New Artillery in the Console Wars

By: Nate Nelson (Contributing Writer)

Firing another salvo in the always-evolving Video Game Console Wars, Sony introduced and demonstrated the PlayStation Move motion controller at a recent conference for game developers. The information was almost certainly received with a chorus of heated Japanese cursing at the headquarters of Nintendo Co.

Sony had announced they were developing a motion control system last June, but did not release details until last week’s official unveiling at the conference. Like the Nintendo Wii’s revolutionary system, the PS3 Move controller is a rectangular, hand-held device that feeds tracking information to a receiver tied to the console. A glowing ball at the end of the PS3 Move is reported to contain the tracking hardware, and transmits it to an “eye” camera mounted near the television. Also like the Wii’s Nunchuk, the PS3 Move comes with a secondary controller with an analog stick and directional buttons for in-game adjustments.

Sony also indicated that 36 third-party developers were already working on games for the new Move platform, including Disney Interactive Studios, Electronic Arts, Activision, SEGA, and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment.

Although Sony’s controllers take their inspiration from the Wii system, in the dog-eat-dog world of video game consoles, the next eaten dog could be the Nintendo Wii. Already struggling in reputation among serious gamers, a competing product that reproduces the one unique aspect of their system could decrease interest in the Nintendo Wii even further.

The original philosophy of a game system that would encourage physical movement was seen as a positive step forward, away from the long, inactive hours of serious gamers and young teenagers. However, most games that absorb players for long periods of time are not realistic for continual motion and action. It sounds exciting: you are actually moving your arms around to operate the sword/gun/boomerang/turtle shell that beats the bad guys and wins the game. However, because the action is imprecise and tedious, no serious gamer wants to wave a sword for the forty-plus hours it takes to win a game like Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

How the Sony PS3 Move controller will address that fundamental issue is unclear, although the impressive list of developers seems to indicate that they do not foresee any problems. Original game ideas and further development could be precisely what the motion video game category needs to capture the gamer imagination again.

Microsoft, not content to let Sony be the only console to try overrunning Nintendo, is developing “Project Natal;” their version of the motion system. “Project Natal” relies on total motion capture without the use of external hardware (e.g. controllers). The system tracks a player’s body movements through the game, taking the Wii’s original concept to a higher level of interactivity (and, possibly, a higher level of tediousness). It is scheduled for release by Christmas 2010.

Motion control in video games may not have the buzz or panache it had during the 2006 holiday season, but fresh ideas and new developments should bring much of the popular interest back. Because the engineering for the Sony PS3 Move and “Project Natal” must have begun back when the Wii was still the talk of the video game world, the investment for either company would be too great for either of them to alter plans or reconsider by now. Although interest in the Wii and motion control games is dwindling, they remain popular and will likely enjoy a renaissance as well. The Console War could then be decided by which platform manages to capture the serious gamers. Any bets on who will win?

Sound off below and keep an eye on MyRealityTech as we try to get our eagerly twitching fingers on the new toys.

(via InformationWeek)