GDC: Sony Unveils PlayStation Move

Posted by Jeremy M. Zoss at 10:39 AM Mar 11, 2010

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At E3, both Sony and Microsoft announced motion-sensing peripherals to as direct responses to the popularity of the Wii. Microsoft has been hyping Project Natal ever since. On the other hand, Sony has been a lot quieter about it's device - until now.

Revealed yesterday at the Game Developer's Conference, the device once rumored to be called "Arc" has been officially named the PlayStation Move, Sony's new motion-sensing controller looks a lot like the Nintendo Wii Remote, but with some key differences. The ball you see on the end of the device is tracked by the PlayStation Eye camera. Camera tracking eliminates the problem of a "lost" signal - even when the camera loses the Move, it's programmed to extrapolate its position. That also means that someone walking between you and the camera won't disrupt your game.

Just like the Wii Remote, the Move controller also has an internal gyroscope. The combination of gyro and camera tracking reportedly makes the Move much more accurate than the Wii Remote, even when compared to the Wii Motion Plus add-on.

The Move also features a "subcontroller" similar to the Wii Remote Nunchuk. However, the subcontroller is wireless and (currently) doesn't feature any motion detection features - it's purely to add more traditional game controls like a d-pad. Both the subcontroller and the Move itself are powered by the same long-lasting lithium ion batteries found in the PS3 DualShock controller.

The Move will be available this Fall in several different retail packages. Pricing details are scarce, but a kit containing the Move, the PlayStation Eye camera and an unnamed game will be available for under $100. A list of Move games and developers is after the break.

Move Games:

- Motion Fighter
- Move Party
- Sports Champions
- TV Superstars
- The Shoot
- Slider

Companies Developing for Move:

* 505 Games U.S.
* Activision Publishing, Inc.
* AQ INTERACTIVE Inc.
* ARC SYSTEMS WORK CO.,LTD
* ATLUS Co., LTD.
* Bigben Interactive
* CAPCOM CO., LTD.
* CCP
* Crave Entertainment
* CYBERFRONT Corporation
* Disney Interactive Studios
* Electronic Arts Inc.
* FromSoftware, Inc.
* Game Republic, Inc.
* GUST CO., LTD.
* HUDSON SOFT CO., LTD.
* IREM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INC.
* Koei Co., Ltd.
* Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
* Majesco Entertainment
* Marvelous Entertainment Inc.
* NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.
* ONGAKUKAN Co., Ltd.
* Oxygen Games
* PAON CORPORATION
* Q Entertainment Inc.
* Q-GAMES, LTD.
* SEGA CORPORATION
* Sony Online Entertainment
* Spike Co., Ltd.
* SQUARE ENIX GROUP
* TECMO, LTD.
* THQ Inc.
* UBISOFT
* Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
* Zoo Entertainment, Inc.