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PlayStation motion controller accuracy 'scarily good'
Just how accurate is the PlayStation motion controller? When Eurogamer asked at the Develop conference if was more advanced than the motion technology in its nearest competitor, the Wii Remote, Paul Holman, SCEE vice president of research and development, confidently responded, "Oh, totally. It's another generation forward, or even a couple of generations." Kish Hirani, head of developer services, offered an example. "What I personally love is to be able to write your name," he said. "Grab a mouse and write your name; it's difficult. The mouse uses very old motion-tracking technology, and to be able to write your name on the screen -- that's the precision you're getting. You've physically got a chalk in your hand, you're in front of the blackboard and you're writing. That's the level of precision involved." In other words, "It's scarily good," Hirani suggested. Writing your name may not be the chief gameplay innovation this new device heralds, but it's an example of what's possible. In terms of what can be done in games, both Holman and Hirani mentioned the fact that, since the technology combines a controller, a camera and a microphone, developers will have choices. Hirani said that "designing your game becomes like cherry picking -- grabbing what you want from these new technologies."
Sony: PlayStation Eye can recognize faces -- right now
Interacting with games without using a controller is apparently a really big deal. Microsoft's got its "Project Natal" thing and Sony has its magic motion wand. Oh, wait. That's technically a controller. That you hold. Fear not, as, during the Develop Conference going on right now in the UK, Sony has revealed that the existing PlayStation Eye camera can recognize you -- well, specifically your face -- and track your skeletal movement without getting all touchy-feely.SCEE says that it already has libraries available for developers who want to integrate the technology into their games. Develop magazine's site quotes developer relations head, Kish Hirani, who divulged that the software was developed by SCEE R&D along with outside developers.While attending the conference, we also learned that it's capable of making out the movement of individual digits -- fancy-talk for fingers -- along with those of your facial bones. Sony has not commented on whether certain hand gestures will be edited out by the software. (Nothing can edit what you'll find after the break from your mind.)
'Only' 80 percent of Home users are males aged 18-35
So you're a fledgling social networking gaming service on one of the world's top three home gaming platforms and your parents -- the people who created you -- stand up and read out your "First Term Report." In public! How embarrassing. Luckily, you're getting the grades -- that is, people are spending ridiculous amounts of money in microtransactions, with $1 million made in the first month -- but it seems you're not mixing with the right social circles. Home director Peter Edwards stated that "only 80 percent of users fall into the 18-35-year-old male demographic." A 10% drop on traditional console audiences, apparently, but still pretty high. Apparently this results in a "significantly broader spectrum of users than your typical console audience." Though, having said that, "between 25 and 35 percent of the connected online PlayStation audience have visited Home at least once." We're intrigued to know what percentage of users have connected at least twice ... or maybe even thrice.
PSN guarded by 'velvet rope,' Relentless dev says
Creative director David Amor of Relentless Software (Buzz! and the newly announced Blue Toad Murder Files) didn't have a bad word to say about Sony or PSN during his and development director Andrew Eades' interview with GamesIndustry.biz. "We're really happy with our relationship with Sony. So when starting this self publishing project we wanted to see their blessing on it and we're glad they've been supportive. I wouldn't want to do something that jeopardizes a good thing," Amor said. As a result, the company has "no immediate plans" to start developing for other devices. Having said that, however, Amor feels that the iPhone is a "very interesting platform," but lacks the level of quality control standards that PSN adheres to. "There's something of a velvet rope around PlayStation Network that I think keeps the quality level high." While we agree for the most part (there are exceptions), we're intrigued to see whether Sony can maintain this quality level while simultaneously expanding the PSN developer base -- particularly when it comes to PSP Go.
Develop 2009's speaker lineup partially unveiled
A selection of the 2009 Develop Conference speakers has been revealed today. Realtime Worlds' David Jones will be keynoting at the conference and will cover "how to make a game successful." Having created titles such as Lemmings, Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown, he should know. Nevertheless, we're expecting an hour long speech about how to bundle your game with an online beta for a Halo game. Usually does the trick.Other notable speakers include Team 17's Martyn Brown, SCEE's Arran Green and Climax Studios' Simon Gardner. Check out the Develop website for the full list. There will be more speakers announced closer to the event, which will take place in July.
