PlayStation Move Not Much Different Than Nintendo Wii
LOS ANGELES - Sony displayed several different titles for the new PlayStation Move motion controller that will be released this September at the E3 video game conference this week. The company touts that its Move controllers are more accurate than other controllers, including Microsoft Kinect and Nintendo Wii, but does it live up to that promise?
After playing with the Playstation Move ourselves, the short answer is yes ... and no.
All the titles available for the Move demo were sports or party games, similar to those common on the Wii. This gives a sense of familiarity when using Move; it's not a significantly new control system like Kinect is.
While the Move controller does indeed seem to be more sensitive, it's not significantly more accurate than the Motion Plus update for the Wiimote , which improved Wii accuracy. What the Move does do better is spatial awareness. The ball on top of the hand-held controller helps the Move gauge depth Ñ not just left and right or up and down movement.
While the sort of games that normally rely on precision movements, such as shooters, weren't on display, one game did allow users to interact with a small pet onscreen. The improved spatial awareness did improve interaction there, but overall the device did not feel drastically better than the Wiimote with Motion Plus.
But that's okay because most motion control games don't need much more precision than that. While playing a game of ping pong, we flailed our arms just as wildly as we do when playing the Wii , and with the exact same results. We hit the ball.
The same holds true for most party games, where rough movements are all that's needed and speed is prized over accuracy. Even the boxing game, which feels more precise than the Wii equivalent, still results in most users swinging wild haymakers and throwing as many jabs as possible even thought the increased accuracy allows for a little nuance and strategy.
And ultimately, that may be the final purpose of motion control: Allowing people to act out fantasies or kill some time with a little physical activity, all without worrying about needing every last ounce of accuracy and attention. After all, when people start playing a golf game that creates the same level of difficulty, demands the same level of concentration and replicates the same potential for rage-incuding failure as a real game of golf, many players may start to wonder why they shouldn't just go play the real game instead.
