3 years ago when Nintendo launched its Wii console, hardcore gamers scoffed at its potential. But it didn’t take long before the grandmas and soccer moms were lining up to get their waggle on. Sony and Microsoft, realizing they missed the waggle wagon, are both releasing their motion controller competitors this holiday. Sony is up first with the Move - a strange looking remote like device with a giant glowing orb on the top. In a lot of ways it behaves very similar to the Wii-mote - but in a lot of ways it’s a generation ahead.
The first requirement of the Move is the fact you not only need a motion controller, but you need a PlayStation Eye camera. These two devices working together to do two things; they are able to figure out which position your hand is in thanks to accelerometers, gyroscopes, and thinga-ma-bobs, and they can also tell how close you are to your television giving you a true 3D space to simulate. There in lies a problem with the Move - especially if you want to play a two player game - you need quite a bit of space to work with.
Like the Wii you don’t want to run into your partner and such, so adequate space was always a requirement, but unlike the Wii you need to be a good 5 or more feet back from your TV when playing in order for the camera to see you properly. In fact, in my living room which measures about 11 feet deep I had a problem getting the camera positioned right for certain titles like EyePet and even Sports Champions in two player mode.
The other piece of the Move puzzle is the Navigation Controller. This little device contains an analog stick, d-pad, and other various buttons. Most games don’t require it - and sadly unlike Nintendo’s “Nun-Chuk,” it doesn’t contain any special functionality in some of the motion games.
All in all the hardware itself impressed me with its accuracy. In the games themselves I never had trouble getting it to recognize my actions - and in the titles that showed 1:1 motion like Zen Studio’s Mini Golf and Sports Champions - I felt it was entirely accurate. Using it to navigate the XMB is a snap, you simply hold the trigger and gently move it. It’s almost as if your hand is controlling the XMB in some Minority Report like way.
Priced at $40 for a motion controller, $30 for a Navigation controller, and another $40 for an Eye - the Move isn’t a cheap investment. Luckily most games don’t require or even use the Navigation controller, and if you want, you can utilize a six-axis in its place. My advice is to just pick up two motion controllers or the starter bundle and a motion controller and be done with it.