The motion gaming revolution is finally here. At least that’s what Sony wants you to believe. It was a few short years ago that motion peripherals were nothing but scattered add-ons rarely used by the general gaming population. With the advent and mass market success of the Wii, that all changed. Sony and Microsoft have been hard at work readying their answers to Nintendo’s phenomenon and Sony was able to strike first with the PlayStation Move. Advancing on their scarcely used Sixaxis controls and PlayStation Eye camera, the Move brings a level of precision and control never before seen in motion controlled gaming. Is it worth your hard earned investment? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.
I’m not going to cover the software launch lineup in this review — that will be saved for later (we’ve got reviews for almost the entire launch lineup in the works). For now, I’m just going to focus on the hardware. And it’s damn find hardware. The build quality is of a very high level — exactly what we’ve come to expect from Sony. The Move controllers feel solid in your hands with perfect weight balance and (mostly) great button button positioning. I say mostly as the Select and Start buttons sit oddly on the left and right sides, fully indented from the controller. Getting to them requires some twisting and maneuvering, which could have maybe been avoided. It’s by no means a deal breaker, but it’s worth noting. You’ll have to get to them when re-calibrating the controllers in some games (which isn’t needed as much as you’ve come to expect with the Wii Motion Plus). The rubber glowing ball on the top looks a bit odd a first, but it’s positioning with the PlayStation Eye in 3D space is fantastic and is what really sets the Move apart from the Wii.
My “oooh” moment came within the first 15 minutes of playing Sports Champions (the first game I played once I received my big Move package from Sony). After getting everything paired with my system and setup (which was extremely easy to do by just plugging the Move controllers into my PS3 with USB cords and hitting the PlayStation button), I fired up the Table Tennis game mode. Noticing true one-to-one recognition with my ping pong paddle put a smile on my face, but what really grabbed my attention was my ability to move my whole body around the room and have the game fully detect those movements. To get closer to the table, simply move your body forward. If you need to defend a smash shot, take a step back. The same applies to going side to side to reach the far left and right of the table. This is an experience I’ve never had before with motion control gaming and something that can make an enormous difference in many games coming down the pike.
There isn’t really much I can say in the negative column for the Move. The Navigation Controller isn’t totally necessary yet, so you can probably skip on that for now (or use your DualShock 3 in a pinch). The only small gripe I have is with the PS3 system itself and the lack of USB ports on the rear of the console. I’m the type of person that hates to see wires, so being forced to have the PlayStation Eye USB cable wrapped around to the front of the console is less than ideal. Couple that with the fact that the PS3 only has 2 USB ports, and you’re left with little room for charging your ever growing stash of Sony peripherals.
The 800 pound gorilla room is still looming: should you spend your money on the PlayStation Move? Well, that’s a touchy one to answer. The hardware is fantastic and has much more to offer than the Wii, even with Wii Motion Plus. You get extremely precise one-to-one motion control that fully tracks your body in 3D space. However, the launch software lineup doesn’t have that “must buy” game to really put fence dwellers over the edge. With that being said, I do see tremendous growth potential for the Move and feel that it has a much broader appeal and higher ceiling than competing products. As Kevin Butler so eloquently stated, you need buttons. So, for my money, Move is well worth the investment. I suggest you do the same.
[Two PlayStation Move controllers and various launch games were provided by the publisher for review purposes.]
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MOVE is Awesome. I’m a hardcore gamer, but now my wife and kids are gaming with me in the livingroom! If you don’t have you are missing out.
Still on the fence about Move, but I slowly see myself walking toward the glowing ball of light. Like you mentioned, the games aren’t there (yet), but I definitely see more upside than Kinect. I just don’t like spending 100 dollars for each player that wants to game with me (400 bucks for a four player game is ludicrous). (50 dollar Move and 40 dollar Arc controller).
I honestly don’t think the nav controller will be required for most games, but it’s way too early to tell for sure. You can always use regular PS3 controllers if needed, so no extra money has to be spent for that occasional extra gamer.
You would think that Sony would time it right so there is that one game everyone wants to play with Move just to push people off that fence. Instead we get what feels like "shovelware" to keep us with out doubts
The Move is awesome! I play lots of table tennis growing up and I could tell you, if you suck in Table Tennis in real life, you will suck in this one! Why? ‘Coz it’s so damn realistic! The movements you do on the game are the actual movements you do in real life when playing! You need to step from side to side, reach into the table, etc.! Sadly, this is the only game worth playing on the Move right now! And yes, I have tried the demos and Gladiator fighting aside, all of them suck and will only keep you fascinated for about 10 minutes, unless you are a 5 year old and you would love Eye Pet. I sh#t you not, I love Table Tennis, and everything else, was half-assed done. What about Time Crisis? Do you like shooting at the screen with a light gun or moving a cursor around with a mouse? Yup, it felt like using a mouse and playing a flash game online. Tiger Woods PGA 11? Oh please! They should just make a stand alone title for Table Tennis. I’m still waiting for the Move to be adapted to the Call of Duty series (rifle accessory anyone?). So, unless you like table tennis, Playstation Move is something you could definitely live without in the meantime.