Motion Controller

Nintendo has done very well out of its innovative motion controllers but maintaining its spot at the top of the console sales charts was always going to be an uphill battle once rivals caught up (or overtook) with their own brand of fully-interactive gaming. Project Natal seemed a little ambitious when it was first demonstrated last year, but 12 months and a rebranding later, Kinect appears to be ready for pre-order and most importantly, we have a price.  Read More

Looks like Sony has been saving up announcements for E3 with the company revealing a number of PlayStation-related nuggets at the annual computer and video game trade show in Los Angeles. The announcements included the details of a premium subscription service for the PlayStation Network (PSN) called PlayStation Plus, release details for Sony’s motion controller, the PlayStation Move, and a list of upcoming games, including 3D compatible titles, headed for the console.  Read More

Computex Taipei 2010 is the biggest IT show in Asia and one of the most important such shows in the world and we'll be there next week to report on the hundreds of new products. One Computex new release certain to cause a stir is ASROCK's AIWI, an Apple app which turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a Nintendo Wii-type motion controller for computer games, and maybe more importantly, using the touch screen as a touch pad for controlling the cursor and keyboard functions of a computer. It's not just very clever and very cool – it might just have some serious implications for the future of the Computer (and TV) Human Interface. Our esteemed colleagues at Tweaktown.com have released a sneak peak video demonstration which is well worth a look.  Read More

Sony’s motion controller for the PS3 first unveiled at E3 in 2009 now has a final design along with an official name. At the Game Developer Conference (GDC) 2010 the company officially announced the PlayStation Move motion controller touting its precision and calling it the “next generation of motion gaming”. The controller works in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye camera that tracks the controller’s glowing “light sphere” in three dimensions and that is the key to the Move’s accuracy.  Read More

They first showed it in June 2009, then teased us with a Q2 2010 release, now Sony Computer Entertainment has pushed back the worldwide release window for the still-tentatively-named Motion Controller for the PlayStation 3. Wii-less gamers won't be waving their arms around like lunatics, or smashing their expensive HDTVs until some time in Q4 2010 - presumably in time to catch the Christmas retail wave.  Read More

With the Wii's MotionPlus already old news, and Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's PlayStation Eye-based equivalent likely to hit this year, it's easy to wonder when motion controls will find success in the PC world. ASUS's Eee Stick tried, but merely proved that strong software support for new hardware peripherals is absolutely crucial for success - which is why we're excited to see Valve, developers of hit series such as Half-Life, Left 4 Dead and Portal, showing support for Razer and Sixense's new, as-yet-unnamed motion control hardware for the PC.  Read More

Watch out Wii! Nintendo’s hugely popular console, which made motion sensitive game play a household fixture the world over, could have some serious competition on the horizon. As well as Microsoft continuing to develop its impressive looking Project Natal concept, Sony has announced that its own tentatively titled “Motion Controller” is due for a second quarter release in 2010.  Read More

A day after Microsoft took the wraps on its Project Natal motion control system at the E3 expo in Las Vegas, Sony Computer Entertainment has followed suit, showing off its own motion controller prototype for the PlayStation 3. And while the announcements have been popularly characterized as something of a “controller wars”, they're really a signpost pointing the way gaming has been heading since Nintendo stole the show with its Wii motion-sensing game console in 2006 – the need to capture the hearts and minds of the growing gaming audience, especially the moms, dads and similar less hardcore gamers.  Read More