He mocks Natal for its lack of buttons, asking who wants to pretend their hand is a gun. And suggesting only third graders would. Meanwhile a player demonstrates what I believe is SOCOM 4 on PlayStation Move.

While showing the game Motion Fighters, he also seems to mock unspecified systems that only track sideways motion or expect the user to make silly hand movements in front of them. Although the only system that fits that complaint is his own PS2 EyeToy and similar webcam PC games.

By the way, this video shows that PlayStation Move’s Sub Controller (Nunchuk) does in fact have accelerometers at least (just like a Nunchuk), which wasn’t at all clear previously.

I think Sony made a mistake in highlighting their Motion Fighters game in an attack on Project Natal. Personally, I like to use kicks in fighting games, and PlayStation Move fails completely in that regard. Although perhaps Sony will add a kick button to their game.

They make a good point about the lack of buttons though. I do like having buttons, and I like having a prop to hold. By having the same number of buttons as a normal SIXAXIS, and by having the same sensors as a Wii Remote, and by having a pointer that can work like a mouse, Sony have made it as easy as possible for developers used to other systems to make Playstation Move games.

But in Project Natal’s defense, I am looking forward to new ways of playing First Person Shooters and platformers that I expect Natal to bring.

Sony showed playing the FPS game with joystick navigation, buttons, and a Nunchuk grenade throwing gesture, plus the pointer aiming and possibly ducking based on the Move’s position. I expect Project Natal would use the Xbox 360 controller for these kinds of games, with the same grenade throwing gesture and ducking and leaning gestures.

More interesting on Natal though would be an option to use your whole body for walking, running, jumping, turning, etc. in first person and platform games. Which is, I think, the idea with Natal. It makes gaming into a sport, or vice-versa. But aiming and firing with your fingers will be a definite downside.

I don’t think it’s as clear cut as Kevin Butler says. Both platforms will be very interesting. But perhaps a trigger button would improve Project Natal.

So, what do you think?

Here’s a new interview with the developers of Sports Champions:

And here’s the coverage you should have already seen from the GDC 2010 Press Conference:

And from the B-Roll “Slideshow” that I posted earlier:

It is a light-gun style shooter on rails, but like the Wii Remote, it isn’t a real light gun, and uses an on-screen pointer rather than sighting accurately through the controller sights. In the old days of CRT TVs, light guns really did aim at the exact pixel on the TV where you wanted to fire, and you could use real sights. But these days pointers have taken over.

It is based on the theme of moving from one movie set to another (hence the name), and blasting robots on the Sci-Fi set, or cowboys on the Western set, etc.

So far we have only seen the Sci-Fi set, in the Robot Rebellion level.

Part 1 doesn’t really mention PlayStation Move, you can skip this first video as it is just a boring recap of older PlayStation 3 games:

Part 2 talks about PlayStation Move, and ends with the PlayStation Move trailer I posted earlier:

Part 3 demonstrates two new PlayStation Move games. Sports Champions is the PlayStation Move equivalent of Wii Motion Plus’ Wii Sports Resort. They demonstrate 2 of the games included in Sports Champions: Gladiator Duel (two handed sword and shield fighting), and Table Tennis. The second game is “move Party!”, which is an Augmented Reality game along the lines of WarioWare Smooth Moves.

Note how it loses tracking at 6:46!!! That shouldn’t happen. You can see the PlayStation Move’s glowing ball clearly on the screen with the tennis racket missing. Oops!

Part 4 shows the games Little Big Planet, EyePet, and Motion Fighters. Apparently they are re-releasing EyePet but with PlayStation Move instead of the “Magic Card” with a fiducial marker (the paw-print card). People had problems with the Magic Card requiring good lighting in order to be recognised:

Part 5 talks about the new Sub Controller (aka Nunchuk), shows the game SOCOM4, and mentions Stereoscopic 3D. Ironically the new Stereoscopic 3D feature, which is also coming out this year, will not be compatible with PlayStation Move’s augmented reality, since unlike Project Natal, PlayStation Move only has a 2D camera. It will work great though with all the other PlayStation Move features.

I think this GDC press conference was less impressive than the E3 demo. But it provided a lot of new information, like the official name of the controller, and the Sub Controller (Nunchuk), demonstrated how good this will be for FPS games, and said that there will be less than 1 frame.

The main game shown is Sports Champions, which is the PS3 equivalent of Wii Sports Resort. It has Archery, Gladiator fighting, and Table Tennis, among others. Also shown were LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM 4, the street fighting game, and some others.

PlayStation Move Logo

It’s official, Sony’s new PlayStation Motion Controller (no, not the SIXAXIS or DualShock 3 motion controllers) that was previously known as the PlayStation Arc, Gem, and Sphere, now has a real name: PlayStation Move.

If you’ve been living under a rock, or just too overcome by Project Natal to pay attention to Sony’s E3 presentation, or too concerned by the rapidly impending destruction of our planet by global warming to worry about tech, then you might not have heard of it. PlayStation Move looks like a stick that you hold vertically with a glowing coloured ball on the end, which works with the PlayStation Eye (even though the stick could work well by itself) to track it’s 3D position and orientation exactly, giving the kind of 1 to 1 tracking the Wii Motion Plus wishes it had.

Don’t believe the new PlayStation Move name after we cried wolf 3 times already? Well to prove it, here’s the official press release:

TOKYO, March 10 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that PlayStation®Move motion controller for PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system launches worldwide this fall, offering a motion-based, high-definition gaming experience unlike anything on the market. Concurrently with its launch, SCE will also release PlayStation®Move sub-controller to be used along with the motion controller for intuitive navigation of in-game characters and objects. The PlayStation Move platform, including the motion controller, sub-controller, and PlayStation®Eye camera*(1), together with a strong lineup of software titles, will deliver an innovative and highly immersive experience on the PS3 system.

The combination of the PS3 system and PlayStation Eye camera detects the precise movement, angle, and absolute position in 3D space of PlayStation Move motion controller, allowing users to intuitively play the game as if they themselves are within the game. PlayStation Move motion controller delivers unmatched accuracy through its advanced motion sensors, including a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, as well as a color-changing sphere that is tracked by PlayStation Eye camera. Through PlayStation Move system, both fast and subtle motion can be detected, whether the user is swinging a tennis racket, or painting with a brush. With PlayStation Move motion controller, users can provide direct input through action buttons and an analog trigger, while receiving physical feedback from rumble functionality and visual feedback from the sphere’s ability to display a variety of different colors. Furthermore, PlayStation Eye camera can capture the player’s voice or image, enabling augmented reality experiences.

The newly announced PlayStation Move sub-controller is a one-handed controller, developed to further expand the game play options that PlayStation Move games can offer*(2). PlayStation Move sub-controller features a sleek curved design that pairs with the motion controller and comes with an analog stick and directional buttons that allow users to easily control the game when moving characters or choosing a direction. Like all other Wireless Controllers for the PS3 system, it comes with a built in lithium-ion rechargeable battery as well as Bluetooth® technology, enabling the controller to transfer the input information wirelessly to the PS3 system without a cable. PlayStation Move motion controller and sub-controller will further broaden the gaming experience on the PS3 system for all genres, from games that use one motion controller to games that use both controllers.

The introduction of PlayStation Move controllers has been well received within the industry and now 36 third party developers and publishers*(3) have decided to support PlayStation Move platform. In fiscal year 2010, SCE Worldwide Studios will also release more than 20 games that are either dedicated to or supported with the PlayStation Move platform.

SCE, with strong support from software developers and publishers, will deploy various measures to enhance the PlayStation Move software title line-up and vigorously promote the PS3 platform.

*(1) Users will need to use the PlayStation Eye camera to enjoy PlayStation Move motion controller on PS3.
*(2) DUALSHOCK® or SIXAXIS® Wireless Controller can also be used in place of the sub controller.
*(3) Please refer to the attached list below for detail.

PlayStation®Move motion controller
Product name	PlayStation®Move motion controller
Product code	CECH-ZCM1
Release date	Fall 2010
Recommended retail price	To be decided
Color	Black
Mass	Approx. 145 g
External dimension	Approx. 200mm X 46mm (height X diameter)
Battery type	Built-in, rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Voltage	DC 3.7 V
Operating temperature	5 degrees C ~ 35 degrees C

PlayStation®Move sub-controller
Product name	PlayStation®Move sub-controller
Product code	CECH-ZCS1
Release date	Fall 2010
Recommended retail price	To be decided
Color	Black
Mass	Approx. 95 g
External dimension	Approx. 138mm X 42mm (height X diameter)
Battery type	Built-in, rechargeable lithium-ion batter
Voltage	DC 3.7 V
Operating temperature	5 degrees C ~ 35 degrees C