PS3 Move Megathread

[jefXfree]

PlayStation Move is a motion-sensing game controller platform for the PlayStation 3 video game console by Sony Computer Entertainment. Based on a handheld motion controller wand, PlayStation Move uses the PlayStation Eye webcam to track the wand's position, and inertial sensors to detect its motion. First revealed on June 2, 2009, PlayStation Move is slated for worldwide launch in Q3/Q4 2010. PlayStation Move hardware available at launch includes the main PlayStation Move motion controller, and an optional PlayStation Move Navigation Controller.

Although PlayStation Move is implemented on the existing PlayStation 3 console, Sony states that it is treating PlayStation Move's debut as its own major "platform launch," planning an aggressive marketing campaign to support it. Sony plans to release several different bundle packages for PlayStation Move hardware; including an under-US$100 starter pack with a PlayStation Eye, a PlayStation Move motion controller, and a game; and a bundle with a PlayStation 3 console, PlayStation Eye, and PlayStation Move motion controller. Specific pricing has not been decided

As with other PlayStation Wireless Controllers (SIXAXIS, DualShock 3), both the main PlayStation Move motion controller and thePlayStation Move Navigation Controller will use Bluetooth 2.0 wireless radio communication, and an internal lithium-ion battery which is charged via a USB Mini-B port on the controller.

Motion controller: The PlayStation Move motion controller features an orb at the end which can glow in any of a full range of colors according to the RGB color model using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The colored light serves as an active marker, the position of which can be tracked along the image plane by the PlayStation Eye. The uniform spherical shape and known size of the light also allows the system to simply determine the controller's distance from the PlayStation Eye through the light's image size, thus enabling the controller's position to be tracked in three dimensions with high precision and accuracy. The sphere-based distance calculation allows the controller to operate with minimal processing lag, as opposed to other camera-based control techniques on the PlayStation 3. A pair of inertial sensors inside the controller, a three-axis linear accelerometer and a three-axis angular rate sensor, are used to track rotation as well as overall motion. An internal magnetometer is also used for calibrating the controller's orientation against the Earth's magnetic field to help correct against cumulative error (drift) in the inertial sensors. The internal sensors can be used for dead reckoning in cases which the camera tracking is insufficient, such as when the controller is obscured behind the player's back.

The controller face features a large ovoid primary button (Move), small action buttons triangle:, :circle:, :x:, :square, and a regular-sized PS button, arranged in a similar configuration as on the Blu-Ray Disc Remote Control. On the left and right side is a Select and Start button, respectively. On the underside is an analog trigger (T). At the tail of the controller is the wrist strap, USB port, and extension port.

The motion controller features vibration-based haptic technology. In addition to providing a tracking reference, the controller's orb light can be used to simulate aesthetic effects, such as the muzzle flash of a gun, or the paint on a brush.

Using different orb colors for each controller, up to four motion controllers can be tracked at once with the PlayStation Eye. Demonstrations for the controller have featured activities using a single motion controller, as well as those in which the user wields two motion controllers, with one in each hand. To minimize the cost of entry, Sony has stated that all launch titles for PlayStation Move will be playable with one motion controller, with enhanced options available for multiple motion controllers.

According to Sony, use of the motion-tracking library entails some Synergistic Processing Unit (SPU) overhead as well an impact on memory, though the company states that the effects will be minimized.

Navigation Controller: PlayStation Move Navigation Controller is one-handed controller designed for use in conjunction with the PlayStation Move motion controller for certain types of gameplay. Replicating the major functionality of the left side of a standard PlayStation Wireless Controller, tPlayStation Move Navigation Controller features an analog stick, a D-pad, and L1 and L2 analog triggers. The Navigation Controller also features :x: and :circle: action buttons, as well as a PS button. Since all controls correspond to those of a standard Wireless Controller, a Sixaxis or DualShock 3 controller can be used in place of the Navigation Controller in PlayStation Move applications.

New Games:
Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios will release a total of 20 games compatible with the PlayStation Move before April 2011. Currently a number of games have been announced to include support for PlayStation Move, including:

Ape Escape (working title)
Beat Sketcher
Brunswick: Pro Bowling
Champions of Time (working title)
Deadliest Catch: Sea of Chaos
Eccentric Slider (working title)
Echochrome 2
Eyepet
The Fight: Lights Out
Heavy Rain
Heroes on the Move
High Velocity Bowling
Hustle Kings
John Daly's ProStroke Golf
Killzone 3
Kung Fu Live
Kung Fu Rider
Little Big Planet 2
The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest
NBA 2K11
Pain!
Racquet Sports
Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition
Ruse: The Art of Deception
The Shoot (working title)
Sing and Draw (working title)
Singstar Dance
Sorcery
The Sly Collection
SOCOM 4
Sports Champions
Start The Party!
Time Crisis: Razing Storm
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2011
Time Crisis: Razing Storm
Tower (working title)
Toy Story 3
Tron Evolution the Video Game
Tumble
TV Superstars
Under Siege

Full Game List: http://move.gamespot.com/games/index.html

Companies:
Alongside Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios and its second-party partners, a total of 36 third-party game development companies will support the PlayStation Move and develop games compatible with it.

Accessories:

Guns
Chargers
Controller Grips
Misc.
________
Vaporite solo

 

[jefXfree]

Two Surprise PlayStation Move Maneuvers

We've been trying to notice every little thing about the PlayStation Move this week. Each detail is telling. Here are two surprise Move maneuvers I witnessed during demos of Move this past week at Game Developers Conference.

1) The XMB Maneuver — I watched a developer use the swinging motions of the PlayStation Move controller to swipe through the PlayStation 3's cross media bar, the menu interface that lets gamers find content and settings on their console. I saw this when a developer needed to restart a game of Move Party, a game that is played with one Move wand held in your hand. The Sony developer pressed the Move's PlayStation button, which produced the console's standard, overlaid menus allowing the player to quit the game. To swipe from a "no" to a "yes" response, the developer waved his Move hand and pressed a button. The game quit. To swipe through the XMB and restart the game, he waved his hand some more.

Potential Negative: The fact that a developer was doing this got me wondering why the Move Party team hadn't just implemented Wii-style cursor pointing, something we can see within games like the Move-supporting SOCOM 4. It also made me realize that the Move has no directional control buttons. The Wii Remote at least has a d-pad that can be used for navigation, if need be. The Move Wand does have the PlayStation's quartet of Triangle-Square-X-Circle buttons. But unlike their positioning on a standard PlayStation controller, they are not oriented in cardinal directions; they are in the four corners around the Wand's main action button. So they couldn't easily be mapped to directional movement. Bottom line: For Move-only games, there might not be any way to manipulate the XMB other than with motion — at least I can't think of any.

Potential Positive: Who cares about the potential negatives. We're talking — almost — about Minority Report-style motion-based movement of things on a big screen. Swinging arms to select things on a TV is the definition of "the future."

2) The Behind The Back Maneuver: "Launch-window" PlayStation Move game Sports Champions includes gladiator combat that is controlled by a person holding and gesturing with two Move wands. The player can use the wands to move a shield and swing a hammer, for example. But to make their gladiator taunt, the Sports Champion gamer must put his or her hands behind their back. When that happens, the PlayStation Eye camera that detects and tracks the sphere located at the tip of the Move wand can't see it anymore. The disappearance seems to be the prompt for the taunt. (Another possible example of this: In the Move rail-shooter called Shoot, the player can activate a slow-motion effect by spinning their body 360-degrees, a maneuver that might be using both the Move's gyroscope and the camera-blocking technique to determine that it was completed — though please note that that is unconfirmed conjecture.)

Potential Negative: Games that utilize this feature run the risk of being broken by housepets, annoying friends and anyone else who might block the camera and suddenly trigger unwanted taunts. Maybe it would be better for Move games to just pause because the camera is being blocked?

Potential Positive: A new input has been introduced via this maneuver, essentially a new "button" in the repertoire of motion control. The Wii, particularly without MotionPlus, can have trouble dealing with a player who, after pointing their Wii Remote at the TV suddenly has that pointing blocked. If the Move can avoid that confusion, then it has a new and interesting control trick.

It's been less than a week since we first saw PlayStation Move, and there are several months until the motion controller's fall release. Consider this the experimental and surprise-discovery phase of Move, not just for the people making games, but for all of us wondering which good and bad ways it might change the way we play PlayStation 3 games.

 

[mobius387]

you know, im starting to think this could actually be an OK thing. i still wont buy it, but at first i was worried about Wii on the PS3. they are kinda making this thing their own, which is good to see.

 

[jefXfree]

you know, im starting to think this could actually be an OK thing. i still wont buy it, but at first i was worried about Wii on the PS3. they are kinda making this thing their own, which is good to see.

I'll get it pretty close to launch if it comes bundled with Eyepet and the Camera. If not i'll wait.

 

[jefXfree]

Fils-Aime says there's no point in getting Move if you have a Wii

Nintendo of America chief Reginald ‘Reggie’ Fils-Aime has said that he feels there is little point in consumers investing in PlayStation Move if they already own a Wii.

Speaking to the chaps at Industry Gamers, Fils-Aime feels there would be little to motivate punters who own Nintendo’s platform to fork out for a PS3 and Move.

“So I’m a consumer and I’m having a great experience with my Wii. And we know that’s the case – we look at the software that’s being purchased. Consumers love the Wii. What’s going to motivate them to spend minimally $300 for a new [PS3] system, plus minimally $100 for the Move motion bundle?” said Fils-Aime.

“So [as a consumer] now I’m into this for $400 and I still have to spend money on software. What’s going to motivate me to do that?”

This hasn’t been the first time the Reginator has broached the subject of PlayStation Move – earlier this month he declared he was “flattered” at Sony’s imitation of the Wii remote with the new peripheral.

 

[jefXfree]

Someone seems a little scared that their little white box will become even more invalid...

 

[jefXfree]

PlayStation Move: The most immersive gaming experience possible

Using advanced motion sensors and the PlayStation®Eye Camera, your every movement is mimicked on-screen in breathtaking Blu-ray powered HD. Take core gaming to a new level or bring your whole family in on the adventure with a title line up that will excite every gamer.

PlayStation Move games line up includes creative and imaginative games for kids, dynamic and engaging experiences for the core gamer, and active sports and party titles for the entire family. With the most diverse and innovative games imagined, there's an exciting title for everyone. Get moving with these featured titles:

Games made for PlayStation Move:

Move Party (working title)
Motion Fighter (working title)
Sports Champions
The Shoot (working title)
TV Superstars
Brunswick Pro Bowling

Games that are compatible with PlayStation Move, DUALSHOCK 3 and SIXAXIS controller
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs
EyePet
Disney•Pixar Toy Story 3

 

[dboy99]

Someone seems a little scared that their little white box will become even more invalid...

I doubt it like most periphials sony make they wont support it well and plus the gamers wont buy it so dont see the Wii being in much trouble as people think.especially not from a wii mote with freaking ball's on the end

 

[jefXfree]

I doubt it like most periphials sony make they wont support it well and plus the gamers wont buy it so dont see the Wii being in much trouble as people think.especially not from a wii mote with freaking ball's on the end

we'll see. They're treating this more like a system launch opposed to a periphial launch. This is the perfect time to steal the Wii2's thunder.

 

[ZEUSPLAY]

[media=youtube]w0puP8nrIU8[/media]

very funny

 

[jefXfree]

PlayStation Move Meetup - New York City

Date:Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Time:4:00pm - 7:00pm
Location:Tribeca Grand Hotel (2 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013)

East Coast fans – your meetup demands have been heard! The PlayStation.Blog team is “moving” East for the long awaited NYC meetup. If you live in NYC or the greater NYC area, come out to be the very first to try out the new PlayStation Move on Wed, March 23rd from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m! Combining advanced motion sensors, a dynamic color changing sphere, vibration feedback, and an easy to use button interface, PlayStation Move will deliver the most immersive gaming available -- and this is your chance to be the first fans to experience it.

To attend the meetup, you must be 21 or older (be sure to bring your IDs! They will be checked). There will be signs along Sixth Avenue directing you where to go for the PlayStation Move meetup. As always, we’ll take care of you – food and drinks will be provided.

Free food, free drinks, prize raffles, and the first chance to play with the PlayStation Move… think this is too good to be true?! Here is the catch – only 150 people will be able to get their hands on PlayStation Move, so be sure to be the first 150 there! We’ll let in two groups of 75 people at a time: the first from 4-5:30 and the second from 5:30-7.

Be sure to RSVP, and make sure you turn up to let us know we should spend more time in the East!

PlayStation.Blog post: http://bit.ly/9nX9OS

 

[jefXfree]

Kevin Butler disses Project Natal... haha

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[jefXfree]

PlayStation Move's Minority Report Controls In Action

Two new demos of PlayStation Move, shot by us today, show some of the coolest things that Sony's Move motion controllers can do. Two weeks ago, we saw Move control games. Today, Move moved windows and made the Eiffel Tower.

Kotaku shot these demos in New York City, just hours before Sony was allowing the public its first hands-on with the new Move controller. The new controller, which works with the already-released PlayStation Eye camera, is Sony's attempt to one-up the technology of the Wii Remote.

The demos here were whipped up since the Move was unveiled earlier this month. The first is a Move take on the kind of motion-controlled interfaces guessed at in the movie Minority Report. (Which is cooler than the motion-controlled cross-media-bar interface I saw two weeks ago.) The second shows a whole new way people could make levels in a game like Little Big Planet.

Part 1 features Sony's Richard Marks. Part 2 features a walk-on by Anton Mikhailov. Marks and Mikhailov are two of Sony's senior developers on the Move project.

The PlayStation Move will be released this fall for the PlayStation 3.

Check out the two videos here: http://kotaku.com/5500300/playstation-moves-minority-report-controls-in-action

 

[Illiciter]

Yo natal, Imma let you finish but playstation move is one of the greatest peripherals of all time!

 

[jefXfree]

Yo natal, Imma let you finish but playstation move is one of the greatest peripherals of all time!

HAHA... That's awesome! you should do that in a youtube video before someone else steals it. lol

 

[jefXfree]

The Possibilities, Surprises And Limits of Playstation's Move According to The Inventor

The PlayStation Move thrives in darkness, could enable a new kind of Greek god game, has 10 hours of battery life, a mystery port and a simple innovation that could be profound.

Kotaku learned all this and more earlier this week when I sat down with Sony senior researcher Richard Marks, the man who had already wowed me with the newest Minority-Report-style demonstration of the PlayStation 3's forthcoming PlayStation Move wand controller.

I'd seen the Move in mid-March at the Game Developer's Conference, and played the first games shown for it. I'd swung the Move — sphere at the end of the wand illuminated — in front of a PlayStation Eye camera, as required. I'd used a Wii Nunchuk-style PlayStation Subcontroller in my other hand. In the weeks since I had first used the Move I thought of many questions, most of them technical, that I knew Marks would be able to answer.

For half an hour, Marks walked through several topics with me, explaining the possibilities and limits of Sony's latest controller tech.

Z-Space​

One of Sony's most aggressively expressed talking points about the Move is that it detects movement in the Z-plane — the plane that defines a player's distance from the vertical slice of air defined by the front of his or her TV better than any other motion controller, including the Wii Remote. The Remote, when pointed at a TV and moved forward and back, can be used to determine its range in the Z-plane, but Marks emphasized the Move's ability to be detected in the Z-plane at all times and with 60-frames-per-second precision based on the Eye's detection of the position and relative size of the Move's sphere.

"When you want the absolute best tracking, you have to have the absolute best position tracking, which is the camera for us," he said. If the sphere is ever obstructed, like when a player might through their hand back while holding a Move, the controller's motion sensors kick in to approximate the position of the Move, a technique that is similar to what can be accomplished with the Wii Remote's add-on, the MotionPlus.

But what's the big deal with detecting movement in the z-plane, with detecting more than just movement of a wand controller up and down (y-plane) or side to side (x-plane)?

The answer was partially provided in Marks' latest Minority-Report-style Move demo, which he would refer to throughout our conversation.

"You can punch in Z," Marks said."The Wii does that and we do it too. But what we were just doing while I was moving the camera around and flying, the only way to do that is Z."

And what of games? "If you want to place something in the 3D world; if you want to reach into the 3D world and manipulate. .. maybe I can grab things. (Fellow Move researcher) Anton Mikhailov wants to make a game where there's things like eggs that you have to pick up softly and other things you have to pick up with ammo triggered to them. I want to make a game where I'm a Greek god and I have to smash these little evil guys and the good guys I have to pick up carefully and safely.

"Reaching into the world like that, there's no way to do that if it's (only) 2D."

RANGE​

Kotaku has recently covered news about how much space the new motion-control gaming systems will require. Not everyone has enough room, though what I'd head of the Move had sounded a little confining. I asked Marks to explain how much room a Move player can actually use. Can you be far from your TV? "THe spec on it is three to 10 feet is where it will track," Marks said. "The kind of sweet spot everyone uses for the games is five to 10 feet." Marks said that he initially wanted the Move to work from as far away as 15 feet. "But then I tried it out and I [felt] 'I am so far away from a TV now, I can't imagine playing a game this way.' You could maybe if you're really rich and have a super-huge TV. In that case I might move the camera forward." The camera shoots out at angles. At a 10-foot distance it can capture player movement 12-feet across. Marks said the camera's field of view is 75 degrees.

LIGHTING​

Sony officials have already told Kotaku not to worry too much about how light will affect the PlayStation Move, but it is hard to stifle skepticism on this topic. Video games designed for the PlayStatioin 2's EyeToy and PlayStation 3's PlayStation Eye camera have worked superbly in Sony-prepared lighting conditions and not nearly as well in lighting conditions prepared in my house. But the first good sign that the PlayStation Eye can withstand lighting challenges better when it is sensing the Move occured Tuesday when I accidentally (honest!) backed into a light switch during a Move demo. Marks had been waving his hands through a Minority-Report-style demo that I would later have him re-do so we could share it with all of you. But during our trial run I backed into a switch and the medium lighting of our demo area.

The demo we were doing was in an eighth floor suite of a hotel room in downtwon New York City. The lights at their middle setting. Standing in front of a TV with Marks wielding the Move, we had a window to the left of us, curtains pulled back to reveal a gray, overcast sky outside. My backing into the switch brought the lights down, and then my fiddling with the three-button light switch as I apologized brought the lights to full brightness. Finally, I got the lights back to the medium setting. As far as I could tell, the Move did not need to be recalibrated during any of that.

Marks showed me how lighting calibration works with the device. He started a fresh demo and pointed the sphere of his controller at the PlayStation Eye camera. The sphere quickly blinked red, blue and green. That calibrated brightness of the LED in the Move controller, which he said could slightly vary due to manufacturing differences. Right after those blinks the Eye "imaged" the sphere with the Move's light turned off, in order to detect the level of light in the room and white-balance the room. That process lasted a couple of seconds, at most, and resulted in a calibrated Move sphere with a sphere glowing a color the Eye could track in the room we were in. "If you flip the lights off, it may or may not cause an issue," Marks said. "In this particuar case it's still a good match." But if you needed to re-calibrate, Marks said you could do that wiht a press of a button, which is likely to be offered in any Move game's pause menu.

I pointed to the clouds outside and wondered what would happen if the gray clouds outside broke and the day brightened with sunshine. "For a typical little bit of clouds going past the sun and stuff, you wouldn't ever need to re-calibrate that," Marks said. "In a case where it's really strong sunlight versus not-sunlight, you probably would have to re-calibrate that. We haven't really had to do that ever." Direct bright sun on the Move would cause a problem, but Marks noted that people don't usually play games with the sun beaming onto their TV. On the other hand, players who play in the dark would see the Move function well. "Dark is perfect," he said. "Dark is great."

POWER USE​

The Move wand is made to last 10 hours with the the sphere's light turned brightly and the motion sensors engaged. He said that's shorter than a Dualshock 3 controller. The subcontroller charge, he said, will last much longer.

MOTION SENSORS​

The accelerometers in the Move, which measures direction of force, or the tilt position of the controller, have a bigger range than those in the Dualshock 3 controllers, Marks said. He believes they also exceed those in the Wii Remote by a significant amount, but could not provide a measure of comparison. The gyroscopes, which detect rotation velocity, can detect 2,500 degrees per second. "That's very fast," he said. "You could spin it all the way around eight times in one second. You can't do that, but in a short time you could get a burst [of that speed.]" All of that movement data needs to be read by the PlayStation 3 with a high degree of finesse, Marks said, otherwise it is wasted. The system reads it by converting analog movement information into digital data. He said a lot of current motion-control systems use an 8-bit level of detection which results in the system being able to read 256 total values of movement data. "Ours is higher than that," he said, "Much better. Powers of two."

All of this data is read quickly by the PS3 and the PlayStation Eye camera, which captures at 60 frames per second. He said 30 frames per second would be too slow, but that 60 would capture most human action, probably anything short of Jet Li's most advanced techniques. That ensures that the camera, which tracks the position of the Move, will be able to keep up with most anything a player does. The tilting and twisting data being transmitted to the PS3 by the Move's sensors, is being captured "much higher than 60," he said. It can capture the snap of the wrist.

# OF CONTROLLERS​

The PS3 can theoretically support up to seven wireless controllers. Could it do seven Moves? "What we've announced so far at this point is that you can have four PlayStation Moves, split that up any way you want to," Marks said. "You can have two Moves and two Subcontroller. It's really more of product planning choice than it is a technical choice."

CAMERA PLACEMENT​

Anyone who uses a PlayStation Move is going to have to add a PlayStation Eye to their TV set-up. That little camera will need to be mounted somewhere near the set, pointed at the player. "It works best to be in the center of the television either above or below," Marks said. "It also works best if it's closer to mid-torso hight instead of looking way up at you or looking way down at you. It does work, but it just doesn't feel quite the same."

Marks told me that his favorite low-tech way to position the camera is to just dangle it slightly in front of the TV, letting the base of the camera hook against the top of the front of his set, the camera's cord pulling from the rear as a counterweight. He demonstrated this for me, and, surprisingly, it worked.

PERIPHERALS AND THE MYSTERY PORT​

Some companies are making money selling tennis-racket-shaped shells for Wii Remotes. They make gun peripherals and gold club molds and all sorts of other things. I asked Marks if the Move could support that type of thing.

"I think there's a lot of options with having this thing being part of another peripherel, with something bigger that you would hold" Marks said, with Move in hand. "We've had a lot of talks with our licensees abotu what would make sense for this... We do have this USB cord [at the base of the wand] which is how you charge it. We also have this external port which is proporetary. Our licensees can talk to us about it." I asked what Sony uses it for. "We don't use it right now for anything, but it has data and power, I guess I can say that much."

THE SURPRISE SQUEEZE​

As I typically do, I concluded my interview with Marks by asking if there was anything key he thought we didn't cover. It turnes out the Move has an unheralded feature that he believes could be a big deal: the analog trigger on its underbelly. As opposed to the Wii's similarly-positioned digital trigger, the Move's "t-button" is sensisitive to the same gradual pull as the analog triggers on the shoulders of traditional modern game controllers. "I still think that people underestimate the importance of this kind of controller where you're doing something and you squeeze," Marks said.

He had shown me a paintbrush demo during which he wielded the Move wand as if it was a virtual paint brush while modulating the thickness of that brush based on how tightly he squeezed the trigger. He had shown me a puppeteering demo in which the puppet's hands were synced to the Move wands he held in each hand and the clenching of the puppet's fists was gradually performed by the squeeze of that deep trigger. "It's a long throw," he said of the trigger's range of motion. "It gives you this extra degree of freedom that's not motion control. It's almost like an analog stick in one direciton. I think that's been missing from one-handed controls. I don't think people knew it was missing... It's such a small thing technologically but that thing with stuff we're doing isn't a small thing."

***

It is hard not to be impressed in a demonstration setting, doubly so when the inventors are nearby and capable of describing the scientific and technological achievements of what they have made. The Move ultimately is a device that will earn its allure based ont he quality of the games it is used to control. But a conversation with Richard Marks convinces the Sony's motion controller, once easily dismissed as the least interesting of the big three console makers' has a great range of potential and enough plusses that it could be as much an instrument for great game-making as any of them. It's release in the fall will help show if Sony game-makers can match the success that Sony's tech-makers clearly already have.

 

[jefXfree]

Sony explains why it passed on Natal technology

Sony America’s Dr Richard Marks has revealed that the platform holder rejected 3D camera technology similar to that utilized in Microsoft’s Project Natal as it proved too expensive and featured similar applications to those already achievable with PlayStation Eye.

While a fan of the technology, Marks revealed in an appearance on the Engadget Show that Sony ultimately felt it didn’t provide enough "new experiences" to justify forking out for the extra cost over the Eye.

"We tried a lot of different 3D cameras. I love the 3D camera technology; personally, I like the technology part of it,” said Marks.

"We worked closely with our game teams at what it would enable, and it enabled making the things we already did with EyeToy more robust, but it didn't really enable as many new experiences as what we were hoping it would enable, so it made the things we were already able to do a little bit more robust - which is good - but it adds a lot of cost and it didn't enable some of the other experiences we wanted to achieve."

Elsewhere, he also added that PlayStation Move proved more reliable in low-lit conditions:

"Sometimes a tech demo doesn't translate into a product very well... the lighting in the room has to be good enough for the camera to see the colour reliably and that makes for a difficult product when you don't have a control over those variables," he explained.

"And with the 3D camera, it's a little bit similar in that we found that there were some things we wanted to be able to do, and sometimes it wouldn't work reliably for what we wanted to do."

PlayStation Move is due out later this year.

 

[jefXfree]

PS Move sub-controller gets official name

Sony has staple-gunned an official name to the sub-controller that comes packaged with PlayStation Move – take note folks, it’s known as the Navigation Controller.

News comes following an FCC filing on the device spotted by the folks at Engadget – and sure enough, Sony has altered its official product page for the upcoming peripheral to reflect the name change.

Sony lifted the curtains on PlayStation Move for the first time back at GDC earlier this year, and if all goes to plan, punters should be able to get their hands on it some time this fall.

 

[Glen-BoB]

this is nifty and all but until they get it working with some cool game I just don't see the f**king point.

 

[jefXfree]

Sega's Move games to attract PS2 crowd

SEGA has plans to announce titles for Move at E3 that will appeal to the PlayStation 2 crowd.

Speaking with IndustryGamers, SEGA West President Mike Hayes says “We’re very supportive of both [move and natal]. It’s too early to give out details on that, but we’ll provide that at E3.”

He went on to say, “The thing we like about these [motion control] applications is that they tend to suit the traditional Sega genre. Look at the phenomenal success we’ve had with games like Mario & Sonic, which effectively is a whole variety of party games that happen to be based on the Olympics. And we’ve done very well recently with Sega All-Star Racing.”

He says that Move and Natal will draw in people “I’d call the PS2 type of consumer,” which will suit Sega’s upcoming games. He also said Sega will support each platform equally. He says, “they’re both very important partners for us as we try and sell more software.”

 

[jefXfree]

PlayStation Move: The Mind-Body Experience

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give you guys a quick heads-up that I’ll be giving a keynote presentation at the sixth annual Games for Health Conference in Boston next month.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Games for Health Conference, it is an event that’s held in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio, which focuses on funding ideas that may lead to significant breakthroughs in the future of health and health care. The conference creates opportunities to develop innovative solutions that empower individuals to better manage their personal health. I’m honored and excited to take part in the event so I thought I’d give you a sneak peek at some of the things I plan to talk about.

The title of my talk is “The Mind-Body Experience of PlayStation Move – Relationships between Gaming, Play, Exercise, and More.” I plan to discuss the development of PlayStation Move, with a focus on what I call “somatic gratification” (I didn’t coin the term, but I think I’m the first to apply it to video games). In short, I’ll be talking about how the physicality of an interface can connect the body and the mind to really enhance an experience. Sometimes, the interface is only a means to an end, but often, the interface becomes an integral part of the experience. I’ll be analyzing the similarities and differences this has for gaming, for play, and for exercise, and why different interface choices may be appropriate for each domain.

I’ll also be talking about the design of PlayStation Move, highlighting why many of the design choices are the way they are. Many of the seemingly arbitrary stylistic choices are not cosmetic; they are actually functionally and ergonomically important. Finally, I’ll share my thoughts about the subtle yet profound differences between a true position-sensing device vs. a motion-sensing device, and describe some of the applications that are enabled as a result of having position information.

If you happen to be attending the event, be sure to say hello. To learn more about the Games for Health Conference, be sure to check out the Games for Health site.

*All links and information can be found via the Playstation Blog by clicking HERE.