PlayStation Move: everything you ever wanted to know

Sony dropped a lot of knowledge on us yesterday, at long last replacing rampant speculation with some cold hard facts -- and even a name! -- for its new PlayStation motion controller. The PlayStation Move is being described as a "platform" and a "virtual console launch" by folks at Sony, and we think they mean it, so prepare for a motion-controlled ad war later this year, as Microsoft and Sony set themselves up for a real three-way fight with Nintendo for your physical living room activity of the gaming variety. While some of the high-level Wii-like functionalities might be obvious, follow us after the break as we walk through the nitty gritty of everything we know so far about Move.

PlayStation Move press photos

The basics

If you've seen a Wii before, you're already familiar with the most basic concept here. PlayStation Move is a motion controller system, with sensors to detect the player's movements and translate them into gameplay. There's a wrist strap, so you're expected to make some exaggerated movements. Where Move departs from the Wii is that while the Wii has detection of movement (with its built-in accelerometers), pointing (with the sensor bar), or even exact orientation (with that addition of MotionPlus), Move can track its controller precisely within real 3D space, instead of just relative movement based on a previous position. For gameplay this means less of those cute little flicks Wii pros have come so fond of -- most gameplay motions require a full and complete movement on Move -- but it also means interesting things for augmented reality. Of course, for augmented reality you need a camera, and lucky for Sony it has the PlayStation Eye already on the market. In fact, the Move system is partly based on what the Eye can detect of those cute colored balls at the end of each Move controller, which lets the PlayStation know how far away from the camera the controller is, and map, say, a tennis racket exactly to a user's hand.

This sounds all well and good, but it would be worthless if Sony hadn't worked out the potential lag in such a CPU-heavy tracking process. Luckily, they say they've got the problem cracked, sending control data with a mere 1 fps delay -- equal to that of the DualShock 3.

Move controller and sub-controller

The Move controller is a very odd-looking affair. It's almost like if you took a wireless microphone, and then extended the mesh ball past the top of the mic until it was its own separate entity. Then you lit the mesh on fire and started waving the mic around wildly. Alright, analogy gone too far.

The black, matte plastic of the controller will be very familiar to anyone who's held a DualShock 3 before, and the sense of weight and balance -- not too heavy to be cumbersome, not too light as to feel cheap -- is right on target as well. The controller is significantly lighter than a Wiimote, which seems like it'll really help fight fatigue, and we're guessing that's mostly to do with the fact that instead of AA batteries the Move controller rocks a rechargeable battery. Of course, with a few of these laying around (the PS3 can support four at once), in addition to your existing DualShocks and maybe a sub-controller or two, we can imagine a burgeoning market for USB charging trees. Of course it's wireless, based on Bluetooth, and the sub-controller is tether-free as well.

The controller is basically cylindrical, with a slight ergonomic taper in the middle, though thanks to the flattened face buttons area and the trigger notch, it's easy to keep the controller in its correct orientation. At the end of the controller is the light-up ball, which is actually hollow, incredibly squishy, and built out of some very odd rubbery material. The upshot of the controller's layout is that your hand should be covering all the hard plastic stuff when you're playing, with just the squishy ball exposed, so potential injuries have already been slightly mitigated without having to resort to the shame of a Wiimote condom.

That ball serves quite a few purposes. Firstly, it's tracked by the PlayStation Eye for its X, Y, and Z positioning in 3D space, based on its size and location in the camera field. One thing that helps it be tracked is the fact that it lights up from within, but those lights serve an additional purpose of conveying game info. None of the games we played last night used this feature (picking instead an arbitrary color), but most of them were planning on it. The ball can flash any RGB color, and has a really delightful glow to it. It's easily the most distinctive bit of the whole setup visually, and expect your less-informed friends to be asking you about "that controller with the funny glowing ball at the end of it" as we near the launch.

Location in 3D space is of doubtless importance, but equally important in motion gaming are the angle, orientation, and acceleration of the controller, and PlayStation Move luckily has those in spades. The Move controller has a three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer and a "terrestrial magnetic field sensor." We're not sure what that last thing is, perhaps a compass, but it sounds pretty badass. The upshot of all this is that even if you take the light-up ball off camera, or it's obscured somehow, the controller still does a good job of figuring out its orientation and movement. A couple of games even have preprogrammed gestures for spin attacks where you literally spin yourself around, or taunts where you place the controller behind your back. In addition to the feedback of the light-up ball there's also built-in rumble. Poor SIXAXIS never stood a chance.

On the face of the controller are small versions of the standard square / circle / triangle / x face buttons, which are slightly more resistive and clicky than a regular PlayStation controller -- they're clearly designed more for occasionally activating a function than constant mashing. Your thumb primarily rests on a large button in the center with the Move logo inscribed on it. We heard this called the "plunger" by one developer, though that doesn't seem to be an official title. In games it's merely denoted by a grey icon in the pill shape of the button. The button has a nice feel to it, and its unique shape means it's easy to hold down without fatigue -- something we've had trouble with at times with the Wii's A button. Below the thumb button and recessed enough to be in no danger of an accidental press is the PlayStation button for bringing up the XMB and syncing the controller with the console. Around back is an analog trigger that is nicely notched and very comfy, and on the front sides are flattened Start and Select buttons.

The "sub-controller" (that's the official, un-catchy name for it at the moment) is a much more limited affair, thought it's easily more complicated than its Nunchuck competition on the Wii side when it comes to buttons. Up top there's a nice, DualShock-style analog stick, below that is a d-pad flanked by replicas of the main controller's X and O buttons (we're guessing this will give people some flexibility in control schemes, otherwise it could cause some major headaches if each X or O does something different), and there's also another PlayStation button. Around back is a second analog trigger more akin to the DualShock's than the notched one on the main controller, and above that is an analog shoulder button. There are no motion sensors inside the sub-controller, and from what we can tell there's no rumble either, though we couldn't get a straight "no" on that.

PlayStation Move first hands-on

Uses

Between the PlayStation Eye, up to four Move controllers, some unnamed quantity of sub-controllers, and your hooligan friends, the combinations and uses are pretty endless. Here are some configurations that are possible off the top of our heads: we're sure there are others, but this should get your imagination going:

• Single Move controller: This is the most basic setup, and how the controller will be sold as a kit: PlayStation Eye, Move controller, and game.
• Dual Move controllers: We saw a ton of examples of this in videos and in actual games we tested, so prepare to spring for a second Move controller right away. Luckily, many of the dual-controller games seemed to have a mode where you can control them with a single controller, but that sounds pretty sub-optimal.
• Move controller + PlayStation Eye: Obviously everything uses the Eye for detecting motion, but we also saw some games like Move! Party (a working title) and EyePet that rely heavily on the Eye. Uses include capturing your face and mapping it to a character, giving you a 3D prop but otherwise displaying the full video feed, and voice commands (there's built-in mic on the Eye).
• Move controller + sub-controller: We've only seen this demoed with SOCOM 4 so far, and we get the feeling that Sony is going to reserve this more complicated, optional controller for its core gamers. Since there's no way to track the motion of the sub-controller, movement possibilities are also reduced compared to a dual Move controller setup.
• Move vs. Move, or Dual Move vs. Dual Move: This is where it should get really fun / dangerous. Two people swinging two Move controllers around wildly. We're guessing four player games will be possible as well with one person holding one Move each, but we didn't see any demoed.

Setup

Sony says that most games need configuration before each play. Luckily, it's a pretty painless process, but it also depends on your setup and the game. For instance, some Move games require a "wingspan check" where you hold one controller out to the side with your arm fully extended, and then hold it near your belt. Some dual Move games have this sort of "magnetic" pairing setup, where you place both controllers side by side and point them at the screen, and they rumble as if attracted to one another. For a shooter like SOCOM there's a screen that lights up one center edge of the screen at a time and asks you to point there. For all games you're supposed to stand about two or three yards away from the screen and center yourself on the PlayStation Eye. We don't know if the PlayStation Eye can be placed either above or below the screen, but in all the setups we saw it was placed right above the TV.

Games

In a way, Sony is only ready to show tech demos at this point, to let people know that Move works and how it works, so it's understandable that the games were pretty scarce and rough around the edges. We're promised much more to come, and some more blockbuster-style stuff for 2011. Below is a quick rundown of the games we've seen:

Move Party (working title): A minigame collection that uses a lot of augmented reality and bizarre situations to delight, entertain, and eventually bore you. Check out Joystiq's impressions.

Sports Champions (working title): It's like Wii Sports, but in HD! We didn't see all the games, but we know that at least table tennis (single Move, multiplayer is possible) a gladiator game (dual or single Move) and archery (dual Move, probably single Move, it's unclear). Check out Joystiq's impressions.

SOCOM 4: It's a FPS, much akin to a traditional Wii FPS control setup, though with a bit more sensitivity for pointing off screen for camera movement. Uses Move controller + sub-controller. Check out Joystiq's impressions.

TV SuperStars: A terrifying minigame collection involving tons of facemapping that we're avoiding at all costs. Steer clear of Joystiq's gallery.

Slider: Some really bizarre, truly Japanese game where an office worker and a rolling deskchair slide improbably through a cityscape. We haven't seen it in action yet, but we're dying to. Joystiq has a gallery.

The Shoot: An on-rails shooter using a single Move controller, with a few motion gimmicks like a spin attack. Was not only unimpressive, but also relatively laggy. We'll be avoiding. Check out Joystiq's impressions.

Motion Fighter (working title): A very visceral, "gritty" underground boxing game that uses Dual Move controllers. We didn't get to play this, but the demo we saw on stage was pretty impressive, including putting an opponent in a headlock and punching their face with the mere power of mime. Joystiq has a gallery.

EyePet: A PlayStation Eye game that's already available in Europe, but will launch in the US with Move, replacing its card-tracking interface with a Move controller. Joystiq has more info.

Brunswick Pro Bowling: We didn't see this in action, but we can guess how it goes down.

Most of these from what we can tell are slated to launch when PlayStation Move launches this fall. You can follow the rest of Joystiq's coverage here, and check out our hands-on impressions with the games / controllers here.

Retail plans

So, now that you know what it is, when can you buy it? It's slated for a "holidays" launch, which could mean any number of things, but we're guessing Sony's going to want this out not long after November. Unfortunately, Sony has a pretty bad track record with launching stuff on time; PlayStation Move was originally slated for Spring, for instance. Obviously they "have" to get it out for the holidays with Microsoft's Natal launching in a similar time frame, but there's always the danger of a last minute hiccup, and we're not going to put too much stock in projected dates until it's really out.

Pricing details are a little more firm, with a sub-$100 kit slated to bring people the core experience of a PlayStation Eye, Move controller and game (we're guessing Move Party or Sports Champions, though there's no confirmation of either). There will also be a PS3 bundle with all those elements, some high-profile games will be bundled with Move, and you can of course buy each element separately -- perfect for someone who already owns a PlayStation Eye. There isn't any word on prices for separate components, but that's going to be a huge factor in this platform's success -- which we're sure Sony knows as well as anybody. The beauty of Natal is that you buy it and you're set, no extra peripherals needed, no matter how many players you add.

Last thoughts

In all, what we saw here at GDC is a very early incarnation of PlayStation Move. While we doubt the controller will change before launch, Sony even has disclaimers on its press images saying that "design and specifications are subject to change without notice," so anything's possible. All the software, meanwhile, was labeled "pre-alpha," and we really think they mean it. Nothing was feature complete, most games had lag and frame rate hiccups, and we kept hearing "we might be adding that" when asking about specific features. It was a true tech demo, and we are sincerely impressed by the technology, despite the issues. However, at the end of the day Sony's going to have to show up for its little battle with Natal with some serious gaming firepower, and tight, refined experiences. There's a clear learning curve for developers when it comes to motion controlled gaming that was somewhat forgivable with the Wii at launch, but a few years in we're frankly expecting perfection, no matter how "unfair" that might be. There aren't enough pieces for our hearts to break into if this turns into another SIXAXIS debacle.

[scl23enN4m3 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:33PM]

Really? No "Read More" link?

[PastorTom Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:34PM]

@scl23enN4m3

What else is there to read?

Bad product. The end.

[Almo Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:35PM]

@PastorTom

Bad in your opinion. Plenty are excited for it and it'll surely sell.

[scl23enN4m3 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:35PM]

@PastorTom
I spoke too soon...the post took up half the homepage.

[N900 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:40PM]

@PastorTom Opinions, much

I don't really care if the Ninfanbo's call this a Wii rip-off or what have you. I couldn't care less. Can't wait to pick this thing up! (and PSEye too)

[month Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:47PM]

@scl23enN4m3

Well, Engadget isn't like all other tech sites. They actually get the data first hand, they don't steal it from other sites then source it.

Engadget is the site that all other tech sites source to.

[scl23enN4m3 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:50PM]

@month
"Read More" would just be expanding the post, I think you're referring to the Source links..

[werty1432k Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:19PM]

@scl23enN4m3 Nintendo's response should be interesting. Finally some stiff competition to take on the console that everyone has but no one plays!

[Extinction Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:38PM]

This isnt everything I wanted to know

-Will they let it connect to PSP Go?
-Will they add a bluetooth adapter to previous PSPs to use Move?
-Will they make a gun shell with a PSP mount for RemotePlay SilentScoping?
-Does it have some internal memory like Wiimote does?
-Will games use bluetooth headsets as a Wiimote speaker?
-How much will the starter kit cost if you have PSeye already?
-What is the release date?
-Is the an EXT port on the bottom of the subcontroller?

[Troyb0y29 Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:07PM]

@N900 Eyetoy failed. It picked up my couch instead of me. This is a wii rip off and Nintendo should sue.

[intense Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:22PM]

@Almo I agree, I was debating getting a Wii for my kids sake but with this coming out, I can save a couple hundred.

[sonyforlife Posted Mar 11th 2010 5:37PM]

@Troyb0y29 xbox is a ripoff of playstation there i said it. what i am saying there is nokia sony ericsson hey they are both phones 1 should sue the other. hey xbox and playstation are both consoles 1 should sue the other. hey acer and alienware both make pc 1 should sue the other. Do you get the point??

[iLi3kTuttles Posted Mar 16th 2010 3:45PM]

@sonyforlife Yeah they are both videogames, but Wii should receive all credit for pioneering the motion control technology as we know it. Now I'm not saying Sony isn't improving that, but there is no way you can look at that controller and say it doesn't resemble a Wiimote.

[emopoops Posted Mar 18th 2010 2:34AM]

@scl23enN4m3 just rediculous. now zombies are invovled!

[mrcain Posted Apr 30th 2010 11:38PM]

@N900 Sony may not have been the first to bring motion control to the console gaming industry but they will over deliver when it comes to the games and software... Look at the difference in quality of a wii game and a playstation game, its just not apples to apples.

On the price issue http://sonyps4.com has reported that the entire kit would cost only $100. I know that all of this is rumors still and there is no official price tag out there but was wondering if the 100 dollars is estimated for the core system or as it is explained on http://sonyps4.com/playstation-move-prices/

Thanks!

[jdm28690 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:34PM]

does it vibrate ?

[DaHarder Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:36PM]

@jdm28690

More-so... Does It Blend?

[Ryan1000000 Posted Mar 14th 2010 12:39AM]

@DaHarder
win!

[Rowedahelicon Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:34PM]

The future. : http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Rowedahelicon/design/wtfsony.png

[Almo Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:36PM]

They innovate and improve, an ideal tech company. Go Sony!

[commenter7 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:36PM]

http://newtech.aurum3.com/images/wii-black-controller.jpg

compare this with the first pic

[commenter7 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:39PM]

@commenter7

Nevermind Ill do it for you

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/2702/comparen.png

[N900 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:44PM]

@commenter7 Hmm I see...... The Move is secondary controller is wireless and overall IMO both controllers are more ergonomically designed than the former. Thanks for the comparison!

[commenter7 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:45PM]

@N900

plus the blue circle has now been changed into a blue ball

[Downpour Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:13PM]

@commenter7

LOL Motion controllers == Fail, hard work and gaming doesn't mix.

Sure they sell, I have a Wii myself... It sits gathering dust on the shelf while I play on my 360 ;0)

[thesafecigarette Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:48PM]

@Downpour
Maybe it's because I'm fat and lazy but if I don't want to get of my couch to go buy one then I probably won't get off my couch to play one.
Fat American FTW! :)

[JQuB3 Posted Mar 12th 2010 12:28AM]

@commenter7

Yes.. I see your point. Sony's Hand model is better than Nintendo's.

[Christian Martin Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:36PM]

Slider looks so ridiculous I have to have it.

[pankomputerek Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:47PM]

@Christian Martin What slider?

[Christian Martin Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:54PM]

@pankomputerek

One of the games mentioned.

[Scape3d Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:37PM]

God, I just really hate that huge bulb.

[pankomputerek Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:41PM]

@Scape3d It's cool at least you'll be able to see when someone is about to hit you!

[Pookiewood Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:12PM]

This thing still looks like a Prototype. I think they should scrap it and go back to the drawing board literally! Couldn't they have put LEDs inside the controller behind a shaded piece of plexi-glass/plastic?

If this was what the Wiimote looked like the PS-ers would say it's "Kiddie" and shows that Nintendo still isn't mature. Think about the time when the Wii launched and think if it had a controller with a cute glowing sphere on it.

[sweet greggo Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:27PM]

@Scape3d

They stole engadget's blue! Sue em, Josh!

[Extinction Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:39PM]

@Pookiewood you guys do know the orb is how the pseye locates it right? its needed

[Pookiewood Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:03PM]

@Extinction Yeah We understand that. They need to implement it differently though.

[wicketr Posted Mar 11th 2010 5:17PM]

@Pookiewood

Why? Because you're worried about what your friends say? Who cares what the thing looks like as long as it works brilliantly. I couldn't care less if they could make the orb twice as big if it made it that much more precise. I'm looking at the screen anyway, not my remote.

....I guess that's a part of growing up: quit caring about how things look, and worrying more about how good/reliable they work.

[Krantzstone Posted Mar 23rd 2010 12:56AM]

@Scape3d

I can quickly see it being used for, ahem, "self-pleasuring" purposes.

[pankomputerek Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:40PM]

Take that Nintendo!

[m1sapito Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:14PM]

ya take that Nintendo now us PS3 owner are bad ass with our fairy wands that light up! NICE!!!!!

[pankomputerek Posted Mar 11th 2010 4:18PM]

@m1sapito at least you can see when some1's about to hit you in dark!

[G33K3d uP Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:41PM]

I'll leave motion controlling up to me Wii. Why? Wii had it first. Also I can Pirate (test?) games... Then go back and buy the ones I enjoy. When there cheaper of course! Just my $0.02...

[N900 Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:48PM]

@G33K3d uP If we leave advancing technologies up to companies who "had it first", we would have accomplished nothing. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to the store.

*hops in Model-T*

[LAY Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:57PM]

@G33K3d uP

Nintendo wasnt the first company to have a video game system.

[m1sapito Posted Mar 11th 2010 3:30PM]

@G33K3d uP
I agree Wii build a system around that motion control why do I want to spend money on an afterthought or an additional control only to play a handful of game then change control for the rest, seem a lot of money for nothing great. $ control + $ eye NOT GOOD!

[iLi3kTuttles Posted Mar 17th 2010 5:58PM]

@LAY Just the first to have a good one.

[Keegsta Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:43PM]

Why doesn't any company understand that we like to play video games with NORMAL controllers?

[pankomputerek Posted Mar 11th 2010 2:46PM]

@Keegsta well, you still have the option...

[frederick52785 Posted Mar 11th 2010 7:58PM]

@Keegsta

Tell that to the millions of people who own a wii. Obviously we are taking games down a new path, and I like it. A wii, but with much better graphics sounds like a winner to me.

[brexb Posted Mar 11th 2010 8:31PM]

@Keegsta

Plus, when I'm at my friends and we're bowling or playing tennis on the Wii, it's a party (we might be drinking too). But when they come to my place and we're playing on my PS3, all but two of us are bored silly. Motion controllers = group engagement. And that's a good thing.