The PlayStation Move Arrives — a Hands-On Report

itwbennett writes "The PlayStation Move hit retail stores on Friday and blogger Peter Smith spent the weekend putting it (and his shoulder) through its paces. So how does this motion controller compare to the Wii? Smith says it 'felt a lot more precise' but that 'there were instances where the depth perception of the camera got lost for a moment.' The bottom line: 'If you have a Wii and the Wii Motion Plus accessory, there isn't a whole lot here right now to justify $100-$170 worth of gear for most gamers.'" CNET is similarly critical, complaining of the continual calibration requirements and the dearth of good launch titles. The Guardian's games blog agrees that quality games are currently lacking, but says the accuracy and responsiveness are a step up from the Wii, giving the Move a lot of potential. iFixit did a teardown, providing an interesting look at the hardware inside the device.

Comments

Responsiveness

[Anonymous Coward]

the accuracy and responsiveness are a step up from the Wii

Not according to IGN.

My only issue is the lag: there's definitely a millisecond delay between your hand and the on-screen representation with Move and Sports Champions. Disc Golf is great, but I do admit having to work with the lag by letting go of the button just a split-second before the natural release point in my swing. That's where the Wii controller excels: there doesn't feel like there's any delay in its one-to-one motion.

Source: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/112/1121705p1.html

Re:From a technical perspective...

[CityZen]

The Move has 4 sensors:
1) Eye camera sensing the glowing ball.
2) accelerometer
3) gyroscope
4) magnetometer (3D compass)

It is the combination of all 4 of these that allows accurate tracking. There is no single sensor answer that gives a decent solution to the general tracking problem.

Re:From a technical perspective...

[Spatial]

It would seem harder to coordinate tracking of four balls flying around the room.

Nope. Sony applied the KISS principle here: The orbs on the end of the wand have RGB LEDs inside so they can differientate themselves by colour. It's actually pretty easy to track them.

Re:Who is this for, really?

[antek9]

And considering the Move is a PS3 add-on that costs nearly as much as a Wii...

What makes you assume that? I only paid 40 bucks (well, euros, to be exact) for one Move controller so far, plus another 40 for Sports Champions, as I already owned the Eye camera peripheral. Alternatively, the starter set (comprising the cam, Move controller, and a demo disc) is being sold for 55 euros around here. If you consider Sports Champions essential for completing the PS3 'upgrade' to full Wii potential, you are still looking at less than 100 €/$.

If you walk out of the store with a bag containing the starter pack, another Move controller, two sidekick controllers (at 30 $ each), and Sports Champions, you will have paid around 195,-. You do the math for a Wii with Wiimote plus, additional Wiimote plus, and two nunchuck controllers yourself, please.