My thoughts on PlayStation Move

You might have read our coverage of the Sony PlayStation Move controller event yesterday which brings motion gaming capabilities to the PS3. I saw the unit first-hand and thought I’d share my views with you. Starting off, there is no WOW factor associated with Move. Unlike Nintendo Wii which introduced us to motion controlled gaming or Microsoft’s Project Natal that completely eliminates the need for a controller, PlayStation Move does not show anything that we have not seen before.

Rather, it borrows from both the competitors technologies by utilizing the PlayStation Eye camera as well as a sensor equipped controller for a supposedly more precise and responsive tracking. The Move controller looks like a microphone with a glowing light bulb on top and I can easily see it be the target of bad jokes. Also like Nintendo Wii, you can pair the motion controller with an an analog stick that Sony calls a “sub-controller” which will communicate wireless over BlueTooth.

Weather that translates into a better gaming experience is yet to be seen but from the alpha version I saw yesterday, things are looking good- especially with the Table Tennis game from Sports Champion (yes, its like Wii Sports for PS3) and Move Party both of which feel natural and precise to a point of being spooky! I can also see games like Heavy Rain working in a nice way with PlayStation Move replacing gestures on your gamepad.

Moving out of the casual gaming world could prove to be a hit or miss. I can see games like SOCOM4 providing a more “mouse-like” experience for better aiming but I’m not sure how well a game like Motion Fighter would turn out. The good thing is that Sony has a good line-up for PlayStation Move with 20 titles in development along with three dozen publishers that are ready to support the platform.

Sony has priced PlayStation Move quite appropriately as well- the sub $100 bundle that includes the controller as well as the PlayStation Eye camera and a game is pretty decent. So in short, while I look forward to PlayStation Move, it sadly does not have the same effect that Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s Project Natal had when showcased the first time.