PS3 Motion controllers, what do you think?

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Vanigan

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I like the new controllers even if they look weird at first. They're using pretty standard tech that's been used in motion capture for games and film for a while now, and that's probably why the system is so accurate.

I know a lot of people look down on motion controls, I don't, but I also know current motion control setups like the Wii aren't all that good and are paired with hardware that make it difficult to create more mature games that can use 1 to 1 tracking.

Case in point, Red Steel was a good idea, but fell short. I kind of enjoyed the gunplay, especially being able to sweep a room with an Uzi like in action movies, but the graphics, AI, gameplay overall, and motion implementation (especially how you rotated your view) were poor. Imagine, then, using this tech in say Killzone 2, or Uncharted, or maybe the next R&C game.

MS has Natal, which looks awesome, but it's main strength is also a weakness. Without a controller with buttons in your hands you lose accuracy and have to rely on bigger gestures. I see natal being much better for casual games than the Wii's controls, but not so much for enthusiast games that demand more precision.

Current games could really benefit. That demo where he was using building blocks or painting/drawing? Perfect idea for the next little bigplanet. It'd be so much easier to use those motion controllers to move stuff around, place stickers, etc...
 
I think it's too early to rush to any sort of judgment, considering what they showed off was nothing more than a tech demo.
 
Well it works, I like it, but the conroller itself does look funny. I hope they make it a little bit nicer looking. honestly, it looks like Sony is using the PS3 as a motion capture device... Except that the ball is on the wand, instead of on that black suit that you would have to wear (with numerous balls on the black suit that EA has you wear when they motion capture people for games).
 
I'm going to continue to hope that this never becomes the standard. I was disheartened that both Microsoft and Sony felt they needed to focus on it so much, but I guess that's the reality. But color me among those who say you'll have to rip my controller out of my cold, dead hands. I refuse to even use sixaxis whenever possible.
 
I think the problem for both Sony and Microsoft is that these devices are never going to be anything more than another peripheral. The Wii motion controls are standard and that makes a big difference.

While the tech may be better than the Wii I don't think these things are going to hurt Nintendo at all.
 
I think their tech for motion control is better than Nintendo's, but that's not saying much. Not all that interested unless they're cheap.
 
[quote name='natureboy46']I think the problem for both Sony and Microsoft is that these devices are never going to be anything more than another peripheral. The Wii motion controls are standard and that makes a big difference.

While the tech may be better than the Wii I don't think these things are going to hurt Nintendo at all.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I don't think so either. Though I may be one of the last people who thinks the jury is still out on whether the Wii has staying power. Sure, casual games are all the rage now, but fads are fads. I still think in the long run they'd be well served by returning to their roots catering to "gamers". But what do I know, I'm just a bitter and betrayed Nintendo fan ;). Thank god for the DS.
 
As an owner of all 3 current gen consoles, with no bias toward any one in particular, this is the most excited I have ever been toward motion controlled games.
However, it will probably be a good 3-5 years out before we start seeing really good 1:1 control with current gen graphics.

Depending on how accurate home use is and the type of development that is done, this could be a standard with all of the next gen consoles.

The key is getting the good industry-recognized developers behind this tech. Can you imagine an Oblivion style game using this tech that was actually developed by Bethesda???

Sure Carnival Games is fun to play with the neice and nephew when they are visiting, but I would love to be able to put 50-60 hours into an action/rpg that responded accurately to motion controls and looks like Fallout 3/Oblivion.
 
lightsaber game? bushido blade? how about some 1-for-1 drumming?

bah this will all just be gimmicky crap, just like 99% of the wii library (I'm a self loathing wii owner)
 
is it just me? i immediately thought of buzz when i saw the controllers. i thought a buzz sequel?
 
As long as I don't have to use it or it gets good exclusives, I'm fine with it.

[quote name='DantheApe']bah this will all just be gimmicky crap, just like 99% of the wii library (I'm a self loathing wii owner)[/QUOTE]
Quoted for irony.
 
Yeah, the key is that it should add onto the experience, not take away. And I'm definitely not saying it should be apart of every game. There's plenty of games where it's not needed, or wanted.

As I said above, Sony's implementation seems to be the most practical even if it looks a bit silly. It just uses tried and proven mocap tech for real-time work.

Anyone know if it requires a special camera, or uses the same PS Eye camera?
 
It uses the PS Eye camera, or something that looks identical to it according to the video.

Of course, being in early development, that may change.
 
Not really a huge fan of motion controls in general. They're fun but they get old after a while. That said I do think Nintendo is doing them best. SONY's new Saggle technology is the most technically impressive IMO but I'm just not compelled to buy it or even hype myself without some games behind it.
 
The tech demo seems to present a fairly polished product, considering that it is an alpha-phase product. Too early to call it a copy-cat gimmick that's going to wii-fy the ps3 library with shovelware, but if done correctly and sold at the right price, I may give it a try.
 
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I'm not sold yet. Still seems too gimmicky to me, but it has potential. Do any games besides eye of judgement use the eye camera now (as a primary input/interaction device)?

I also have a guncon3 sitting in a box that hasn't seen any love since Christmas '07. How about using the peripherals already in the market?
 
Word from the con is that Eyepet is pretty amazing, and this was coming from hardcore gamers from joystiq. So the Eye camera is up to the task.

The Guncon is a third party peripheral, and a pretty bad idea at that. It has no more sensitivity than the wiimote.
 
It's a plastic gun. I don't need it to be sensitive. I do need more games for it. Can't a dude just kick back with some beers and shoot at his tv anymore?
 
This one is also mostly great.
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;)
 
[quote name='Vanigan']It's a plastic gun that you can't aim properly down its sights if I recall correctly.[/QUOTE]

A plastic gun that STILL does not have fuckin' kickback on the gun like the arcade version does!!! :bomb::bomb::bomb:
 
What I don't understand is the big push for 1:1. Is it necessary in most games? It will be great in sports titles, I have no doubt about that. But for anything else where depth of field comes into play do we really need it? I'm picturing swinging my sword to lop off an enemies head and oops! I just cut off his ear instead.

As for the WM+, PS3 Dildo, and Natal debate, I'd put them in that exact order. The Wii one seems more practical since there are 50million consumers waiting to eat it up and make it a success. The other two are peripherals that are going to require a decent chunk of investment in(possibly Sony in the worst position for 4-player action requiring 4 more controller purchases vs. 1 camera for MS). As for the tech themselves, the PS3 one seems almost quaint compared to Natal. It does a little more than the Wii, but MS is on a whole other level with their Minority Report type device. That and the fact that it is possible to patch existing games for Natal controls. Viva Pinata sans controller seems heavenly.

Based on the press conference I got the feeling that the PS3 demo was a last minute addition after MS showed Natal. They did not seem prepared for it at all and it showed on stage. I can see the Sony execs watching the MS conference with a reaction of "oh shit, get Steve from engineering on the phone, we need a stage-ready demo in less than 24 hours."

In the end, Sony and MS have a lot of work on their hands to get these market ready and we get to see for ourselves this month about WM+
 
[quote name='Corvin']What I don't understand is the big push for 1:1. Is it necessary in most games? It will be great in sports titles, I have no doubt about that. But for anything else where depth of field comes into play do we really need it? I'm picturing swinging my sword to lop off an enemies head and oops! I just cut off his ear instead.

As for the WM+, PS3 Dildo, and Natal debate, I'd put them in that exact order. The Wii one seems more practical since there are 50million consumers waiting to eat it up and make it a success. The other two are peripherals that are going to require a decent chunk of investment in(possibly Sony in the worst position for 4-player action requiring 4 more controller purchases vs. 1 camera for MS). As for the tech themselves, the PS3 one seems almost quaint compared to Natal. It does a little more than the Wii, but MS is on a whole other level with their Minority Report type device. That and the fact that it is possible to patch existing games for Natal controls. Viva Pinata sans controller seems heavenly.

Based on the press conference I got the feeling that the PS3 demo was a last minute addition after MS showed Natal. They did not seem prepared for it at all and it showed on stage. I can see the Sony execs watching the MS conference with a reaction of "oh shit, get Steve from engineering on the phone, we need a stage-ready demo in less than 24 hours."

In the end, Sony and MS have a lot of work on their hands to get these market ready and we get to see for ourselves this month about WM+[/QUOTE]

I look at your statement like a sandwich (because I was hungry when I replied.. lol) however on the top piece of bread you say.. you "don't understand is the big push for 1:1", then on the bottom piece of bread you say "Sony (and MS) have a lot of work on their hands to get these market ready"

and for the meat - you mention that the PS3 motion controller tech "seems almost quaint compared to Natal." Now dammit, that's got to be the most unfairest sandwich one could ever mustard up.

I'll tell you why; you want Sony to stop focusing on quality, imo the more precise the movement the better quality (and easier to use) product you'll have. Also it makes the product more intuitive when you don't have to concentrate on movements (and trying to force it to work).
After wanting the company to (essentially) cut corners you then indicate that the tech is not as good as the MS tech. What makes tech good is when tech works. What we all will be looking for primarily is which of the two performs better. However, you criticize Sony essentially for focusing on quality, then smite them for not having tech that's up to Par to MS'. Finally, Sony has a lot of work to get these market ready.

I think that the best thing in this case is for Sony to take their time and get the product right, it needs to be perfected, this can't be half assessed in the slightest or else it is a waste.
 
Thomas....something is wrong with you..I just cant quite figure it out...

Sony's butt plug on a stick looks shitty compared to MS showing off a piece of hardware that will log you in based on face recognition and recognize full body inputs with 40 something points of reference. It is also stand alone, where the Sony item needs the camera to function.

Sony is in a world of shit right now. They need something that will sell consoles. Reconfiguring the PSP into a portable fuck you console isn't gonna work and neither is showing off hardware that you would have to buy on TOP of buying the most expensive console. fuckers arent buying the PS3 so what do you do? Show off more shit to buy with the console. WTF? Show me some fucking games. Show me shit that makes me want to buy the console. It seems that MS has a game coming out on its system to keep people from jumping ship every time the PS3 has a game. Im sure Prototype is thwarting purchases for inFamous and Forza 3 will do the same when GT5 comes out. Sony needs GoWIII, Project Trico, etc to hit when the Xbox is in a lull for games. We dont need more hardware to buy. We need a reason to buy the hardware in the first place.
 
I have to say that I really liked the PS3 motion controller and it seems as if it is at least on par with the Wiimote Motion+; which pleases me considering that great graphics and quote innovation unquote will soon be one. I generally don't care for motion controls tacked on (sixaxis) and I haven't seen too many games (outside of FPS applications) that make me want to use my Wii other than party games (which get old quick), so I have to say I'm skeptical on the concept in itself, but if done right, I will be on board.

As for Natal, this does nothing for me as far as games go. I have a hard time with games that rely on accurately working with 'depth' (heading balls in WiiFit, hitting baseballs in The Show, ect). And it seems to rely on needing a lot of space to move around. Like someone else mentioned, my first thought too was Minority Report type applications of using it with a PC and being more of a mouse replacement than a game controller.

Either way, cool stuff all around and the exciting part isn't the tech demo, it's what people decide to do with the technology.
 
[quote name='Thomas96']I look at your statement like a sandwich (because I was hungry when I replied.. lol) however on the top piece of bread you say.. you "don't understand is the big push for 1:1", then on the bottom piece of bread you say "Sony (and MS) have a lot of work on their hands to get these market ready"

and for the meat - you mention that the PS3 motion controller tech "seems almost quaint compared to Natal." Now dammit, that's got to be the most unfairest sandwich one could ever mustard up.

I'll tell you why; you want Sony to stop focusing on quality, imo the more precise the movement the better quality (and easier to use) product you'll have. Also it makes the product more intuitive when you don't have to concentrate on movements (and trying to force it to work).
After wanting the company to (essentially) cut corners you then indicate that the tech is not as good as the MS tech. What makes tech good is when tech works. What we all will be looking for primarily is which of the two performs better. However, you criticize Sony essentially for focusing on quality, then smite them for not having tech that's up to Par to MS'. Finally, Sony has a lot of work to get these market ready.

I think that the best thing in this case is for Sony to take their time and get the product right, it needs to be perfected, this can't be half assessed in the slightest or else it is a waste.[/QUOTE]

Wow, you assume quite a lot and are reading things into my post that I didn't write. Take a deep breath. Just because I don't see the attraction of 1:1 doesn't meant I don't want quality and want Sony to cut corners. That's absurd. You're projecting far too much there. You ignored my examples for one. Sports titles will benefit greatly from 1:1, it's the other genres I'm questioning whether or not will need it. i.e. do we really need 1:1 sword swinging when a simple animation works just as well?

Like I said before, what Sony doing is great, it seems like a slightly more advanced Wiimote but looks like small potatoes next to what MS is trying to accomplish. And in that regard, as I stated above, both companies have a long way to go to prove that this tech is viable.
 
It all comes down to implementation and games. Both systems are as of yet, unproven.

To be frank, I see the PS3 motion controls being used more by the type of gamers on this forum than the natal controls. Why? It's that accuracy and 1 to 1 positioning that would translate into more useful stuff for the hardcore games we play, while still being useful for casual games, albeit not quite as instant as natal.

Likewise natal is more suitable for families, kids, and casual gamers.
 
[quote name='Malik112099']Thomas....something is wrong with you..I just cant quite figure it out...

Sony's butt plug on a stick looks shitty compared to MS showing off a piece of hardware that will log you in based on face recognition and recognize full body inputs with 40 something points of reference. It is also stand alone, where the Sony item needs the camera to function.

Sony is in a world of shit right now. They need something that will sell consoles. Reconfiguring the PSP into a portable fuck you console isn't gonna work and neither is showing off hardware that you would have to buy on TOP of buying the most expensive console. fuckers arent buying the PS3 so what do you do? Show off more shit to buy with the console. WTF? Show me some fucking games. Show me shit that makes me want to buy the console. It seems that MS has a game coming out on its system to keep people from jumping ship every time the PS3 has a game. Im sure Prototype is thwarting purchases for inFamous and Forza 3 will do the same when GT5 comes out. Sony needs GoWIII, Project Trico, etc to hit when the Xbox is in a lull for games. We dont need more hardware to buy. We need a reason to buy the hardware in the first place.[/QUOTE]


I thought the PS3 had a good software lineup. but I do see your point because the xbox is in a lull and yet Sony doesn't have that much to counterattack with. At least we can say that Sony has a Game of the Year Contender in Uncharted 2. I just don't see how Sony could have any more games. They have a good lineup for the year, and more on the horizon. I know it seems like Sony always have games "on the horizon" but you gotta have that next big thing. To at least try to get people to come back.
 
[quote name='Corvin']Wow, you assume quite a lot and are reading things into my post that I didn't write. Take a deep breath. Just because I don't see the attraction of 1:1 doesn't meant I don't want quality and want Sony to cut corners. That's absurd. You're projecting far too much there. You ignored my examples for one. Sports titles will benefit greatly from 1:1, it's the other genres I'm questioning whether or not will need it. i.e. do we really need 1:1 sword swinging when a simple animation works just as well?

Like I said before, what Sony doing is great, it seems like a slightly more advanced Wiimote but looks like small potatoes next to what MS is trying to accomplish. And in that regard, as I stated above, both companies have a long way to go to prove that this tech is viable.[/QUOTE]

1:1 isn't an "attraction" feature, it really speaks more regarding the quality of the product. Also, you don't know what type of games Sony has planned for the hardware, so if they feel that their games will need 1:1, then let them include that level of precise control in the product.
 
[quote name='Thomas96']1:1 isn't an "attraction" feature, it really speaks more regarding the quality of the product. [/QUOTE]

Ever since the Wii came out EVERYONE has been complaining about the lack of 1:1, hence the birth of WM+. It was an attraction enough for Nintendo to go back to the R&D board to get it right and Sony and MS to follow suit. In that regard it is an attraction. It's what the gaming public wanted and is now what all three companies are trying to accomplish. I'm not sure where "quality of the product" even fits in. I don't even know what that means in regards to the discussion. Carnival Games could have had 1:1, would that automatically make it a quality product? I think not.
 
There's an awful lot of nonsense being spouted everywhere, so lemme just rant for a tick.

What irks me about the PSWand (and natal, wii vitality, wii motion plus, etc) is that they're announcing a peripheral before they announce the games. People don't buy Guitar Hero because they want to play with a plastic guitar, they buy plastic guitars so they can plat Guitar Hero....we've seen the plastic guitars, now Sony et. all need to show us their Guitar Heroes.

As for motion controls in general, their place in gaming is limited. They seem to work best as a gateway drug - user starts playing games, has fun, wants to move up to the next level, so he starts using conventional controls. I usually see that, for any existing Wii game that offers motion and standard controls, standard controls are what're relied upon for more serious play. Standard controls just have better precision and accuracy, and you can usually input faster than a waggle or gesture.

As for a Natal vs PS Wand argument...in terms of pure potential, the Natal wins, hands down. In terms of which will perform closest to what their respective companies are saying it will be capable of, Sony's going to take it (since they didn't really promise much of anything). Actually comparing them much beyond that is ludicrous, as we lack a final feature set for either.
 
[quote name='Vanigan']It all comes down to implementation and games. Both systems are as of yet, unproven.

To be frank, I see the PS3 motion controls being used more by the type of gamers on this forum than the natal controls. Why? It's that accuracy and 1 to 1 positioning that would translate into more useful stuff for the hardcore games we play, while still being useful for casual games, albeit not quite as instant as natal.

Likewise natal is more suitable for families, kids, and casual gamers.[/QUOTE]


The motion controls arent aimed at the hardcore crowd. Sony and Microsoft is trying to grab some of the Wii (read: FAMILY) gamers. Sony is going about it all wrong.

They showed 2 nervous engineer guys who probably arent very social much less comfortable speaking in front of TONS of people at E3 play single player type tech demos. That isnt capturing the family gamers.

Microsoft on the other hand shows a video of a FAMILY having fun together and even working together (making the elephant) on the game and they dont have to worry about passing a wand or anything to each other. They also show people on stage having fun with this thing.

You have one natal and everyone can play. You need 2 PSWs in order to hold up a sword and a shield. With natal you could just clench both fists. If 2 people want to play a PSW game that requires you to make use of both hands you have to have 4 PSWs. The same thing can be done with one Natal.

I feel Microsoft is taking polished strides to win over some of the Wii crowd while Sony has something with potential but doesnt know who they want to sell it to or how to even sell it.
 
[quote name='Malik112099']The motion controls arent aimed at the hardcore crowd. Sony and Microsoft is trying to grab some of the Wii (read: FAMILY) gamers. Sony is going about it all wrong.

They showed 2 nervous engineer guys who probably arent very social much less comfortable speaking in front of TONS of people at E3 play single player type tech demos. That isnt capturing the family gamers.

Microsoft on the other hand shows a video of a FAMILY having fun together and even working together (making the elephant) on the game and they dont have to worry about passing a wand or anything to each other. They also show people on stage having fun with this thing.

You have one natal and everyone can play. You need 2 PSWs in order to hold up a sword and a shield. With natal you could just clench both fists. If 2 people want to play a PSW game that requires you to make use of both hands you have to have 4 PSWs. The same thing can be done with one Natal.

I feel Microsoft is taking polished strides to win over some of the Wii crowd while Sony has something with potential but doesnt know who they want to sell it to or how to even sell it.[/QUOTE]

its not just the Family Gamer (nice term!) its the software that goes along with them that Sony and MS want. Also, I bet 3rd party devs aren't mad about it either. (Ex. Bloom Blox didn't do well as expected on the Wii, however it may do better on PS3 and/or 360. The big 3 having motion controllers is a Win for devs and for MS, and Sony. Its not that good for Nintendo because they lose their monoploy.
 
To the OP, while I agree motion control has fell short and that the Wii is not delivering on it, I also think you are going too hard on the Wii. Instead of red steel, take a look at medal of honor heroes 2 for wii. The control is off the chain and as for The Conduit, however generic it may be, will even further improve the controls. Also, since wii motion plus will be out before this PS dongle, it may also have the upperhand. But then again, if this could be used for aiming and whatnot for games like Killzone 2, then I would throw my wii in the garbage. The goal for motion controls, at least with FPS, is to beat the keyboard/mouse set up which the wii has pretty much already done IMO.
 
i actually kinda like it, it seems that every consoles getting a motion control now, its like an entry level standard now. sure its almost a direct copy of the wii-mote nunchuck system except for the camera but when you think about it ps3 did make the first motion controller with the eye-toy so i guess they have the right to make a new one. Get red for the PS3mote
 
I look forward to seeing what develops. I'd like to see some type of shooter like Time Crisis being used without the need of all those sensors for the light gun, just use the PS eye with a motion controller.
 
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