Should the Sony’s latest gadget earn a place on your shelf?
It was hardly surprising to discover that Sony wanted to get in on the very profitable motion-control party back in the depths of 2009 - especially considering the mind-blowing success of Nintendo’s phenomenally popular Wii - but the biggest question of all would be over how they intended to go about challenging it. Would they adopt the same strategy as Microsoft and attempt to break in from a completely new angle via the likes of controller-less sensor Kinect, or would they play it safe and hedge their be
ts with tried and tested tech? Now that release day is finally here, it would appear that they’ve actually opted for a dash of both.
Should you pick it up, though? With initial feedback ranging from suggestions that it could revolutionise the genre with unerring accuracy, dead-on control and body tracking to disparaging claims that it’s an unoriginal Wii rip-off with little quality software to back it up, reception for the Playstation’s newest addition has been a bit mixed. The truth? Well, that lies somewhere in-between.
The Tech
At its core, the Playstation Move is one hugely intelligent, responsive and enjoyable system that can (at times) put its older Nintendo equivalent to shame. Why? More then adequately upholding Sony’s fierce reputation as a technological powerhouse, this gadget is arguably the most accurate, reactive and technically impressive motion solution currently on the market. Depth sensing, ‘augmented reality’ (see Eyepet or Start the Party where game elements are placed onto live feed of you and your room), body tracking, internal accelerometers to follow every flick of the wrist… Move has an awful lot of classy aces up its sleeve, and for the most part they work incredibly well - enough to impress even the fiercest critic. If you were afraid that this may be a slap-dash effort to cash in, then fear no more.
Realistic
Tracing your actions via the glowing orb located upon the end of the remote, the accompanying Playstation Eye camera picks up this little ball of light while in use and translates that into motion on screen; meanwhile, the tech inside the controller itself will monitor distance and can allow the system to read in three-dimensions. What this essentially boils down to in real-world terms is a level of sensitivity that responds even to the slightest twitch or movement, and a system that offers far greater accuracy and immersion for the player as well. If you pick up a copy of Sports Champions and try out the fantastic Gladiator Duel, for instance, then you’ll discover a remote that is well up to the task of matching your every swipe or thrust (even down to the orientation of the blade), and you will also find that every swing of your weapon is near 100% true to the remote’s current position because Move does a such a great job of knowing where you are in relation to the game-world. Basically, this gives you the chance to interact with the world in far more realistic depth.
Naturally (this is Sony, after all), the pieces of kit that make up the packet of Move are predictably robust, sturdy and attractive too; fitting comfortably into the palm of the hand and sporting a particularly eye-catching design, the remote itself is a very sturdy piece that proves to be gorgeous when lit to the tune of a multitude of beautiful colours while the Navigation controller (containing a directional stick and D-pad for the likes of shooters) is equally hardy, both matching the h
igh quality seen in the likes of the Dualshock 3 standard controller. Essentially, no expense has been spared here.
Frustrations
Is it all easier to use - not to mention better than - the likes of the Wii’s equivalent, though? Well, no - whereas the Wii’s control-scheme prides itself in being fairly straightforward, the buttons festooning the Playstation Move system are small, awkward, and one hell of a lot more confusing for a casual or new player to use, leaving many curses and hours of confusion behind as wrong combinations are frequently pressed. Atop that - and despite the rest of the controllers’ evident hardiness - the hollow, rubbery light-up ball of the main remote isn’t very tough either, and isn’t likely to last long against the undivided attention of a younger player. On the brighter side, though, at least the accompanying Navigation controller won’t come up against as much punishment - it’s rendered near obsolete due to a lack of use in most current games, along with the fact that it can be replaced comfortably with the standard Playstation Dualshock control. Although it is far more comfortable than the afore mentioned method it lacks motion control, demands £24.99 for very little use and when you consider the fact that you’re already paying £34.99 per remote (some titles even need two per-person to work at their peak, remember), this seems like a completely harebrained, pointless endeavour.
Even more annoyingly, this all pales to insignificance when compared to the biggest problem of Move in the first place: the Playstation Eye camera. This pernickety bit of tech can be thrown off balance far too easily by the simplest of problems such as a tricky room set-up or awkward lighting (players will have to be closeted in dimly light environments f
or the best effect (close all those curtains or flick off the switches) and, obviously, this is far from ideal - especially if you’re using display-systems such as projectors instead of a standard TV.
How bad can it get? When playing in a particularly bright environment (e.g. anywhere near a window) the camera will resolutely refuse to work, while at other moments the player will be regularly treated to frustrating and nonsensical issues for no obvious reason at all - you’re often left to scramble for the camera’s ‘sweet spot’ more than a little on certain titles, and while trying archery on Sports Champions and despite frequent re-calibrations, for example, Move remained resolutely convinced that I was near constantly aiming down at my feet during play. Understandably, this proved to be an absolute nightmare.
When it all comes together the Playstation Move is a wonderful addition to the brand, but when it decides to thrown a tantrum for whatever reason (and personally I found that these can be irritatingly frequent), it spirals down to being damn near unplayable. So, a better, slicker version of Nintendo’s giant? On paper, yes - in practice, however, not so much. Of course, this also has a lot to do with the games themselves, and Move’s performance can vary drastically depending on which one you are using.
The Games
Like so many new products at launch, titles for the Playstation Move currently hover somewhere beneath underwhelming and are very short on bulk; despite having something for everyone, young or old, casual or hardcore, there aren’t actually that many to try out right now. Standout products such as Sports Champions and Eyepet really show why the system is something to get excited about (giving true 1:1 motion and great multiplayer or single player romps despite being a little bland in places), but very few other titles from that release line-up even get close to approaching this goal. Start the Party certainly isn’t bad with some very engaging, inventive mini-games and co-op horror rom
p Resident Evil 5 has since been given Move compatibility, but Racket Sports is awful and Kung Fu Rider (where the player must - no joke - skate on down-hill race-courses with nothing but an office chair) is equally hideous. With any luck the upcoming Move patch for amazing detective drama Heavy Rain and the plethora of experiences arriving in the run-up to spring 2011 can make up for this, but right now there’s very little reason to rush out and invest in the system as far as games go. If you’re as yet unconvinced by Sony’s attempt on the motion market then it’s probably advisable to sit tight until the likes of bare-knuckle boxer The Fight, Sorcery, the highly anticipated LittleBig Planet 2 and Killzone 3 make their appearances over the next few months.
The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a genuine successor to the Wii then you’re unlikely to find it here just yet, but if you want a laugh with your friends and family when the Holiday rush starts then Move is certainly something to be looking into - even if the games aren’t all performing, the tech can be very, very impressive on the whole.
Rating: 72%
(Good)
It was hardly surprising to discover that Sony wanted to get in on the very profitable motion-control party back in the depths of 2009 - especially considering the mind-blowing success of Nintendo’s phenomenally popular Wii - but the biggest question of all would be over how they intended to go about challenging it. Would they adopt the same strategy as Microsoft and attempt to break in from a completely new angle via the likes of controller-less sensor Kinect, or would they play it safe and hedge their be
ts with tried and tested tech? Now that release day is finally here, it would appear that they’ve actually opted for a dash of both.Should you pick it up, though? With initial feedback ranging from suggestions that it could revolutionise the genre with unerring accuracy, dead-on control and body tracking to disparaging claims that it’s an unoriginal Wii rip-off with little quality software to back it up, reception for the Playstation’s newest addition has been a bit mixed. The truth? Well, that lies somewhere in-between.
The Tech
At its core, the Playstation Move is one hugely intelligent, responsive and enjoyable system that can (at times) put its older Nintendo equivalent to shame. Why? More then adequately upholding Sony’s fierce reputation as a technological powerhouse, this gadget is arguably the most accurate, reactive and technically impressive motion solution currently on the market. Depth sensing, ‘augmented reality’ (see Eyepet or Start the Party where game elements are placed onto live feed of you and your room), body tracking, internal accelerometers to follow every flick of the wrist… Move has an awful lot of classy aces up its sleeve, and for the most part they work incredibly well - enough to impress even the fiercest critic. If you were afraid that this may be a slap-dash effort to cash in, then fear no more.
Realistic
Tracing your actions via the glowing orb located upon the end of the remote, the accompanying Playstation Eye camera picks up this little ball of light while in use and translates that into motion on screen; meanwhile, the tech inside the controller itself will monitor distance and can allow the system to read in three-dimensions. What this essentially boils down to in real-world terms is a level of sensitivity that responds even to the slightest twitch or movement, and a system that offers far greater accuracy and immersion for the player as well. If you pick up a copy of Sports Champions and try out the fantastic Gladiator Duel, for instance, then you’ll discover a remote that is well up to the task of matching your every swipe or thrust (even down to the orientation of the blade), and you will also find that every swing of your weapon is near 100% true to the remote’s current position because Move does a such a great job of knowing where you are in relation to the game-world. Basically, this gives you the chance to interact with the world in far more realistic depth.
Naturally (this is Sony, after all), the pieces of kit that make up the packet of Move are predictably robust, sturdy and attractive too; fitting comfortably into the palm of the hand and sporting a particularly eye-catching design, the remote itself is a very sturdy piece that proves to be gorgeous when lit to the tune of a multitude of beautiful colours while the Navigation controller (containing a directional stick and D-pad for the likes of shooters) is equally hardy, both matching the h
igh quality seen in the likes of the Dualshock 3 standard controller. Essentially, no expense has been spared here.Frustrations
Is it all easier to use - not to mention better than - the likes of the Wii’s equivalent, though? Well, no - whereas the Wii’s control-scheme prides itself in being fairly straightforward, the buttons festooning the Playstation Move system are small, awkward, and one hell of a lot more confusing for a casual or new player to use, leaving many curses and hours of confusion behind as wrong combinations are frequently pressed. Atop that - and despite the rest of the controllers’ evident hardiness - the hollow, rubbery light-up ball of the main remote isn’t very tough either, and isn’t likely to last long against the undivided attention of a younger player. On the brighter side, though, at least the accompanying Navigation controller won’t come up against as much punishment - it’s rendered near obsolete due to a lack of use in most current games, along with the fact that it can be replaced comfortably with the standard Playstation Dualshock control. Although it is far more comfortable than the afore mentioned method it lacks motion control, demands £24.99 for very little use and when you consider the fact that you’re already paying £34.99 per remote (some titles even need two per-person to work at their peak, remember), this seems like a completely harebrained, pointless endeavour.
Even more annoyingly, this all pales to insignificance when compared to the biggest problem of Move in the first place: the Playstation Eye camera. This pernickety bit of tech can be thrown off balance far too easily by the simplest of problems such as a tricky room set-up or awkward lighting (players will have to be closeted in dimly light environments f
or the best effect (close all those curtains or flick off the switches) and, obviously, this is far from ideal - especially if you’re using display-systems such as projectors instead of a standard TV.How bad can it get? When playing in a particularly bright environment (e.g. anywhere near a window) the camera will resolutely refuse to work, while at other moments the player will be regularly treated to frustrating and nonsensical issues for no obvious reason at all - you’re often left to scramble for the camera’s ‘sweet spot’ more than a little on certain titles, and while trying archery on Sports Champions and despite frequent re-calibrations, for example, Move remained resolutely convinced that I was near constantly aiming down at my feet during play. Understandably, this proved to be an absolute nightmare.
When it all comes together the Playstation Move is a wonderful addition to the brand, but when it decides to thrown a tantrum for whatever reason (and personally I found that these can be irritatingly frequent), it spirals down to being damn near unplayable. So, a better, slicker version of Nintendo’s giant? On paper, yes - in practice, however, not so much. Of course, this also has a lot to do with the games themselves, and Move’s performance can vary drastically depending on which one you are using.
The Games
Like so many new products at launch, titles for the Playstation Move currently hover somewhere beneath underwhelming and are very short on bulk; despite having something for everyone, young or old, casual or hardcore, there aren’t actually that many to try out right now. Standout products such as Sports Champions and Eyepet really show why the system is something to get excited about (giving true 1:1 motion and great multiplayer or single player romps despite being a little bland in places), but very few other titles from that release line-up even get close to approaching this goal. Start the Party certainly isn’t bad with some very engaging, inventive mini-games and co-op horror rom
p Resident Evil 5 has since been given Move compatibility, but Racket Sports is awful and Kung Fu Rider (where the player must - no joke - skate on down-hill race-courses with nothing but an office chair) is equally hideous. With any luck the upcoming Move patch for amazing detective drama Heavy Rain and the plethora of experiences arriving in the run-up to spring 2011 can make up for this, but right now there’s very little reason to rush out and invest in the system as far as games go. If you’re as yet unconvinced by Sony’s attempt on the motion market then it’s probably advisable to sit tight until the likes of bare-knuckle boxer The Fight, Sorcery, the highly anticipated LittleBig Planet 2 and Killzone 3 make their appearances over the next few months.The Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a genuine successor to the Wii then you’re unlikely to find it here just yet, but if you want a laugh with your friends and family when the Holiday rush starts then Move is certainly something to be looking into - even if the games aren’t all performing, the tech can be very, very impressive on the whole.
Rating: 72%
(Good)
