Sony's Yoshida explains why Move wasn't possible at PS3 launchtime
From a technological perspective, PlayStation Move offers much more than what Nintendo's original Wiimote, and even the subsequent MotionPlus add-on, can provide. However, critics point out that it's taken four years for Sony to develop and market a proper response to Nintendo. Considering Move-like technology was in development at Sony since the PS2 era, why has it taken the company so long to produce something? Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's Worldwide Studios, offered a reasonable explanation.
"We couldn't have made Move when we launched PS3," Yoshida told Wired. "We needed the time to be able to create the performance of Move with the target price that we started out with." (Microsoft has reportedly struggled with balancing technological edge with a reasonable price tag for Kinect, as well.) Still, all these years later, PlayStation Move controllers aren't exactly cheap, and Sony continues to been criticized for being late to the game. Yoshida had his response to that, though: "A 2010 system is what we are launching in 2010. In that sense, I don't think we are late at all."
Of course, with sales of Wii hardware and software on the decline, even Sony has to wonder: Has the motion control fad lost its momentum? It'll be interesting to see how Move (and Kinect) answer that question in the months to come.
