Nintendo may have pioneered the incorporation of a player’s physical movements into the experience of game play with the 2006 introduction of its Wii system, but that doesn’t mean that the competition is caught flat-footed and standing still.
At the Game Developers Conference currently underway in San Francisco, Sony has announced the upcoming launch of its new PlayStation Move controller that they hope will get gamers up off their couches in a collective mad dash.
As ZDNet explains, Sony contends that their product will offer a greater degree of accuracy through the incorporation of more sophisticated motion detection sensors in the hand-held controller. Additional optional hardware that Sony intends to release concurrently will include a sub-controller to work with the hand-held controller to provide additional navigational functions as well as a PlayStation Eye camera geared to 3D simulations. No firm date has been set for the new offerings to hit the shelves, but it’s a safe bet that the new product line will arrive in time for the holiday shopping season.
PhysOrg reports that several major game developers including Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts are already developing new game content designed to take advantage of the new gaming platform. In addition, PhysOrg indicates that Sony’s move is not the last one we should expect to see in this market segment geared to getting gamers physically active while they play. Microsoft is expected to throw their hat into the ring with Project Natal at some point during the year. That gaming hardware suite is expected to incorporate a camera, microphone and depth sensor and is also expected to hit the shelves in time for the holidays.
Eager gamers as well as the intrigued and curious non-gamers may have a bit of a wait before they can experience the new product line in a hands-on way but, in the mean time, Sony offers a preview teaser video clip to help explain the product and build pre-launch interest.
Photo by Goodrob13 via Flickr.