Sony has taken a few of its developers aside and doled out a few new morsels of info about its upcoming
PlayStation 3 motion controller. Leaving the
Sixaxis as the black sheep of the family, the wand supports force feedback from the get-go, and up to four of the devices can be tracked at one time. The technology can work in conjunction with
PlayStation Eye's face / head tracking and built-in mic, but naturally that's gonna tax the Cell processor more. The company's reportedly considering some joint use of the motion remote and standard controller, with the example given of holding the wand as sword and
DualShock 3 as shield. We're not sure if that'll somehow count additionally toward the max wand limit -- probably not, at the expense of not using the more accurate color-changing ball tracker -- but it's definitely more cost efficient for the consumer than having to pick up another remote. Tentatively launch window is still Spring 2010, which as it turns out is infinitely more than what we know about
Natal's release date at this point.
[Via
Joystiq]
posted June 22nd 2009 10:29PM
They need to make that thing look more like a light saber and less like a certain sexual device for women.
How exactly does a small light saber look less like a sex toy?
*lightsaber (still hate the comment system)
"How exactly does a small light saber look less like a sex toy?"
Are you calling Yoda a pervert! Shame on you!
It's only a prototype right now.
@ jason
That's what SHE said.....har har har....
@astr0train
Har har har... no.
I was being serious.
@Jason: Yes, they said prototype. Except think about how it works, the camera tracks the glowing ball. Therefore, the glowing ball will be in the final version. Can you think of any kind of controller with a big glowing ball that looks less rediculous and stupid than this dildo, or I guess now vibrator? I sure can't. The glowing ball will be there in the end and it will look VERY similar to this, if not the same. Sony was just trying to control the amount of hate they will and should get for the design because they know themselves it looks stupid.
@Templarian
You actually took the time to correct "light saber" to "lightsaber"? Good god man, hardcore much?
lol @ force feedback
@pofc
You actually took the time to comment on him correcting "light saber" to "lightsaber"?
Good God ma... oh no! What am I doing?
um, it also tracks ultrasound that is being emitted from the controller, which is why its so accurate and fast.
HELLO!? why does no one know this? there seems to be a lack of understanding even amongst the writers/bloggers at tech sites
@Nicholas Phan No commenter or Blogger knows about the Ultrasound because it's not there.
It tracks the bauble's the same way mocap works, with a camera, The PSEye doesn't and cant emit ultrasound waves. Then the rest of the wand uses gyroscopes n accelerometers for positioning data n Bluetooth for a connection to the console.
Yes their was a patent that surfaced that used ultra-sound but I would bet their are many wierd and wonderful patent out in the wild for controllers that never come to pass.
@Nicholas Phan: Exactly. It was even part of the rumour that circulated when the patent for this was revealed. That said I think it requires both. You could still make the orb smaller though (although why anyone cars is beyond me. The only reason it looks more like a dildo than a wiimote is that it's rounded anyway. Plus it's far less likelly to be used to do jerking off motions)
@pofc, a little.
huh? how does that look like a woman's toy?
Aren't most of you too old to be playing with video games?
Best photos to caption ever.
Sexual device or not how much is this gonna cost us?
Sword and Shield?!!
HAHAHAHA OMG LOL IM LAUGHING.
SO GAY!
Each news release makes me slightly more intrigued in this. I can't remember seeing it in the E3 presser, but does Natal have the capability for multiple players?
you mean other then the woman and her daughter standing side by side.. one kicking a soccer ball and the other trying to block it in the goal?
Yes, Natal can support multiple players. If you remember the advertisement, the girl drove the race car into the pit, and the boy replaced a wheel.
As some commenters have pointed out "yes".
But I haven't seen actual video of it (remember, everything in the ad was fake, and concept).
@Jason: Actually, it was the father that replaced the wheel (I remember this because I found that whole thing so hilarious to watch I couldn't stop laughing really at how into it they were lol).
To me, Natal seems like it's trying to get rid of the controller TOO much, kind of making me think, hey, if you want to kick a soccer ball and block it, go outside and do it instead of kicking air. Playing a game like FIFA 09 using a controller is a different experience.
I think motion controllers can be done right, these companies need to know how to market them right though. Instead of telling people we can pretend to kick a ball, they (mainly Natal) should look to appeal more to hardcore audiences.
Oh, and if anyone saw the Burnout Paradise setup on Jimmy Fallon a while back, was it just me, or did anyone else think that holding your hands up like you're holding a steering wheel would be tiring. I don't know about you, but after 10 minutes of playing, I'd say screw this, get me a real racing wheel lol
I also found when I used a camera tracking-based motion control system (can't remember the name off hand) I found it difficult to work out where the neutral position of the steering wheel was due to the lack of feedback. Also, it was difficult to modulate speed: I used the distance (i.e. size of the object on camera) in order to modulate speed and it was difficult to do much other than full forward and full backward/stop.
Knowing the release time-frame is good. Force feedback is definitely awesome to have on this.
What does force feedback mean?
Force feedback means this isn't a dildo.. it is a vibrator..
Numus: Perfect response
lol
lol guys nice replies :)
Force-feedback is what DualShock 3 is got. That rumble feature
@Steve
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=force+feedback
I think they're making a horrendous gaffe calling this force feedback. Anyone who has used a force feedback joystick knows it's totally different from a bit of vibration. Force feedback means you'd swing your sword into a virtual wall and the device would attempt to stop your hand from moving. If you were using a shooting game, it would whip your hand upwards when you fired instead of giving you a bit of a buzz.
It's a cool product, but misleading marketing.
Sony should just give it up... They can never compete with mircosoft and especially not nintendo!
haterade....
have you ever played a ps3 exclusive? the graphics blow other consoles out the water! really, once third parties start developing versions of their games exclusively for the ps3, the graphics barrier will be smashed.
and dont give me good games, i can rifle off a bunch:
mgs
ratchet
drake
wipeout (it's really good i swear)
gt5
fatal inertia
time crisis
resistance
killzone
not to mention all of the psn titles that actually make you wanna buy them (psone classics anyone?)
and a legit blu-ray player (i'd get it just for that)
and for the record I have both 360 and ps3 (won both at college at separate events) and i play ps3 much more than I do 360 but i'm not a fanboy just someone who plays both and sees a difference
@Point_Blank,
"...They can never compete with mircosoft..."
yeah, their XBxo 306 is superduper cutting edge!!!
.
PS3 is already down the tube, they need to go ahead and give it the $100 price cut so it can maybe have a chance to compete with the XBOX. Seems I read somewhere that PS2 sales (consoles and games) have eclipsed those of the PS3? What a shame! Xbox Live completely sh!ts on PSN-no DLC-couldnt imagine playing Fallout 3 and not being able to play the DLC until it comes out on Disc. Plus PS3 has roughly HALF the number of titles available as XBOX. Basically the only upside of the PS3 is the Blu-Ray, but with XBOX streaming 1080p video and Netflix thats not even that strong of a selling point. All the PS3 owners need to get real with themselves, go trade it in before its worth as much as my shoe after i stepped in dog crap, and get you an XBOX BIATCH!!
I would have gotten it for a blu-ray player back in the day if I had wanted one and it was the cheaest one there was. However, times have changed and the PS3 is no longer a good solution for a blu-ray player unless you are actually going to play it as well, which I would never do. Give me my 360 controller any day over any controller Sony has ever made.
Wow.. it is great to see the sonyfanboys out in force today..
@V Langs you are wrong.. Every review.. every game producer has admitted the xbox 360 (even though older) is more powerful then the ps3 in every aspect including availability of video memory, faster processing technology and better sdk support...
@yes .. your name says it all.. yes the xbox 360 is still to this day more cutting edge then the ps3...
@Point Blank
Like what the PS2 did to the Game Cube and the Xbox ?
@numus He isn't wrong it's called an opinion. Just like reviewers, they review with *gasp* their opinions.
I agree with the Microsoft fanboys - the Xbox 360 is the greatest gaming console God has ever created. When I'm not dreaming of Steve Ballmer, I'm dreaming of my Xbox 360. It does it all. In fact, I'm typing this message on my 360 righ*RROD*
OMG, is there anything wrong with having multiple consoles. Fanboys get over yourselves. If there were only one real console it would suck. No real feature competition. Oh and the Wii isn't a console, it's a toy.
@Numus
More cutting edge in which way?? The fact that is has a cell processor? The fact that its has a built in bluray player?
It is easy to compare figures and come to conclusion that the 360 is 'more powerful' but has others have said show an xbox 360 exclusive that outshines a ps3 exclusive (*cough* killzone 2) and not read reviews based on games that come out for both platforms.
I own a ps3 and think it is great if not a bit too expensive but I know I paid nearly twice as much for a laptop that is no where near as powerful so I wont complain. Also I can admit that the online aspect of the ps3 could be better.
Less than Casual Gamer
@numus
I'm not sure where you got your facts, but every game producer has said that the 360 is easier to design for... not more powerful in every aspect. The problem with the PS3 is developers need to take extra time to experiment with the new engine. Instead, most just go for the easy way out and design it for the 360, and then port it to the PS3. This is a business game where the faster they develop it the faster they can gain money, and because the 360 is easier to design for and has more consumers, it means more money. Unfortunately, this means less exclusive games for the PS3, although the games designed specifically for the PS3 are generally better because the games attempt to push the limits of the console.
I just read an article that some developers feel that the 360 has been pushed to its limits, while PS3 development is still evolving.
I do enjoy the lineup the 360 has, which is my main console of choice, and the superior social networking experience... but I feel let down by the number of quality games released. I guess that's why I really like PS3 exclusives. The developers generally take extra time to utilize every aspect of the system, and are in it to create an amazing finished product. Not some cookie cutter game that's just been re-branded.
But back to topic... I doubt if I'll ever buy into this motion control experience. Like the Wii... I'm sure it'll just pick up dust if I ever get one, even Natal. And as for multi-player on Natal; I wouldn't believe everything you see in an ad designed to sell a product that isn't even finalized yet.
Just my $0.02
@Poke
Wow you really must be the insecure fanboy you are.. First you say i have a problem with my masculinaty because i claim this thing is a vibrator (have you ever seen a vibrator before? Look at one side by side with this tracking wand... ) then you try to claim the cell processors are an upgrade from the tri-core xeons in the 360.. Oh and then you pull out the usually ps3 fanboy line of blueray...
You claim you are a less then casual gamer.. Which i take to mean you actually have no idea what you are talking about.. But if you need a little lesson in processor comparisons i will be happy to do a quick runthrough..
PS3: 7 Cell processors.. 1 PPE core for OS and applications that is the only processor that has direct access to the 512 MB off the 2 buses.. Break that into 256 mb of main memory for processing and 256 mb of GPU memory that can't be reallocated.
Furthermore the PPE processor has 512 KB L2 cache on it (the equivalent of the amd athlon X2 you see in laptops today) along with 32kb of L1 intrustion and 32KB of L1 data...
6 Cell processors left as SPE that do not have branch predicition capability (one cant really see what the other is going to do).. these processors have 256kb of sram per but cant access the 512mb of main system mem.. the PPE can access the 256kb per cell tho which still is worthless in the end..
Xbox 360: 3 General Purpose PPE cores for all access... these cores are built off a xeon base and have 2 threads per core... equaling out to 6 threads total..
512 MB of main memory that all 3 cores can access and the GPU.. unlike sony who can only allocate 256 to processing and 256 to gpu.. the xbox can allocate it however is needed... 1 MB L2 shared by all 3 cores instead of only 512kb L2 on the PPE cell of the cell processor in the sony...
I am failing to see where the cell processor beats the xeon processor...
It has NOTHING to do with the xeon line of processors except that the name is similar: Xenon. It's an IBM PPC core which is not based on Intel Xeon processors in any way shape or form.
@Andir3.0
Sorry you are right on that one..
It is based off of PPC architecture.. the rest still holds true
@ Numus
Actually, you're an idiot...
First off, the PS3 does not have '7cell processors'. It has 1 Cell processor, and that processor has 1 PPE and 8 SPU's, the 8th disabled for chip yields and the 7th reserved for the System Software. The SPU's are designed like on board co-processors. And the Cell has it's 256MB RAM for the CPU on the actual die, making for shorter access speeds.
The Cell was designed by IBM to replace the POWER architecture that the 360 uses, as POWER is a dinosaur. Especially in it's TDP ratings-the old architecture was notorious for excessive heat production. While the 360's Xenon chip uses a clone of the PPE, it was a differen, less efficient version. As for Branch Prediction? This is like saying Windows 95 is better than Windows XP because it's DOS-based. The Cell is designed not to need BP, and IBM's SDK for Cell applications show how to work without it.
From when you put the word 'blueray' I knew you were a moron, but it just got worse as I read your post. You also defeated yourself on the cache arguement-512kb plus the 256k per SPU beats a mere 1MB shared among 3 cores, which is around 330kb.
In the words of Atari: Do the math!
(btw: it's Blu-Ray)
@Numus
Specifications such as CPU cache and RAM mean next to nothing. Are you telling me an i7 920 is slower than a Q9550 because the Q9550 has 12MB of L2 cache and the i7 has 8MB of slower L3 cache + 1MB L2? Okay, so they're similar performance, but the point is cache amount =/= CPU power.
As for RAM, they aren't really comparable. The 360 uses GDDR3 as it's main RAM (I believe, don't quote me on that), whereas the PS3 uses XDR RAM. I don't know all the specifics of either, so I won't try to compare them, but from what I've read, XDR RAM is much better than GDDR3.
Infact, if you want to get into specs and limitations, the limitation of both systems are their disc drives (and HDD, if you install to it, although to a lesser degree). The Blu-Ray drive does read faster than the 360's DVD drive, but only marginally, and both systems' internals can process data faster than the drives can read it. It all comes down to how the developers code the game up.
Point is, you can't say one is "better" just from specifications. PS3 has good games, 360 has good games. Some games are on both. Don't try to tell me one is much better than the other.