Hardware

To borrow a bit from our previous coverage, PlayStation Move is a motion controller system with sensors to detect the player's movements and translate them into gameplay. The primary remote is just about the size of the Nintendo Wii remote / attached MotionPlus combination. Where Move departs from the Wii is that while the Wii detects movement with its built-in accelerometers, pointing (with the sensor bar) or even detecting exact orientation (with the addition of MotionPlus), Move can be tracked precisely within real 3D space instead of just inferring relative movement based on your previous position. For gameplay, this means you'll be performing fewer of those cute little flicks Wii pros have become 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 AR 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 helps the PlayStation know how far away from the camera the controller is, and map, say, a tennis racket exactly to a user's hand.

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The controller itself is really comfortable to hold, the contours resting perfectly in our hands. Every button is easy to reach, although the 45-degree counter clockwise twist of the command buttons did confuse us a bit initially. The Move controller's not just for games, either -- it can be used to navigate the top menu by holding down the T button to initiate movement and then tilting in the appropriate direction. Sensitivity can be adjusted, but we found the default to be very manageable. We've discussed lag before, and while it does vary from game to game with any controller (motion and otherwise), overall we can say there wasn't anything notably jarring -- although that said, we weren't playing anything as twitchy as a first-person shooter.

Though not part of any of the bundles, Sony's also releasing a companion Navigation Controller (also wireless) that you'll be able to wield with your off hand for more traditional analog controls. It's got a joystick in the standard position, a directional pad just underneath, as well as additional 'X' and 'O' buttons (generally used as "accept" and "cancel" in most games). Below that is another XMB menu button, and on the underside are L1 and L2 trigger. [...]


Sports Champions

This is the Move's flagship title -- its "Wii Sports," if you will, and in more ways than one. Sports Champions is a collection of titles aimed at showcasing the controller's potential, culled largely from tech demos we've seen since its initial unveil. We're looking at six sports in all: Disc Golf, Gladiator Duel, Beach Volleyball, Archery, Table Tennis, and Bocce. Each sub-game requires a quick calibration before beginning, whereby you stand in the appropriate spot (denoted by brackets overlaying the Eye's visual monitor) and hold the controller at shoulder level, down at your side, and then in front of your belt buckle -- or the general area where one might be. Even if you're using two motion controllers at once (more on that later), only the dominant hand is used for calibration. The process takes seconds, so despite doing it before every single game, it never really bothered us to have to repeat.
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If we had to compare this to the similar motion-centric bundles being offered by the competition -- Wii Sports, Sports Resort, and the still-in-development Kinect Sports -- right now we'd rank this pretty high on the list. Every title felt like something worth multiple playthroughs, and we'll admit, the HD visuals did feel like a value-add. It's a pretty fun title for playing with you friends, and additionally, provides a pretty good showcase for Move's capabilities.


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Wrap-u

"Exactly as with EyeToy in the PS2 days, it's a product that needs to be sampled. You need to get your hands on it. You need to understand it. You need to try it." So says SCE's Senior VP Ray Maguire. And it's true; motion controls are nothing new in the games industry, but PlayStation has really learned from its competitors and delivered a compelling and entertaining experience complemented by the hardware's ability to push HD visuals. But like its rival, the success is going to be largely dependent upon the games that support it. What we've seen so far is very promising, but whether or not the $100+ cost of entry will dissuade one too many customers remains to be seen. The traditional console cycle seems to have been eschewed by all players in favor of new methods of interactions. It's shaping up to be one of the most interesting eras in the history o console gaming, and make no mistake, Sony's got all the right ingredients here.


The Good
- Generally more accurate than Wii
- Augmented reality potential
- Sports Champions a compelling bundled title


The Bad
- Cost of entry might dissuade some
- No "must-have" title at launch
- Traditional controls still more precise