Sony Unveils PS3 Motion Controller 210
Sony confirmed rumors at E3 yesterday by debuting their take on a motion-based input device, set to be released for use with the PS3 in the spring of 2010. The BBC has some entertaining video of the demonstration. "A sensor sits on top of the TV and detects the position, distance and movement of two controllers held in a user's hand. The device can not only measure where the controllers are in relation to each other, but also how close they are to the sensor, meaning you can create true 3D movement within a game. ... During the demonstration, the developers showed what the Sony PlayStation Controller was capable of, enabling users to wield weapons, fire a bow and arrow, write on screen and manipulate objects in a virtual environment. 'One thing that is really difficult to do in a virtual world is drawing,' said Mr Marks. 'And in particular, writing requires extreme precision. [The controller can be measured] to sub-millimetre accuracy.'"
I think, (Score:1, Insightful)
I'd rather have a real bow and arrow.
I hope all these motion controllers fail horribly. (Score:5, Insightful)
Not because they're a terrible idea.... Mostly because they're all patented. If one vendor's system "wins", we all lose.
Without competition, there are no price wars.. There's no innovation.. You're lucky if there are even incremental upgrades.
Re:I hope all these motion controllers fail horrib (Score:5, Insightful)
Patents don't prevent competition. You're confused.
Unfair licensing practises prevent competition.
Patenting actual hardware device innovations shouldn't be up for debate, its almost always a good thing for innovation. The problem is not licensing patents to competitors at fair rates.
Re:First! (Score:3, Insightful)
It's sad that Nintendo pioneered it - and moreso because the Wiimote is such a mediocre solution.
Seriously, the more I played Wii Sports Golf and Wii Sports Tennis, the more I knew they'd screwed up. It works well enough for "big" movements - basic tennis swing, big golf swing, bat swing, etc - but for the "fine" motions, such as imparting "spin" to the tennis ball or trying to make a putt, the controller is Simply. Not. Sensitive. Enough.
As the tech matures, it'll get better - but Big N's already, by producing an "add-on" sensor to tweak the sensitivity, admitting their initial setup wasn't good enough.
Re:I hope all these motion controllers fail horrib (Score:1, Insightful)
Just by using the phrase "all these motion controllers" implies that there are already several different ones competing. And if systems are trying to "win" then, well - that's because they're in competition with each other.
Assuming it works as well as they claim, this already demonstrates innovation and improvement over the Wiimote, against whom they are competing.
Sigh... (Score:4, Insightful)
Mouse and keyboard will STILL be better and more accurate for FPS games, and dual analogue sticks will still be better for platformers. I can see these controllers being pretty good for DS type games, using your TV like a touchscreen, even a 3d touchscreen (some sort of 3d maze game, where you have to drag a ball through a 3d maze). Otherwise, I still prefer existing control options...
Re:First! (Score:5, Insightful)
Good enough by what standards? Mate, they rule the market. What more could they have wanted from a box that actually rakes in cash instead of costing the company hard $?
How many years is the Wii old now? And only now do Sony and Microsoft emerge with their own 'innovative' controller technology. How many billions of dollars is Nintendo ahead of them at this point?
Be glad. If anything, this will push Nintendo to come up with something even better. That can only be good for us gamers, right?
Re:I hope all these motion controllers fail horrib (Score:5, Insightful)
Too late in the game (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:First! (Score:5, Insightful)
Same thing happens with Flash games, but at least there I can see it as a hate for the Flash platform bleeding into the objectionability. As for Wii hate, I have no idea where it comes from.
plf (Score:2, Insightful)
drawing with the wii controller is hard not because of accuracy but cos of the resolution, target size (i.e small TV) and lack of friction for stability like you'd get with paper.
Re:Sigh... (Score:5, Insightful)
now a game like RE4 seemed built to use the Wii controller, along with a game like metroid prime (a little less so). The "Limited FPS" (aim anywhere on the screen, but character position is still controlled by analogue sticks or is on rails) seems to be the best use of the wii controls. Other games like Boom Blox are unthinkable without a wii controller.
I'm not trying to blame the 50:1 ratio of bad:good games on waggle controls, that's probably more related to the fact that the Wii has sold so much. However, I can only think of a handful of games that are improved upon by motion controls. I guess that's my main point, that I don't think there are enough instances of good games that require motion controls to require each console to have motion controls.
Re:I think, (Score:5, Insightful)
Then stop playing on consoles, and go join an archery club.
Re:First! (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't wholly agree with the GP, but just like there are fanboys for a particular platform (irrational support of and expenditure on a particular company's products) there are anti-fanboys (irrational distaste and malaise expressed towards a particular company's products) - call it the law of conservation of market preference. I think it's reasonable to say, also, that the size and vocality of a given anti-fanclub is as good (or perhaps even better) an indicator of the success of a product as that of its fanclub.
Probably doomed to mediocrity and failure (Score:3, Insightful)
Microsoft has much the same problem, even though I think that the technology is amazing. Their core audience probably couldn't care less about the device and generally prefer using console controls to play their games. Because it's an add-on, most companies will not target the device because it has no install base and few people will buy one because there are no killer apps for it. Notice the vicious circle here. I'm honestly surprised that the balance board for the Wii has sold even half as much as it has.
If Microsoft really wants to push this technology their next console should include this by default and there should be a stripped down version sold at a mass market price so that people outside of hardcore gamer group will buy the console. Sony really needs to do the same as well if it wants to cash in on the casual gaming crowd. However, what they've done now is too late as the casual gamer boat has already set sail. Of course, it may be another two years before either Microsoft or Sony can release a new console. Microsoft supposedly just started to break even recently and has a lot of losses to eat up whereas Sony might not even be at the break-even point from what I've heard.
Re:First! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:First! (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, the more I played Wii Sports Golf and Wii Sports Tennis, the more I knew they'd screwed up.
You "knew they'd screwed up"? Really? Because the control setup of Golf and Tennis games on the PS3 were a better arrangement? Something they had really 'gotten right'?
but Big N's already, by producing an "add-on" sensor to tweak the sensitivity, admitting their initial setup wasn't good enough.
Bottom line, if the original hadn't been 'good enough', there wouldn't be a motion plus, or copy-cat technology from Microsoft and Nintendo.
I guess I should probably avoid mentioning that Sony has made FAR more revisions to their PS3 hardware over the last two years than Nintendo... also a tacit admission that they completely screwed it up? And now with the announcement of this new controller they are admitting that even the fundamental controller they went with wasn't good enough?
Yes they are improving it, yes, Sony and Microsoft are both stepping up with their own innovations. And, yes, all of these motion controller systems will be be replaced with even better tech a couple years down the road.
Calling the Wii Remote not 'good enough' and saying Nintendo 'screwed it up' is just sour grapes.
Re:First! (Score:4, Insightful)
Well every console that is popular eventual ends up with a large amount of Shovelware. The PS2 is a great example of that.
Yes Nintendo was a control freak. They where because Atari lost control and that was one of the reasons that the Videogame market went bust way back when. The Atari was so popular that everybody flooded the market with really terrible games. There where some gems but most where just trash. Of course Atari released one of the biggest stinkers of all time with ET.
And frankly Sony? Sony? Rook kit pushing, DRM loving, memory stick, Blu-Ray pushing, buy your movies again on UMD, no Sony movies on NetFlix streaming SONY????
I will take big N thank you than give even more power to Sony.
You hold a grudge over Nintendo being too controlling in the past but you like Sony?
But hey I do like my PS2 and there are lot of games for it.
Re:I think, (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously though, you might want to give it a try. I know you want to do ever-more-outrageous things in console games (like shooting people), but that's because the main theme of the game (interaction with the controls, possible results, learning to master it) get boring really quickly. In real life, all of these things are much more varied and interesting; different bows, different strings, your muscles on different days, different wind, different targets, different people to compete with, different arrows, different flights. Even just the pain as a string hits your hand to remind you that you're doing it all wrong. You might even find that (*gasp*) you don't need to kill people to have fun.
Re:First! (Score:4, Insightful)
Gamers have to dislike the Wii, it makes the market open and accessible to non-gamers. It's Gamer Law (or should that be lore?) you have to hate the n00bs and anything they touch gets the stigma of n00b.
Re:First! (Score:3, Insightful)
Retardball Z? No thanks.