper than a fucking wiimote with motion plus attachment, fuck you Nintendo. Even though I still love you.