Report: Sony To Debut New Motion-Sensing Controller

@SolidOni: Copied from whom? Sega and NEC? They were on the internal memory and disc media tip way before Sony. Hell, even the lowly 3DO and Jaguar beat Sony to the punch on disc media.

ManekiNeko

@Kenny:

Man oh man while we are saying stupid things like X company is destroying gaming as popular as it may be lets say also, my Wii is collecting dust, I sold my Wii, this game is for hardcore gamers such as myself, etc, etc, etc.

I thought many of Kotaku commenters were above the average internet joe but I see I'm wrong.

WDYC

I just want someone to make THIS:

+ Watch video

Azriel77

@MuteWinter: Did you miss the Eyetoy? This isn't the PS3 copying the Wii, it's Sony building on what they already had.

Sony need something like this, not for the Nintendo cash but because their strategy going forward is clearly full immersion - they have 3D tech on the way, smellovision patented, ambex support, they already have the best audio of the consoles, they already have some motion sensing -

So yeah, touching on all the senses makes.....well it makes it sense.

Mike Newlad

@Captain McNinja ಠ_ಠ:

She looks fat.

I like how the patent illus. proffers the target audience for this peripheral as husky women who enjoy samurai games.

Look at all the haters on here, haters who can't even explain the tech behind this device. Go read a book before you make your stupid speculations. This is hilarious.

iNime

Sony really needs to take advantage of their eyetoy product. It's their innovative product that makes for potentially cool games.

kirstpo

Could turn out great if it gets the right support, which is a lot more likely than what we'll see on Wii. And nobody buys anything worthy on Wii anyway so it's support for great stuff will grow even worse.

Gam3r

@Nslick:
Yes I assume so and look even Sony Handhelds will become a product of hypocrisy. I'm looking at you PSP-4000 and your rumored camera and touchscreen. Honestly right now I am just looking at Sony as a company who can't just seem to grasp that their golden age that completely destroyed Nintendo is over. Now they are just prissy bitches that can't handle competition.

mitch_93

Sony... if I wanted a Wii, I'd have bought one...

Bricked

Uh...we already have a motion-sensing controller, Sony. Oh...what's that? You're subliminally admitting it's a piece of shit gimmick? Oh, ok.

ShingoEX

@themissing: I concur. This looks like the death of video games as we know it. Now it seems we'll have a new generation of waggling, mindless playing....Time to find a new hobby I guess.

On second glance, I'm predicting this controller to weigh at least 15 pounds. Just look at the illustration of the girl. She's got some guns.

@GiantEnemyCrab: who says motion is the future? The Wii is successful, no doubt about it. Using the logic "it's sold more thus it's the future," however, means motion is NOT the future because regular analog stick/button controllers have outsold motion controls.(~21 mil for PS3, 30m for 360, total 51 mil for regular controller, 49mil for Wii, total 49mil for motion.)

The Wii has done very well because it's found a market of people who otherwise wouldn't be gamers and has been able to appeal to them. Good for Nintendo, nothing wrong with that. HOWEVER, that does NOT mean motion is the future. I personally find a regular controller much more suitable for gaming.

Riiiiiight. Because the first one turned out so well.

All new systems will have motion sensing controllers. Get over it.

I don't know about releasing that add-on. The DS3 already has some motion sensing and it hasn't been used very well.

voth

@TRT-X: Reality TV is printing money for practically every television network right now man. MTV and VH1 are nearly 100% reality bullshit now and they have the best ratings in the young adult demographic.

Just because it prints money doesn't mean its good for the medium. All it does is show how far society has fallen as a whole.

I like the idea already because line 356 in the diagram points directly to the BEWBS! So if they jiggle in real life, they'll jiggle in the game. That'll be EA's new catchphrase (ahhhhhhh, the good 'ol days when EA sports titles had the line "if it's in the game, its in the game")

But I thought motion sensing was a gimmick? Ah, internet gamers have as much foresight as Stevie Wonder.

Seriously, motion sensing is the future of gaming. Cry all you want. The mass market has spoken.

Personally, I think motion sensing is awesome. I would have skipped this generation if it wasn't for the Wiimote. I have been gaming for 20+ years and it's like every game is the same expect the graphics are getting prettier. Thus, the Wii was a breath of fresh air.

Games that utitlize the motion controls and IR brilliantly:

Metroid Prime 3
Lost Winds
Zack and Wiki
Wario Ware
Wii Sports
Elebits
World of Goo
Resident Evil 4

Motion Plus technology has had very positive reviews so I'm pretty sure it's going to take motion sensing to the next level.

CartesianDualist

@bfwings55: Bullcrap. If it sucks (and it will) it sucks. Revolutionary != good

Hey_Blinkon

@Kenny: I agree 100%. Some games can benefit from motion control, but they are very few and far between. Usually motion control in indtroduced at the expense of precision, and really, who the hell wants that? When that happens, your options are to play a game that you die in all the time because of shitty control, or play stupid games that don;t need precision (party games).

Lousy control can ruin an otherwise great game. If they want to introduce motion controls, I'm all for it ONLY IF there is a Dual Shock 3 option, so I don't have to use that crap.

Hey_Blinkon

@Fernando Paramo: No one has anything to worry about.

Most likely this will just be a little toy for the casuals to use so they have a reason to buy a PS3.

*groans*

Just what we needed, more casual oriented crap to appease the masses.

@Fernando Paramo: It is also impossible to play a lot of PS3/Xbox360 games accurately with a wii mote set up.

Hey_Blinkon

Random Company based in Texas going to sue sony shortly after this is release saying they infringed on their random patent.

Christopher Jones

@Esper_tricks: I don't know who Johnny Lee is, but you sparked my interest in this guy. I think we the need to revamp motion-sensing technology in some way, Sony would definitely think of something that I would never think of!

BTW, Chuck Norris doesn't need a Wii-mote...
he uses brain power to control the motion sense.

@Deadened:
Time Crisis 4

GiZzY67

@TrjnRabbit: Oh god, I still laugh thinking about the awkward crowd silence when they first walked out with the SIXAXIS and Warhawk demo.

@Kenny: The Wii printing money at this point is pretty much a counterpoint to anybody trying to blame Nintendo for "destroying gaming".

@SolidOni: No, this is Sony being Sony.

Remember how one of the first things they said when the PS3 first debuted was that it was going to be about games, and not gimmicks?

Then they had the most awkwardly silent debut of the SIXAXIS controller...all while proclaiming that rumble was "last gen".

And now here we are, and they've brought both the last-gen rumble and gimmicky motion controllers into their console.

@Chozothebozo:
I really don't see where you're coming from considering Nintendo now owns 50% of the market and continues to grow.

Baww, a little sales dip in Japan. So what? Every console right now is seeing a dip, the Wii is just the center of the chaos because people just want it to fail so badly.

ashdown

@themissing: I've already bought a wii (currently only playing SSBB...), the joke's on me! But I agree, motion sensing technology needs to mature bit more before it can be accurate and affordable enough for video gaming. Maybe Wii motion plus might do it, but then again, I'm always skeptical.

Please, don't sell out Sony.

SONY seems to be going through an identity crisis lately.

They need to realize they are not Apple, and the PSP Go! is not the iPhone. If this rumor is to likewise be believed*, they need to realize they aren't Nintendo, and that snow cone that line art chick is strangling is not a Wiimote.

SONY is chasing a market it simple has no hope of attaining, and worse, they risk losing the customers they already have while they meander aimlessly on their Quixotic quest.

*Honestly, is there any reason to disbelieve it? Everything we heard out of SONY lately makes me think the entire company took last Thursday off and got lobotomies.

@rbleader: wait, wait, easy bro.

First, i'm not even an english native speaker, so the motion sensig/motion capture thing it's understandable, i think.
2nd point: "different color lights and the shape and angle of each light", different color light means, well, colored leds! a red led it's pretty much brighter than a green one in bright light, so the cam would sense it as "closer", i think, i just hope it's infrared and ultraviolet leds.
Calm down, as i stated it's not like i love Nintendo that much, i just find Sony attitude "disturbing" lately.

Who invests enough money in patent illustrations to draw the pattern on the back pocket of a pair of blue jeans? That's the most frivolous thing I've heard of since that cheat code in Soul Caliber that let you change the color of womens' underpants! [kotaku.com]

BtownDesignGuy

Releasing with Bushido Blade 3, I hope.

@MuteWinter: Okay, NOW you are just trolling and/or being an idiot. Because 1: clearly this type of motion sensing does not need precise accuracy as some of the other applications. 2: "Professional motion sensing"? You mean "professional motion capture?" Motion capture is NOT motion sensing. Interpolations of snapshots can be easily calculated and can be done near real time on current generation hardware. And 3: Read the article, they are using small LEDs (probably infrared, like ones used in wii sensor bar), meaning "really sunny day" is perfectly fine, as long as you are not playing OUTSIDE (remember, glass blocks infrared and ultraviolet). Now stop trolling and/or being an idiot, Nintendo clearly doesn't need defending from a fanboy.

@CustomFirmware: Nintendo's huge pile of money would beg to differ.

Not surprising that they decided to jump on the bandwagon before it left the station.

illiniphase4

@Anemone: That's awesome! i didn't know it was implemented yet.

brb, buying three monitors and a good webcam

@Killer7:

No, if true, they're simply trying to shamelessly replicate the Wii's success on their own terms.

At this point, I'll believe it when I see it.

EmeraldDragon

The Wii is slowly being pushed off the market

@Mit: lolo
"who have become bored of their way" should be "bored of their Wii"

@CockroachMan: Except Buzz and Singstar, games with pack-in peripherals, have been moderately or hugely successful, and the Playstation Eye has also been moderately successful.

If they can keep this cheap and pack it in with the certain games that will use it, it could work. Definitely not right away (I wouldn't even want them to release it now with how expensive the PS3 is), but when the PS3 hits, say, the $200-$250 range, some people who have become bored of their way, may be able to be swayed toward picking up a PS3 instead of a 360, because it also has some motion games on it.

Finally... a patent that makes sense.

Is it just me or are all the other patents confusing?

ScholarMasterJ

Is she playing that game with a pizza cutter?

@[www.naturalpoint.com] Those setups are pretty popular with the flight-sim crowd.

The girl in the trademarks a chubber... I like that!

... or the SixAxis.

Killer7

@Esper_tricks: I don't think this is the one I'm thinking of, because I don't believe it used a Wii remote. However, this is still awesome! Since it's the same thing.

interim has his cake and is eating it too

Sony's new motto: If you can't beat em, then join em.

It remains to be seen if this will turn out to be a gimmicky peripheral like the Eyetoy.

Killer7

@CockroachMan: With the way things are going I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo announced their next console is controlled by one button and a waggle stick.

Black-Dog-Howls

@MuteWinter: We got dual analog and decent rumble when Sony copied. Who knows how the final product will play out? None of the consoles are powerful enough nor do the devs have enough time and money to make true motion capable games work.

Black-Dog-Howls

Oh hell yeah! If I can't get mouse and keyboard control give me Wii style FPS controls for PS3.

Alright, let's do some note taking here: 1st, you ostricize the general gamers who propelled you to the top of the pack in the PS2 days by putting an outrageous price tag on a game console to boost sales of your already failing HD format. Then, you create an architecture so new, no developers know how to optimize for the system and use the full power of the machine. Then, you claim you can do motion sensing technology just as well as "those other guys"--yet still haven't done it as well as those other guys did back in the 80's. I know i'm missing a few things, but jump ahead 3 years, after isolating all but a handful of hardcore...i won't say idiots...you come out with another motion sensing technology to add to your already has motion sensing, blue ray, "supercomputer", can't be developed for turd. Wow!!! Well done! I'm sure all the people that don't play their $250 wii are certain to go out and buy a $500 wii--because it plays blu ray and has metal gear. Bravo, more of this please.

MasterOmega

@videorecipes: what? Sega was never "me too," in fact, they were more like, "youll be next." You can thank sega for xbox live and just the xbox business in general.

@themissing:

too true. i'm hoping this is gonna be as optional as the eye. i'll be damned if i drop any amount of money on anything "motion sensing"

@Boudabras:

To quote CockRoachMan:

" 'What? Sony will use analog sticks and vibration? Oh no! Let Nintendo alone destroy the market with their kiddie games, I don't need analog sticks and rumble on my PSX.'

If everyone thought like you, we would still be playing Atari-like controls: one button and a stick. Like it or not, motion is the future. "

ashdown

We've been hearing about this for a while now. First to know is Kombo.com -- but Kotaku sourced them properly.

I think we all knew it was coming though.

Ken Cauley

@imikedaman:

The point is to prove the accuracy of the Infrared Pointer.

Fernando Paramo

we get it sony

you're jealous of nintendo

ithyphallus

@mikemil828:

You can adjust turn sensitivity. Just try Metroid Prime 3, or Medal of Honors... The Conduit do that too.

The turns are no longer like Red Steel, you know.

Fernando Paramo

If Sony went with this route I actually liked that mock/prototype DS controller that "breaks" in two (I recall seeing it on either Joystiq or Kotaku awhile back).

@Nslick: Good Afternoon and Welcome! I hope you'll enjoy our tour of Sony's Business Practices for the last 10 years. On our left you'll see the Hall of Hypocrisy. This building is home to 90% of the comments and claims made by Sony's video game division!

....no, really. Sony's got a whole team of big mouthed idiots. they're gunna say lots of stupid crap before realizing how stupid they are. just enjoy the games on the console and be done with it. best to just stay away from.....everything they ever say =P

@Fernando Paramo: "Just look at Wii Play: it's impossible to do this with dual analogs:"

Regardless of whether or not it's possible, the real question we should be asking is "who would want to play that?" That gameplay has roughly the depth of those ads that promise a free Xbox 360 if you win.

imikedaman

@interim has his cake and is eating it too:
[johnnylee.net]

I know I already posted this on the first thread, but its soo good and I soooo want a game that made use of head tracking. So please Nintendo, any game devs please make this happen.

@Despacio: Thats because people around here don't like to acknowledge things like that. They just want to sit around and bitch that everything isn't as good as they want it to be, while a few commenters make sense, or just crack jokes.

Combine

@bfwings55: To be fair, six axis does go under "motion sensing capabilities."

And if Sony does implement a full on motion sensing controller, I doubt it will be as critical to games on Sony's platform than, lets say the Wiimote 2.0 to Wii++ games. You can be guaranteed that the dpad will be on the dualshock, as well as those analog sticks.

The difference of emphasis results in a difference of feedback (in this case, negative feedback).

@Kenny: Preach it brother.

@SolidOni: me neither, i bought the damn thing for my girlfriend (new zelda, i want, want, please, wii sports! in the end she made me buy it), but it really HAS some good games even for hardcore players and it's my console of choice when i want to relax a bit.
But, out of respect, i'm starting to really hate the "new" Sony.
Also, the patent it's not for the Johnny Lee tingie (notice how the screen motion itìs not involved, it's just a movement sensor, just like the wiimote, sadly.

This will fail, if brought to market - households all across the world already think "Nintendo Wii" when then think motion controlled gaming.

Tenacious_Z

@Fernando Paramo:

//Thats in my opinion the best feature in the Remote: very accurate, very fast, and when used correctly, can beat dual analog to play FPS//

So long as you don't have to turn, that's why most of the decent FPSes are rail shooters like House of the dead and Resident Evil: Chronicles

mikemil828

@Silveth: Johnny Lee! thank you! I haven't watched those vids in forever and just couldn't think of the name for the life of me.

but yeah, these patent images basically describe exactly what Lee did with the wiimote. hopefully this is indeed the case cause that could make for some MUCH more interesting gameplay.

@Kenny: I just wanted to say that I don't think the Wii has "destroyed gaming" because of it's controls, but because of it's consistent notion to use them in shitty games.

Now, if they made any games that I'd actually want to play, then they'd really be a success in my book.

@GiantEnemyCrab: Agreed! Leave that waggle shit for that crappy overrated console.

Please. No more motion sensing. It's so stupid in my opinion. It's so gimmicky. Please, leave that shit for the Wii.

@CockroachMan: You, sir, have just won this argument. I applaud your logic.

@MuteWinter:

Well Nintendo certainly doesn't appeal to me, and I am not a child or a casual.

SolidOni

@bfwings55:
Pretty sure Sony execs were praising the Sixaxis as revolutionary.

Not to mention a whole bunch of other ideas that just never worked, and I'm not just talking about Sony here. Everything coming out will completely revolutionise whatever field it is in, until it comes out, is deemed to be pointless and we all revert to what we already know.

The most revolutionary stuff is always the ones that sneak under the radar.

TrjnRabbit

@[us.kotaku.com]

Kotaku has some articles on him, his name is Johnny Lee, and he is a genius.

Really, it can go either way. I think the PS3's SIXAXIS can be quite accurate if used well, games like flOw, flower, and Killzone 2 being good examples.

Anyway, take a look at his vids, really amazing stuff, especially considering how he describes how simple the Wiimote really is.

@lordofsword: like Sony owns the room, Nintendo owns the closet?

Like their CEO saying that "Nintendo appeals only on children and casuals".
Look it up, it's on Kotaku.
Sony has gone CRAZY lately.

I remember last year when Kotaku kept posting rumors that Microsoft was going to release a Wii-Mote at E3, even going as far as to post the mock ups. This doesn't seem likely.

@Kenny: Kotaku comments circa 1997: "What? Sony will use analog sticks and vibration? Oh no! Let Nintendo alone destroy the market with their kiddie games, I don't need analog sticks and rumble on my PSX".

If everyone thought like you, we would still be playing Atari-like controls: one button and a stick. Like it or not, motion is the future.

@Killer7: That's what I don't get: the PS3 already has motion controls. What do they need this for?

@Tidusx100: I lol'd.

@Esper_tricks:
I mean the head tracking thing...

@[johnnylee.net]

Nintendo!!! Do this!!!

Just like Microsoft was gonna unveil their motion controller last E3?

Why do people believe these idiots?

@MuteWinter: 1 - sony themselves have never said 'waggle sux'. the fact that fanboys on the internet may have has no bearing whatsoever on this decision by sony.

2 - find me a quote where sony have said their competitors 'fail'. not only are MS the ones that act like a 6 year old child trying to boast about how much better than their classmates are, but i've never heard sony say anything negative about motion sensing (which is what this article is about), especially considering their own console has used it since launch.

3 - if there is one company that is most guilty of plagiarising, it's microsoft. so much of windows and their PC apps are shamelessly stolen from 3rd party competitors. using motion sensing because another console has it is not stealing, not that the wii was even the first to use motion sensing controllers.

lordofsword

@Xelioth: Xel, the guy did it with a remote and an infrared sensing bar!
That guy is a GENIUS, i hope sony assumed him and BOUGHT it's patent (i hope he patented that)

@Saint Anima: And that's one of the reasons why it won't work. Everyone accepts the Wiimote cause it's the main controller for the Wii, it's not just an accessory, not optional, it's the principal way to control the games on the console! Nintendo, SEGA and Sony tried to many alternative controls in their consoles in the past and none of them were accepted.

@videorecipes: and we all know what happened to SEGA....after the consumer bitch smack that was the PS3 launch and the bitchsmack that is about to be delivered via PSP GO!....Sony deserves to fail out of the industry at this point.

Please Sony, stop doing stupid shit like you've been for the past 3 years. Or else.

@themissing: not all people have the coordination required for it. Most people do but I guess you just got screwed over or something...

Regardless if its 360 or PS3, it will fail. You need to have this thing in the box from day 1, otherwise good luck convincing devs to make games for it.

@rbleader: it's just not that practical.
with light sensing You make the movement and the cam first make the snapshot, then decode, then send the imput to your "avatar", it tooks a really nice cam to make a responsive and natural reaction on screen.
Also, what if i want to play in a really sunny day?
Professional motion sensing right now it's done with vision sensing AND gyroscopes, but it doesn't need an immediate reaction on screen.
I hope all the best for Sony, and i'm sure their staff it's much professional than me, but this just sound like a plan B to avoid a copyright infingment..

@undefined: I know there is a serious hard on of hate for the Wii's motion controls, and for some part it's justified.

But how come everybody is ignoring WiiMotion+ and the large amount of good impressions for the games that will support it? It's like people around here act as if it doesn't exist or they don't want it to exist.

Sony's timing couldn't be better to undercut Nintendo's second wind.

Despacio

If it uses the head tracking for 'true 3D' like that youtube video (citation needed), I. Am. Down.

Otherwise - ehh.

@Xelioth: actually, rethinking the whole thing: this patent is what the guy did on youtube where he set the wiimote on the TV and held the sensor bar instead to make an effect like he was actually in the game itsself. this is a much better way of working the same technology.

@McWhammer:
VTech just kicked in yo!

Last year there was a big rumor about Microsoft showing a motion sensing control.. this year is Sony.

Sony already tried that with the Eyetoy and it doesn't work.. motion capture with cameras is an awful idea, there are too much problems with illumination, colors of the room, clothes, etc..

Eye Toy 2.0? Now with waggle controls! Oh god....when the last console switches to motion controls the world will implode on itself. Seriously, who wants "Fun for the whole family"? I like my Curb-Stomping and explosions. Now if we could actually use motion controll for those that would be fun...

@ridgecity: I would cry if Sony's agenda was to "copy the Wii". No one should try and emulate the mind-boggling success of a V-Tech Plug N Play repackaged in a shiny white exterior.

@Kenny: the controls aren't the wii's problem. it's the horrible games and the business practices of nintendo. sony COULD use a motion controller and do it usably.

besides, as long as it isn't the main control method, it'll be great. some games can use the controls and if those games suck, just don't buy them.

@themissing:
Hurr hurr, nice nice trolling, oh so original.

ashdown

@Sutekh_Slain: That was Sixaxis. This new thing will probably be praised as revolutionary.

@MuteWinter: Your claim that light sensing is never going to be accurate as gyroscopic is wrong. Wiimote itself right now can't get it's local coordinate of itself and cannot do 1 to 1 motion sensing; at least vision based method is more likely to be able to do 1 to 1 motion sensing than the current version of Wiimote (probably something simple like take snapshots of controller position at a time interval and interpolate it).

That fat chick in the picture needs to ditch her PS3 motion device and get a Wii Fit.

UsernameOfTheDead

Thing is, I doubt this will replace the DualShock 3 as the main controller. If anything, it could just work with a select number of games that Sony may wanna sell alongside with it, like a new casual family game. Maybe even games like Flower could take advantage of it.

Come on guys. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

@SolidOni: you're right, but after like 3 years of "waggle sux" it sounds a little bit hypocritic, also, microsoft copied the Mii and just said "yeah, the Miis are great, we wanted them too"!
Sony keep saying that every other company fails at everything, then proceed to copy the triggers, guide button, motion sensing, lol.

@MuteWinter: probably a combination of the 2. light sensing that helps pinpoint the targeting for the gyro/accelerometer info.

I know nothing on this subject, but it seems a reasonable guess.

@SolidOni:

But those are actually GOOD ideas.

CustomFirmware

@jallen:
It would make sense for Sony to release this as a peripheral for the PS2, so as to make it compete directly with the Wii, but for the PS3? No, not really.

dang, cant wait to see it! maybe it will be like that demo that one guy made where it used the webcam to determine where you are and detect your movements so in 3D games, you can move to hide behind something. Bring on E3!

It is sad that Sony spends most of its time bashing Nintendo and then blatantly rips them off.

UsernameOfTheDead

Guy on the other side of the camera: TAKE OFF YOUR TOP! WOOOOO!!!!

Captain McNinja ಠ_ಠ

Why does the controller connect to the system via wifi instead of via bluetooth???

EricaGorilla

@Kenny:

Motion controls are great when they are used correctly. Just look at every Nintendo developed game on the Wii: Super Mario Galaxy is superb, Metroid Prime 3 too, etc...

Besides, there is one feature that its very important on the Wii Remote: the IR Pointer. Thats in my opinion the best feature in the Remote: very accurate, very fast, and when used correctly, can beat dual analog to play FPS: IR Pointer will give you way too much accuracy compared to dual analogs.

Just look at Wii Play: it's impossible to do this with dual analogs:

+ Watch video

Fernando Paramo

sony's looking more and more like sega when it was selling consoles. the me too strategy just doesn't work.

videorecipes

@bfwings55: Lair says hi.

Lol.

That technology sounds really similar to that video where the guy made the goggles that created depth inside a computer monitor by using a webcam with an IR filter and two IR LEDs taped to a pair of glasses.

interim has his cake and is eating it too

just gimme a light gun!

and games that use it.

Deadened

@bfwings55: because it sucks.

themissing

I'm happy for this, I think the only think that can save Sony at the moment is the PS3 and the only thing that can save the PS3 is copying the Wii.

Just as long as they don't release it with only 1 game that supports it, like the augmented reality with only the card game released.

ridgecity

I'm sure the Japanese market will make good use of this with their virtual dating sims.

*waits to import*

Well it was just a matter of time before sony and microsoft realized the future involved motion sensing... I just thought it would be next generation...

Something about Sony calling the Wii's motion controller a "gimmick" awhile back.

Really, is trying to get out of 3rd place worth making yourself a gigantic hypocrite?

Nslick

@MuteWinter:

Companies copy eachother all the time, Nintendo copied discs and wifi and internal memory if you wanna think of it like that...

SolidOni

Took them long enough, they have been working on this thing for over a year now.

Yippee a split dual shock 3 with games I don't want to play that require the camera? ugh...

SinisterUrge13

Sony makes my head hurt some days...

notquitedeadyet

So are they admitting that SixAxis was a mistake ?

Wii controls only suck when the developer is foolish enough to implement the controls poorly or make weird design choices. M+ is gonna rock!

Killer7

Ok, so all three systems will have motion sensing capabilities. But people will only complain about the Wii's, guaranteed.

great, now i have to jury rig another peripheral onto my TV. Thanks Sony my XBR bravia looks like it is from kentucky.

badSamurai

And I'm sure we're all absolutely confident that this new, more accurate, motion-sensing technology is going to get the Wii market to either purchase instead a piece of hardware almost twice as expensive, or purchase the PS3 as a companion to their Wii.

jallen

Throw this empty speculation into the pile along with Microsoft's Newton.

Seriously, how many of these thinly-veiled "there's a motion controller coming from Sony/MS, guys!!!!" rumors are we gonna get?

On the other hand, yay for Kotaku for reminding me that E3 is earlier this year! :D

RockyRan

Please God no.

Sony and Microsoft, please just let Nintendo destroy gaming on its own accord. You guys seriously don't need to join in on this.

Please keep it down to a gamepad on all games. A gamepad is hard enough to deal with in comparison to a mouse and keyboard, don't ruin gaming further with even shittier control methods.

the beginning of the end of the world. we don't need anymore motion sensing garbage.

themissing

Light sensing?

If so, it's a step back, no light/vision sensing it's actually as accurate as a gyroscopic sensor and accellerometer.

Stop copying everything sony, PLEASE.

What a great idea. More motion controls, yaaay.

not really.

@Mike Newlad:This is Sony loosing focus and trying to copy what works. Deny all you like.

@somarix: for the record, I have built myself several motion systems. Not interfacing with a wiimote or such baked approaches: instead ordering the ICs and sensors/transmitters, making PCBs and coding PICs and ADCs, etc etc.

@MuteWinter: oh, so that's why the best Motion Capture studios use light-sensing with passive reflective markers... Oh, wait.
Accelerometers produce horrible drift after a few seconds, gyros are there to try to soften the drift. If you don't add a third type of sensor system, you either stick to rotation-sensing only or expect completely wrong position after 60 seconds.

Ahahahahaha.

@jallen: the ps3 a companion to the Wii? the ps3 looks like those yamaha's mini-grand pianos. actually it's so big 3 wiis fits inside easily.

ridgecity

@lordofsword: so now, Sony has been the good player in the race?

that's new, specially in a post talking about Sony releasing a motion controller.

ridgecity

@EricaGorilla: probably it has communication problems and wifi never goes into sleep mode.

ridgecity

@shouryuuken: actually, Sega was more like "we just released our new console yesterday! what? you never heard of it?? it's really gnarly! and wait until you see the expansion we are making for it!!"

ridgecity

@McWhammer: well, if they are debuting a motion controller right in the middle of the console's lifecycle...

ridgecity

@MuteWinter:
OH PLEASE, the gaming industry copied Nintendo all the way down to the D-Pad. Stop your crying.

sony: the wii is a fad and lives in the closet

same sony: hey kids look! wii i mean sony-mote! completely non-reacharounding original ;D

ithyphallus

Is that an ice cream scooper?

@Mike Newlad: Great point!

Not to mention, I was playing with "motion sensing" games on my Genesis. This isn't a "new thing." Companies have been trying to perfect motion sensing for ages.

bangbangblah

@themissing: I couldn't agree more. I'm always going to enjoy sitting in my chair comfortably.

bangbangblah

@Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.: What makes you think this will distract them from what works? They added Home, but it didn't take anything away from people who didn't want it. They added Trophies, but it didn't take anyway away from people who didn't want them. They'll add this and it won't take anything away from people who won't want it.

bangbangblah

You're a few years too late to the party Sony.

@MuteWinter: For one, I don't think Sony has ever said "waggle sux." Maybe their actions are being hypocritical to the views of their fans, but that doesn't really make sense, does it?

Secondly, I'm pretty sure there is actually evidence out there that Sony had a patent for motion sensing before the Wii did. Wii just did a better job with it.

bangbangblah

@MuteWinter:

In the business world, Imitation is the best way of flattery. It's inevitable to happen in any market. As to whether or not they are actually "copying" Nintendo, that itself is subjective.

@Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.:

Steve Jobs and Woz copied the idea of the mouse and GUI for a computer from Xerox.

Bill Gates "stole" the blueprints of the mouse and expanded upon it for Windows.

I guess they were just "losing" focus and were just trying to copy what worked.

ximak

@Mike Newlad:Also maybe the BIGGEST reason the Wiimote works is that it's bundled with the system and was from the very start. Sony attempting to do this now..well we all know how well ad-ons work, don't we?

The only one to break the mold is the Balance Board, which is approaching the $2 billion dollar mark for sales and even THEN it's adoption rate isn't what it would need to be to really get wide spread developer support.

@somarix: Any inertial measurement needs a reference point for calibration and to prevent drift. That's what cameras are good for (like on the Wiimote) Past that though, image-based motion capture doesn't perform too good. Particularly with something as small as a gamepad. The image quality will be too bad, light is easily obstructed, and there's simply no way a few dots on an image and machine vision will give as accurate information as gyroscopes and accelerometers in your device.

Passive reflector systems are used because they're practical and scalable, not because of their accuracy.

Kotakufan777

If Sony is smart they will make this work on PS3 and PS2. If they would moreover bundle this together with a PS2 they really could pull off something amazing considering market share and sales.

@themissing: No, no, no, my fellow kotakite (hmm..) you have it all backwards. This is the future. The only reason i got into gaming was so could use a full motion-sensoring suit and have a compatible fighting game. I want to punch and kick and fight people that can fight themselves without having to reajust my nose every ten minutes. This is the little step-up towards that, so i praise whatever faulty sensor hardware they produce so they'll pursue it and build on it.

I want me controlling random-gta-guy, I want to be muay thai guy from kof. I want to rip spines in Mortal kombat... I want immersion!!!! i also want to roll a giant ball in katamari... i want it all!!!

Dancing Ketchup, stepped in chicken

@Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.: Over 10 million eye toys were sold and back then there was no major publishers working on motion sensing games.

Given that the PS3 has had motion sensing from day 1 and that the wii has taken off big time - more and more developers are now making games with motion sensing capabilities.

All this is doing, is giving PS3 owners a chance to get games like EA's version of Wii Fit without having to own a wii. Once this is released in enough homes, EA will start porting Wii games to the PS3 and vice-versa.

Also, if you add in that this a cool way for video chat to work through the PS3 it's a nice extra. Don't forget that Microsoft have also show their interest in similar projects.

----

There is a huge market for things like this, deny all you like.

Mike Newlad

@ridgecity: Personally, I don't get it - they already have one... the extremely advanced Six-Axis controller.

@Dancing Ketchup, stepped in chicken: As much as that was supposed to be humorous, I do too....

@SolidOni: OK, this is ridiculous. Nintendo copied discs? It was the next logical step. Also, discs as storage wasn't Sony's idea anyway. And you do know that Sony was first working for a CD add-on for Nintendo's SNES, right? Nintendo copied Wi-Fi? No it didn't. Which last-gen console had Wi-Fi? None. And Wii was released almost simultaneously with the PS3, so Nintendo couldn't have copied it. Nintendo copied internal memory? Just as the case is with discs, and Wi-Fi to a certain extent, internal memory was the next logical step.

Motion controls are NOT the next logical step. Which is why this can be regarded as copying.

@jesterspawn: I like how one area the camera focuses on is the breasts.

YAAAAAAY...
Now I get to buy a stick to wave at my Eye toy and look like even more of a dumbass.

All it is is an Eye toy with software to track light movment.,
NOw depending on how sesitive it is.... YOu could turn your light on in the room and screw up your game lol.

But, if done right this would be just as accurate as a mouse on your PC screen.

Crypysmoker

So you control the game with an icecream scoop?

Weird.

Cranker

That webcam better be able to clamp on the top of the flat screen tv unlike the eye toy.

It will be called the Sony Sii and will be packaged with the new game Sii Sports, made by Sony's new game developer Sintendo.

Seriously, Sony, you have let me down and failed to convince me to buy your product over and over. You also keep lagging behind a lot of basic ideas, like avatars, online gaming, console price, etc.

Why don't you try and do something original, like the PlayStation? Oh wait, no, you stole that idea from Nintendo too. And your PS2 wouldn't have even existed had you not had that stick up your ass about Sega and been determined to humiliate the Dreamcast.

Here's an idea: find out what people want, which they can't get from other people already, and make THAT. Like, oh, say, an affordable console with heavy independent gamer support, high quality graphics and online play, simple controls, and lots of third party peripherals and features.

You know, an Xbox.

The only reason this won't be as successful as the Wiimote is because this PS3mote is just an accessory only a few games will use, just like the Balance Board and MotionPlus. From the beginning, most Wii games used motion sensing in one way or another. It's the controller used for everything. This PS3mote will be useful for only a few games, and that's only if Sony is dumb enough to actually release it.

@Kotakufan777: "to prevent drift". Drift is not preventable, and you know it. Yeah, passive markers and cell camera-based tracking have too many problems with few low-resolution cameras.
Now if only Hamamatsu would stop quoting "an arm and a leg" as their price for PSDs...

Sony's product will probably a wiimote+motionplus (a sixaxis + LED + PSEye for camera). The stationary camera can get angle of incidency and only a limited range of sideways/updown movement, though.

@DeadlyWhispers: Wow. Are so many of you fat, lazy sloths that moving more than your fingers to play game or not being able to lay your fat blob of a body on the couch all the time means that anything else, including motion controls, that actually gets you moving a bit more than reaching for more Fritos, is bad? Even before you see how this will work?

Heaven forbid should you do something that is more interactive than pushing some buttons.

Jimbotron

@themissing: Agreed.

lolomfgisuck

@Nslick:

To line your pockets? The answer is yes. Sony would make a dildo controlled system if Nintendo did it first.

@themissing:

rubber... glue... Wii... you

@Mike Newlad: You need to remember. Anytime Sony does ANYTHING at all, there will comments like these. There seems to be an abnormal amount of animosity for Sony among commenters on this site.

PlatformJunkie

@DeadlyWhispers:

the death of video games... wah wah! I wish people would stop that. As long as there is money, there will be videogames.

@MuteWinter: i asked you tell me where sony have said their competitors fail, in your own words, or that 'waggle sux'. nintendo does appeal to children and casuals, nintendo themselves will tell you that, it's not a lie or an insult. in a lot of cases they do own the closet, maybe people don't literally put the console in a closet but a lot of them aren't actually playing it.

lordofsword

@Sotiris (The Bassist): So it's copying even though they had it on the PS2 for years?

Meh, who gives a crap - they all copy off of each other, it is how standards and gaming trends form. Would the 360 have 1080p if the PS3 didn't? Would the xbox of had online if it weren't for the Dreamcast and PS2? Would PS3 have Trophies if it weren't for Achievements?

Mike Newlad

@CockroachMan: Kotaku has only been around since 2004, but your point is still fairly valid. I still don't fully agree with motion controls. Some could argue the PS3's six axis is a form of motion control.

Only time and the market will tell...

it took long enough for me to simply warm up to the wii, and now this?? SNiff** I think I smell a bag of mashed up assholes.. Sony needs to stick to their guns.. Great software is the only thing thats going to move units, they know this..

The Wiis motion controls suck for everything except for light gun games and driving. The Wii Motion Plus might change that but we'll see. I own both systems because I want to be able to play "core" games with a controller on my PS3 and Nintendo license games with a gamecube controller on the Wii. I don't need more motion controls on my PS3.

UCFMRE

Miis -> Avatars, people in Home
Wiimote -> this
Motion+ -> ...nothing yet

and yet PS3/60 folks still complain about the Wii? while their companies chase Nintendo all around the marketplace.

it just seems hypocritical. for the record, I wish we could all just respect each other's tech and enjoy some gaming. but no, that wouldn't generate many hits on gaming blogs now would it?

Crash__Man

@synapticflow: I applaud you, sir. =)

Crash__Man

@bfwings55: absolute truuuuth.

but I honestly think Sony is waaaaay to late to the party on this. Motion+ is poised to have them beat before their tech even hits the market.

Crash__Man

No please, i hate when ps3 games use motion sensing. Like idk High Velocity Bowling!?!

Soulfood4

@siggy13: I think they were originally going to include the pseye as well and the combo of those(sixaxis and pseye) would be pretty cool if implemented well into games but not as dummy simple as wiimote. My experience with the eye has been mixed (but my living room is usually not very bright)

@Mike Newlad:There is a huge market. Thing is, Nintendo's got it. Sony does not and will not with the highest cost system on the market.

And if you look at the plans, after paying for a PSEye and whatever this is, your very likely going to be paying what Wii Fit costs without half of the support. Yes, the PS3 has motion sensing from day 1, but how many games support it, compared to how many support the motion sensing of the Wiimote. Come on, I'm sure you can find the numbers.

Your really good at running defense for Sony without looking at both sides of the debate.

Because the SixAxis was such a success you needed to repeat the process?

If I were the boss of Sony's gaming division I would focus on nothing but games games games.

Its pretty sad when the weak spot for a game console is the actual number of games.....

Something tells me the developers for this POS controller idea could be helping 3rd party game companies make sense out of the "PS3 is hard to develop for" problem.

@WDYC: Cliche statements get so popular because they have some truth to them. You can't fault someone for having a popular opinion.

@Hey_Blinkon: Way to have an open mind there.

Jimbotron

@Nubius: Afraid of something new? Afraid to actually interact with a game beyond pressing the X and Circle buttons?

Jimbotron

@jamesjohnson01: "The casuals"? You talk like they aren't as good as you, someone who most likely considers themselves "hardcore". And all that means is that you have no real life, no friends, and use the label "hardcore" to make yourself feel better and to compensate for your general lack of life. If anything, "the casuals" are better than you. And more important than you. They are where the money is for game developers; not with a small fringe group of nerds whose lives revolve around games.

Like it or not, motion control is here to stay, and it is just something you'll have to get used to. The next generation of consoles will all have it, and so will some of your favourite games. If you are actually open minded enough to try them, you'll probably be the first hypocrit in line praising how good the controls are. Unless you are one of those fat, lazy blobs who even finds pushing buttons too strenuous. Then you'll be unhappy because you might have to actually move your body.

Jimbotron

@imikedaman: Games don't have to have depth to be fun. Try being a bit open minded.

Jimbotron

@Mike Newlad: Motion sensor =/= Motion controls

@somarix: Drift occurs because the sensors that are used only record the derivative (gyro) and second derivative (accelerometer) of your value. Ever heard of galilean transformation? The v*t is what's screwing up your position. A slightly inaccurate measurement will gradually move the position completely.

But if you can measure your position in the inertial system of your living room, yeah, that completely eliminates the problem.

Kotakufan777

The placeholder game looks like it could be from the anime Bleach. Just my first impression. Interesting that it will be one-handed, at least that's what it looks like.

Ryodestined

@Combichristoffersen: Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. But take a look at the picture in the patent drawing.

That is clearly a PlayStation 3.

jallen