PS3 Motion Controller confirmed for next spring, finally ready for its close-ups
By Paul Miller 
posted September 23rd 2009 9:55PM
posted September 23rd 2009 9:55PM
Update: Press release!
MOTION CONTROLLER* FOR PLAYSTATION®3 TO BECOME AVAILABLE IN SPRING 2010
Motion Controller (Tentative) Equipped with High-Precision Motion Sensors, Combined With
PlayStation®Eye Camera, Delivers Whole New Entertainment Experience on PlayStation®3
Tokyo, September 24, 2009 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that it will release new Motion Controller (tentative) for PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system in Spring 2010. The new controller, equipped with high-precision, highly accurate motion sensors, can deliver whole new entertainment experience on PS3 when combined together with the PlayStation®Eye camera*1. Capable of recognizing and tracking a user's face and voice as well as body motion, PlayStation Eye can also output the player's image onto the TV screen. SCE will vigorously promote the expansion of this new experience only possible on the PS3 platform.
The newly announced Motion Controller is equipped with two motion sensors, three axes gyroscope and three axes accelerometer that can detect the controller's angle and movement held in the user's hand. Together with the PlayStation Eye camera for PS3 which can accurately track the absolute position of the controller, the controller can detect the natural and intuitive movement of the hand and reflect the precise movement on to the game. The sphere placed on the top of the controller is not only used to track the absolute position but can also give visual feedback to users by changing the colors or the illuminating patterns of the sphere. Furthermore, the new controller is also equipped with a rumble feature, familiar to the PlayStation® DUALSHOCK® series controller, delivering immersive gaming experience to users.
Further expanding the new experience on PS3, SCE Worldwide Studios will deliver many exciting software titles for the Motion Controller in 2010*2. SCE, with strong support from software developers and publishers, will deploy various measures to enhance the software title line-up for the new Motion Controller and vigorously promote the PS3 platform.
Motion Controller (Tentative) Equipped with High-Precision Motion Sensors, Combined With
PlayStation®Eye Camera, Delivers Whole New Entertainment Experience on PlayStation®3
Tokyo, September 24, 2009 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that it will release new Motion Controller (tentative) for PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system in Spring 2010. The new controller, equipped with high-precision, highly accurate motion sensors, can deliver whole new entertainment experience on PS3 when combined together with the PlayStation®Eye camera*1. Capable of recognizing and tracking a user's face and voice as well as body motion, PlayStation Eye can also output the player's image onto the TV screen. SCE will vigorously promote the expansion of this new experience only possible on the PS3 platform.
The newly announced Motion Controller is equipped with two motion sensors, three axes gyroscope and three axes accelerometer that can detect the controller's angle and movement held in the user's hand. Together with the PlayStation Eye camera for PS3 which can accurately track the absolute position of the controller, the controller can detect the natural and intuitive movement of the hand and reflect the precise movement on to the game. The sphere placed on the top of the controller is not only used to track the absolute position but can also give visual feedback to users by changing the colors or the illuminating patterns of the sphere. Furthermore, the new controller is also equipped with a rumble feature, familiar to the PlayStation® DUALSHOCK® series controller, delivering immersive gaming experience to users.
Further expanding the new experience on PS3, SCE Worldwide Studios will deliver many exciting software titles for the Motion Controller in 2010*2. SCE, with strong support from software developers and publishers, will deploy various measures to enhance the software title line-up for the new Motion Controller and vigorously promote the PS3 platform.
umm, microphone?
Aw damn, they came out with the ball concept? They could of made the sensor, i dunno, like a short knife or something. Come on.
no, but one might mistake it for a vibra***** never mind that.
censored "vibrator"? what an odd word to censor.
It's not even the right amount of asterisks...
Based on the asterisks, clearly, the word he censored was "vibraphone."
PSwii
Not interested. No appeal whatsoever.
The orb is used for depth perception.
Where's the analog stick?
May be a microphone, but it'll be even funnier when people throw these things at their screen like the Wii-mote. I'm seeing no strap so far.
I see the PS motion controller surviving w/ Wii game ports. I seriously doubt many companies are going to bother creating major console-specific releases tailor-made for a non-standard controller.
While wii ports may be more difficult/not possible, NATAL probably will survive as an augmenting control device; I could definitely see some devs adding in some code to allow for standard game controller controls, coupled with QTE events that're NATAL-controlled. The criticism you often hear of motion games is that they get old/repetitive/tiresome quickly, so this sort of spotty implementation may be more effective than one might think.
Wow, this looks really gay... I'd way rather have project natal so I won't need something in my hands...
Natal looks sweet, but you're going to need at least one button for something, I think. But the 360 controller in your hands goes kind of against the idea of Natal.
with all this hate i guess im the only one that loves this. i feel that natal is almost to ambitious. i dont know i like the glowing ball as long as it nots SUPER BRIGHT. and besides if you got to choose your own color that would be really cool.
sorry didnt mean for my post to be a reply
I agree with you. I really think the ps3 version of motion control is better simply because of the fact that you still fold something. Some games could be played with motion alone but most games need buttons. Not only that but playing a racing game without having something to use as a steering wheel sounds really unfun.
That's definitely not what she said *turns around, let's her hold it*.
@mjayhunt
thats what she said?
@cmsb55
The thing with Natal but is technically there would be nothing stopping you from having a controller and buttons as well as the sensors to handle the positioning aspect. Sony's solution on the other hand gives no such option.
I'd be very suprised if a small controller designed to rest in the palm of your hand isn't released at some point to provide buttons or a joystick to complement Natals motion sensing capabilities.
Natal? You mean that yet-another-cool-lab-project-that-is-a-bitch-in-practicality demo from Microsoft?
Honestly, it may be my lazy nature, but project Natal doesn't seem too attractive to me. I just don't see myself always wanting to jump around in front of my screen to play a game all the time.
A wand with some buttons is about as far as I'll go because you can still relax and sit down for that sometimes.
PSEye can do what Natal can do.
It can track your movement, they already did this stuff with the Eyetoy for PS2 and with the games for the PSEye now. But no one wants to do that stuff. Have you ever used the PSEye? There are DL's for it on the PSN and they are inexpensive. In my opinion, seems to track movement just the same.
If they wanted to track your body plus the movement of the controllers and add the functionality of the controller's button, I am sure it would just take some time to figure out how to do it.
The only thing I see Natal "doing" other than the Eye is the whole "talking to the character" thing, which will not happen this generation, I promise you. If we don't have supercomputers that can have a conversation with us, how are we going to do this with the XBOX 360?
Ballsack.
LOL!
+1
That still looks quite horrible, like a glowing microphone. And the handle of it looks like the shaft of a... [insert Austin Powers double entendre here]
Johnson!
Well, Microsoft better make some moves...
Yup, hurry up Microsoft... Sony has upped the ante on stupid-looking controllers, time to show 'em what's what!
Not really. This controller will sell consoles for Microsoft, no doubt
Stupid-looking?! That's for gaming, remember? Not for performing brain surgery or space exploration.
Oh bother. It actually does look like that.
DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO DILDO
There you go, kids. Now that you've read the obligatory "oh so funny" word, drink your glass of milk and go to bed.
Disco stick?
I don't get one thing... do you have to buy a new PS eye-thing? I already have one, is it the same thing, just with a software update to recognize the glowy balls? I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of cameras if I get extra controllers.
Actually, I think he was referring to the old EyeToy.
Hopefully they bundle the camera and a controller together.
While I'm also impressed with Natal, I'm still excited about PS3's motion device. So what if it has a microphone-ish device that we have to use? In my opinion, that adds to the fun, giving a focus for the camera to add items like swords, etc (like the demo at E3 showed).
Don't be so quick to write it off :)
I remember them mentioning the great analog control capabilities of this controller. Is that big oval button-looking thing in the middle supposed to be the analog stick?
I was thinking it looks like the bottom of an optical mouse. I wonder if it can detect how you move your finger around on it.
Girls are going to raid this. Sorta like, the Harry Potter vibrating broomstick.
LOL
No we won't - that's what toy lightsabers are for.
Yeah, 'cause these are MUCH cheaper than real vibrators. /sarcasm
Alright , I'm going to lay it out right now. This motion sensing crap is needs to die. The wii, natal, and this. It all needs to just be buried in the dirt and forgotten about.
It looks better then what I expected, But it still looks pretty gay! This looks more like a Dildo compared to the Wiimote!
Was really hoping they'd get rid of that ugly ball.
Other than that, it looks good.
Trust me, if they could have gotten rid of it, they would. It's obviously a major part of the whole thing.
They need it, its for sensing the angles and which your holding it. (Its a gyroscope)
They need it, its for sensing the angle. (Its a gyroscope) *
I heard that they needed it for sensing the angle (some kind of gyroscope perhaps)
=o]