Sony’s sex toy of doom motion controller is set to compete with Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Project Natal some time in 2010, by most accounts. Nintendo has found remarkable success with its motion controller and Microsoft appears to be close to entering the fray. Sony, while arguably having the most impressive tech of the three, seems two steps behind (like Def Leppard). In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida said:
We are also still working on the motion controller; it’s not complete. We are making changes to the hardware, so we really want to wait until we feel confident enough about giving the audience a chance to try it out. We are making progress, though, and we wanted to show at least snippets of games in that are in development.
We are still in the very early days of motion control development. We have had discussions with the company management where we discussed if we approach this as a peripheral or a platform and we agree that this has huge potential — so we position this as a hardware platform. The initiative was from the Worldwide Studios, but this has to be designed so that many different kinds of games from all publishers can participate in this hardware platform.
I’m definitely excited to play with Sony’s wand (that sounds gross), but I have to wonder about the product’s timing. If its motion controller is released significantly after Project Natal, Sony will be playing catch-up to its competitors. It doesn’t matter if its controller has the highest fidelity; the customers that Sony will attract with this product won’t care and will have had plenty of time to consider the Wii and Xbox 360.
Remember, this is all speculation until hard dates are announced for each product. I know a lot of you are uninterested in motion controllers, but this could be an interesting chapter in the console wars. How do you think Microsoft and Sony will end up after this battle?
I don't know why but I'm under the impression that both Sony and MS would like to release their motion stuff before the end of 2010. even if Sony is a couple of months behind Natal I don't think it will be as bad as the lead 360 had over PS3.
Although when it comes to motion I wonder how much market MS and Sony think they can pick up by getting in to the motion game this late. I want to say Nintendo has motion in the bag this gen and the wand and natal won't affect the console wars, imo
I think next gen everybody is going to offer motion at the start though
@Shockwave562
The way Microsoft words it, I think they intend to carry over Natal into the nex gen.
@sandrock, if MS commits to Natal I'm sure something like it will be on the next console. and I'm sure both Sony and Nintendo would like to carry their motion product in to the next gen with a few improvements.
anyone who thinks motion is a fad is fooling themselves. blame nintendo if you hate where the industry is headed but I don't think motion is going anywhere. I think there will always be a marktet for us core gamers though. something Nintendo forgot about
@Shockwave562 I would say Nintendo forgot about core gamers. The company is just focusing on a different market. There will always be Zeldas, Marios, Metroids, etc.
maybe so Rpad, but I sincerely hope that MS and Sony keep the focus where it is.a side project of motion is cool with me but if they do what Nintendo did I'll be sorely disappointed.
I meant that they intend to keep Natal, as it is, for the next gen and not try to resale it with improved mumbo jumbo. So in a way, the next gen of motion controls will already be on the market before the next gen is even here. And we all know how much Microsoft enjoys being the first one to release.
Didn't Sony said that they're calling the motion controllers the "Sphere"?
@FLP_B01 I believe that's only a codename.