PS3 Motion Controller outshines the Wiimote

Announced at Sony's E3 press conference yesterday, the blandly titled PS3 Motion Controller blew the audience away with its unmatched precision and surprising utility.

PS3 Motion Controller outshines the Wiimote

After Microsoft announced Project Natal on Monday, it was hard to believe Sony could put up a fair fight in their own press conference. Then they unveiled their new Motion Controller on the same day Nintendo talked about the Wii MotionPlus, and things looked even more grim. But it didn't take a minute for attendees to realize that this is what the Wiimote should have been from the start.

Still in the technical prototype stage, the PS3 Motion Controller uses a wand with a glowing sphere on its tip and a specialized camera to track the precise location and orientation of the controller -- right down to fractions of a millimeter. It's not just a pointing or acceleration device like the Wiimote; it's a "true 1 to 1 translation" of the real world into virtual space.

And, because the technology is wrapped around a camera instead of a sensor bar, it can overlay objects onto video of you in real-time. That means you can hold onto the wand and have it be replaced on-screen with a tennis racket, letting you interact realistically with virtual balls.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. There's nothing better than video to see what these wands can do, so go ahead and watch to your heart's content. When you're finished, head back to GamePro's E3 hub and catch yourself up on all the biggest stories of this year's show!

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Comments [31]

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michael909

man if you could put the ps3 motion controller together with microsofts project natal you can get one hell of a shooter out of them or even a sick ass star wars game, cuz for some games like shooters your always gonna need some buttons

TripleO

How lame and biased is the title for this piece? Maybe a Sony exec can stick the motion wand between their legs and Dan Tennant can show them what it really means to 'outshine'

HellaPhattyDank

TripleO

How lame and biased is the title for this piece? Maybe a Sony exec can stick the motion wand between their legs and Dan Tennant can show them what it really means to 'outshine'

dude chill out homes. Its pretty cool that sony AND microsoft are doing these sort of things. I would most def pick this up in the future.

Blu3Gorilla

Nintendo just got owned by microsoft and sony lOl Now This Is The Reason I Needed To Buy A PS3 :) Good Job Sony.

monkbaine

Sony came with the big guns this year,and their motion controller is proof of this. To say this portion of the show was impressive would be a lazy discription of what this presentation really was. From here on out I see really good things coming out of the Sony camp.

jstern

I thought ps3 owners thought motion control was a horrible gimmick. Seriously, what's the difference. The thing has a bubble for crying out loud. A pink one.

Also, unless Sony adds this for their next system, this will fail as a ps3 addon that has to be bought separately.

DUCESTAMINA

Blu3Gorilla wrote:

Nintendo just got owned by microsoft and sony lOl Now This Is The Reason I Needed To Buy A PS3 :) Good Job Sony.

I don't think Nintendo got owned in any way when it comes to motion controls. I think the other 2 are still playing catch up. Now the real question for Microsoft and Sony is can it really interest its current user base with these devices?

Toneman

I was really impressed with that controller... impressed enough that I might hold off on Tiger Woods 10 with Wii Motion Plus just to see Tiger 11 on PS3 with motion controls :) It looked kinda silly, but even if the production model looks like that, I don't mind.... as long as it works like it did during that tech demo :)

eday_2010

I hardly think it out shined the Wii Remote. It just seems to be their duplicate of a Wii Remote with Motion Plus. Both are 1:1. As far as being tracked by a camera, I don't really need to see myself on the screen holding a cartoon golf club. Other than that, this thing doesn't do anything that the Motion Plus cannot.

And If Microsoft adds some sort of single handed controller to their set up at some point, they will have everyone beat. Trackign the object in your hand as a sword, as well as your exact body posture will put both the MotionPlus and this Wand thing to shame. But right now Nintendo is the only one with 1:1 tracking available anytime soon (next week).

-1 for your headline.

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