Video: Sony's PS3 motion controller in action

In case you missed it yesterday, video of Sony's PS3 motion controller prototype has made its way to YouTube. It's not an ordinary Wiimote, it's not as mind blowing as Microsoft's Natal, it's, well... it's something in between. And it's not available until 2010 so this is as close as you'll get for awhile.

[Dec @ Jun 3rd 2009 6:55AM]

I want!

[Brucie B @ Jun 3rd 2009 9:19AM]

If looks could Kill, That would be a Killer!!
Btw who let the Ping Pong ball on top! FUGLY

[benhc911 @ Jun 3rd 2009 9:47AM]

it may look ugly, but it reminds me of a couple patents we had seen a while back from sony, like:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/31/sony-patent-app-details-motion-sensing-break-apart-controller/

so we can't really say it came as a surprise

[KRingg @ Jun 3rd 2009 12:21PM]

I love the idea... take what works in Hollywood (motion tracking) and bring it to video games. The one thing that scares me is that as soon as the camera loses line-of-sight to the item it's tracking (e.g.: the bright red ball), your motion can no longer be followed. In other words, I can't sit on my couch with my coffee-table in between me and the TV if anything on said table obfuscates the camera's view (unlike the Wii controller, which is agnostic to line-of-sight).

[john @ Jun 3rd 2009 12:27PM]

look like a dildo, ewww

[Ray @ Jun 3rd 2009 3:06PM]

Moral issues notwithstanding, they did some amazing things in that video. But I don't have a PS3, maybe I'll pressure my friend who does into buying this.

[Murc @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:51PM]

I'm just going to refer to this thing as "the glowing dildo"

[Amn @ Jun 3rd 2009 6:58AM]

Needs to be real cheap and pack in if they want this to succeed

[NeoJew @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:11AM]

I don't know, I'd pay a lot for that.

[Templarian @ Jun 3rd 2009 8:14AM]

Yea, I would also pay a fair amount to be able to hack and slash my opponent with that much accuracy.

[shaunisadirty @ Jun 3rd 2009 9:47AM]

There is no way I'd ever use one of those glowing butt plugs. I know the guy said it was a prototype, but think about it, the glowing bulb is how the camera tracks the controller, therefore the glowing bulb is needed and will be there in the end. This is how the controller will look, I'm sorry but it will. PS3 glowing butt plug with motion control.

Give me my Wii for motion control and give me my 360 for everything else. Sony has now officially killed the ps3.

[Levi @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:59PM]

lol shaun... This thing is a zillion times more accurate than the wiimote... and I don't know what butt plugs you are using, but... that thing looks like it would hurt pretty bad o_0

Admittedly, it's ugly, but you don't have to wear it on your head, and it kills skeletons with copious amounts of awesome.

[Aaron @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:00AM]

Hopefully if this gets implemented properly, it will become a nice "niche" product in Sony's lineup. I don't think they're exactly going after Nintendo; rather, they wanted something to complement the EyeToy, which it does.

You gotta love the super-fast 1:1 tracking motion ability. That FPS thing was pretty sweet!

[Aaron @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:08AM]

OMG, look at that archery action.

Do want this!

[solmar @ Jun 3rd 2009 9:04AM]

I hope that it actually works in a normal home environment. They're doing the demo on a stage that's very well lit by stage lights. That's plenty of light for any kind of camera (including really cheap ones with small sensors, the type found in things like the PS3 eye) to get high framerate and acceptable quality. But that's not how most of our living rooms are lit... lit poorly enough that a non-flash picture taken with a fairly good digicam comes out really blurry (because of long exposure) and full of noise. Even a DSLR struggles in these situations. Getting a picture on a sensor is all about lighting, and the typical game room has abyssmal lighting.

If they've gotten that issue beat, then it seems like a PS3 will be the console to get (after all these years).

[Indefinite Implosion @ Jun 3rd 2009 9:24AM]

@solmar
well it has a little light up the top (the ball) and from what I've heard and read that takes care of the placement relative to the world while accelerometers in the stick itself are responsible for more particular xyz movements not picked up by the camera in the dark
then again I could be totally wrong...
meh.
I'll still buy it.

[moo083 @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:35AM]

@solmar: I saw the head of Sony Entertainment R&D in San Jose talk a few years back and lighting was one of his main concerns regarding motion control. I PROMISE YOU, they are thinking about it.

[Plothole @ Jun 3rd 2009 4:08PM]

The problem is that the EyeToy itself is already kinda niche. Having to buy that and another controller is asking a lot. It might help if they bundled them with every new console, like they did with the original DualShock. Even still I don't see this technology being heavily exploited until the next console generation at the earliest.

[james @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:07AM]

Yawwn.

Sony wheres the rest? humm?

[Greg K @ Jun 3rd 2009 8:04AM]

What do you mean by rest?

God of War III?
Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker?
Final Fantasy Versus XIII?
Final Fantasy XIV?
The Agency?
Heavy Rain?
Jak and Daxter: Lost Frontier?
Gran Turismo Portable?
Gran Turismo 5?
Uncharted 2?
Last Guardian?
Tekken 6?
White Knight Chronicles?
Ratchet and Clank: A Crack In Time?
Dissidia: Final Fantasy?
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge?
Soul Caliber?
MAG?

All exclusives, I think they speak for themselves.

[qwho @ Jun 3rd 2009 8:35AM]

Have fun with your crappy exclusives. Doesn't change the fact that I will be playing Halo 3 ODST and the beta of Reach this fall, and you won't.

[seraph @ Jun 3rd 2009 8:42AM]

For starters, a lot of that list is PSP only. There is very little competition for those games as there is no other device that would run them anyway, and none of it was groundbreaking - very little was unexpected.

I wish people would pay attention. FFXIV will be exclusive 'When it launches in 2010'. Read that carefully. My money is on a Q4 2010 release, and exclusivity for about 6 months maximum before it at least hits PC, and possibly 360.

How many new PS3 titles did they announce that we did not already know about? Very few. GT5 has been in development for how long now? STILL no release date. GoW3 and Uncharted 2 - probably the biggest PS3 games they showed - were officially unveiled a long time ago.

You can soak up the hyperbole all you want. Fair play to Sony for having some good genuinely exclusive games on that list (GoW3, Uncharted 2 etc), and for having a good crack at a PiiS3 Controller, but frankly they gave us very little new info for what is supposed to be their flagship system and it was an uninspired presser at best. As a PS3 owner I was pretty disappointed with it.

[Brett @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:29PM]

Final Fantasy XIV is NOT exclusive ... go watch the Xbox 360 presentation before you spout you fanboy trash.

[dolapo10 @ Jun 3rd 2009 9:24AM]

@ seraph

Don't lie to yoursef you don't have a ps3 just stick to your Wii. If there was a paypal link i would donate for you to buy a ps3

[Greg K @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:34AM]

@qwho: I do have a 360 which I do use as my primary online console and have had since launch, but you seriously can't say those exclusives are crap. I would consider myself a hardcore gamer and in being so, not a fan boy of any console, I simply appreciate great games and both Sony and Microsoft are presenting some seriously great games.



@seraph 6 out of 18 games are PSP, and it is not a complete list, just to show that some stuff is coming from Sony this year. I think that Sony's press conference would have had a much bigger impact had there not been so many leaks. If you looked at the landscape of games before E3, Sony had a lot more going for them this year, Microsoft still have to even the playing field for 2009, keep in mind, a lot of their titles are due 2010 spring.

[Cathy @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:48AM]

@qwho...LOL, keep your overrated Halo game. Why can't 360 users ever give the ps3 credit when it deserves it. Stop hating, just admit we have a killer lineup this year. I always give 360 credit when it deserves it. SHow some love to the Playstation.

[John @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:59AM]

Fanboys are out in droves today. Sony gives a great show and displays a bunch of new IPs and some motion tech, and this is what happens. Jealous much?

[br4nd0nh347 @ Jun 3rd 2009 2:44PM]

@Seraph

There are about six on that list that are psp, however why would you separate the psp and ps3? Unfortunately for MS they don't even have a handheld. Sony has to spread the wealth.

Anyways FF 14 will probably be PS3 exclusive, I don't see why you say otherwise. It's an MMORPG for the PSN. Remember FF11 for Xbox (and PC) only. (it was also a MMORPG)

Also leaks were killer to Sony, but then again that shows how interested people are in the system. I bet if you didn't browse the net everyday or get feeds from a site you wouldn't even know about any of that stuff. And you got to remember you aren't the only person in the world, I'm sure many people were surprised with some releases.
I mean seriously even the journalists were surprised about FF 14.

[Cody @ Jun 3rd 2009 3:24PM]

Final Fantasy XI started out exclusive to the PS2, then moved to PC, and then it moved to Xbox 360. What's to say that Final Fantasy XIV won't do the same thing?

[Dave @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:19AM]

But it still has the constraints of only moving 2 points in space. Also, how would you move yourself around within that space while still being able to wave your arms around and hit stuff? You can see in the video that the only thing moving on the knight guy towards the end is his arms. His feet are rigidly planted. Thats just kind of lame to me.

Microsoft has at least solved part of that issue, but what good is it if you can only move around with the constrains of your living room. What if you have a really small living room?

I like this trend towards more immersive gaming, but so far it's still quite lacking. Mostly I think I'm excited about Natal. That has some real potential. The Eye toy I think will end up being the most gimmicky.

[SNAKE @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:27AM]

Buttons, we have them.

[NeoJew @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:28AM]

Joystick on the controller to walk around, like the Wii Nunchuck.
It tracks 1:1, but I'm sure you could increase the sensitivity if you had to for small rooms.

[Silverfrog @ Jun 3rd 2009 8:21AM]

Games that will take advantage of this tech will most likely have the environment on-screen move automatically where you don't have to walk in-place or simulate walking. That, or have a second one-handed Nunchuk-like device that has an analog stick at the thumb command that could be used to move your character while your other hand controls the weapon/item/device.

[csca15 @ Jun 3rd 2009 10:41AM]

Tekken 6 is no longer exclusive.

[HZ @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:19AM]

let me tell you that i'm more into this one than in Project Natal!


[still, natal it's Really impressive]

[barracuda @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:22AM]

Project Natal needs another console unit... here is needed only a new controller...

[Boards of Canada @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:26AM]

Me too I prefer this one than Natal... its way more accurate. Sony have a winner here... if they can make games for it.

[NeoJew @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:29AM]

This also needs the Eye, which I would gladly get for this.

[JimJimBinks @ Jun 3rd 2009 8:48AM]

barracuda, Microsoft stated that Natal will work with all previous and future 360 consoles, so it's no different than buying the Playstation Eye.

[Flit @ Jun 3rd 2009 8:56AM]

"Project Natal needs another console unit... here is needed only a new controller... "

What?
Natal needs a camera-thingy. The ps3 solution needs an eye toy and a controller. I don't know why you think natal needs a whole nother console?

The one thing that made me skeptical about this is when the kid tries to show off his bow skills, and has a really hard time hitting the enemy (on the edge of the screen). Apparently, if the Eye-toy loses track of the controller, it would reset and lose track of where it was. The Wii showed similar control schemes, but most of the time ended up controlling like that small error most of the time. I think the ps3 controller will have the same problem.

Was I the only one who was happy that waggle was only on the Wii? I'm not very happy that all consoles are now waggle-happy....

[damiaking @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:25AM]

DID THEY come up with this after watching microsoft keynote ??NATAL FTW!!!!1

[benny boy @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:53AM]

Yes. They actually created this all in one day. It's very impressive. :|

[CreepinJesus @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:58AM]

Yes - they saw Natal and then did years of research and development, not to mention a presentation, overnight.

[CreepinJesus @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:59AM]

Darn you Benny! I was watching the video while you commented :P

[godmoney @ Jun 4th 2009 7:28AM]

The motion tracking looks to be more advanced in a 3d space, where natal looks like like a glorified 2d eyetoy.

Plus given Microsoft's track record one or more of the situations will happen:

1) Faulty firmware at launch
2) Faulty software/hardware causing a massive recall
3) Feeling and knowing that you just bought something produced cheaply and ill-conceived

[ShyGuy91284 @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:28AM]

This could be impressive. With the accuracy this gives and the horsepower the PS3 has to process what is going on, we just might get things such a simulated 1:1 sword fighting this generation of consoles.

[richb93 @ Jun 3rd 2009 11:27AM]

Absolutely considering the incredible physics calculations a well coded app for the cell could do. You never know, some hacker may also use a handful of these badboys in Linux for cheap motion capture. (I presume that like the PS3 controllers you will be able to use up to 7 at a time)

[majortom1981 @ Jun 3rd 2009 3:18PM]

The wii has this . The often bashed wii sports resort has a 1:1 sword fighting game. Also red steel 2 is 1:1 also (from impressions very tiring though).

[baeta @ Jun 5th 2009 3:06AM]

i need this

[Jamie @ Jun 3rd 2009 7:33AM]

Oh my god. First off, the thing looks like a sex toy. You gotta admit it, it does. Second, first Microsoft coppied this idea from the Wii, and now a day later Sony did? WTF?! Sony probably threw it together in a couple hours to make it seem like they actually had something to show at E3. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.