Motion Controller delayed to Fall 2010

[Elandyll]

Last August, the PS3 motion controller was presented by Sony as a "spring 2010 release". Well, after the delay of GT5 recently (in Japan), it's now the turn of the PS3 Motion Controler (sometimes called Sphere, or Gem) to be delayed globally until fall 2010, where it will have to compete head to head with the 360's Project Natal which is slated for a December release.


Sony delays PS3 motion controller launch to autumn | Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp said it would postpone the launch of a motion controller, or wireless controlling device, for its PlayStation 3 to the autumn of 2010 from this spring, marking the second delay of a major product release in as many weeks.

The controller, when used with a special camera for the PS3, detects the movement of the user's hand and the location of the user, and will likely give Sony more of an edge in competition with Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii game machine.

The Wii, which far outsells the PS3 and Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360, features a controller that allows users to direct onscreen play, for example by swinging it like a bat.

Microsoft is planning to launch its controller-less game system Project Natal by this year's holiday season.

Sony's game division said it is delaying the launch so that more software titles will be available to make the most of the new controller's functions.

The delay follows a Sony announcement last week that it would postpone the launch of the latest version of its blockbuster racing game series "Gran Turismo," which was due to be launched in March. A new launch date has not been set.

Prior to the announcement, shares in Sony closed down 0.2 percent at 3,060 yen, outperforming the Tokyo stock market's electrical machinery index, which fell 0.9 percent.

[silversnake]

good. Don't release it unless it's ready. Give more time for developers to make it work well with the games.

[Hedchekr]

Thats good news. You wouldn't want it to end up being like the PSeye or like the Guncon for the PS3. It was like Sony said "here is this fairly cool product that we know you would like to try out, but we have no software support for this hardware, enjoy!!!" I for one am glad they did this, it allows them time (and 3rd parties) to develop software. Although I wouldn't mind fighting a endless horde of skeletons in a arena.

[Terjyn]

I guess the real question is, will anybody bother with it even with the delay?

Are companies going to go out on a limb to make a game for a product which could utterly utterly fail?

Or will it get nothing but half-assed add-on control schemes to games with normal control sets as well?

[Shin-Ra]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

I guess the real question is, will anybody bother with it even with the delay?

Are companies going to go out on a limb to make a game for a product which could utterly utterly fail?

Or will it get nothing but half-assed add-on control schemes to games with normal control sets as well?

Do you care how it turns out?

I think the answers to your questions are yes, yes Wii and PSP are living proof, and yes we'll get some of that too.

[Turnda643]

In my perfect world, we'll get a motion gun and House Of The Dead!!

[metalgeargreed]

PS3 already has a motion control. It's called six axsis. And..yea. Not too many games use it anyway.
I am glad it got pushed back. Don't need it. If I wanted motion control, I would have bought a Wii.

[Shin-Ra]

I don't need stupid music game controllers but you don't see me going in those threads and saying I don't need this, don't want that.

If you don't care why post here?

[talak]

Probably a good move to delay it. Make sure its all ready.
Also its out just in time for Christmas when people are will to take a chance and willing to buy stuff like this.

[partridge]

I just don't get what sony or MS expect to gain from their new motion control devices; look at the Wii; 3rd party publishers are moving away from it and the overall view is that it's peaked. The industry is expecting more from PS3 and 360 this year than they are the Wii.

The other problem is that developers are expected to create games for two very different controllers; it's not like they can port a natal game to Arc is it.

Part of me almost hopes both of these devices fails so that developers can just get on with making great games for the traditional controller. Historically speaking add ons don't sell well so I think it may be too late for either device to become a standard feature for either console.

For me the Natal is very, very clever, but I can't see it becoming the killer app gaming device MS see it as. Natal forces you to stand up and move around, who the hell wants to do that? Even the Wii allows you to sit down and wave the Wiimote, as will the Arc. I for one would hate an interface where I have to stand up to get any use out of it. Or are MS expected gamers to slouch on their sofa's sticking their arms and legs out to get the game to do something? Like I say, it's very clever, but I just can't see any real use for it, it will sell for the novelty then gather dust...

[Trailbreaker77]

I would be happy if this never gets released, I have a Wii if I wanted to wave my controller around.

[saprano]

I wasn't really serious when i posted that shin. You didn't have to delete it.

[alphapyro]

Not disappointed they delayed it either. Unlike everyone who thinks it's a waste and a flop I think what's being overlooked is the 1:1 motion capture in 3D space. This is better than what the wii is offering and will be better than natal by a long shot.

I want the developers to take their time to really make it natural and fluid and then when it comes out I want to see all these people coming back saying, "Man I know I pissed on this before, but this rocks! "

[toef]

I hope this thing succeeds, but I fear it won't. It's tough to launch a peripheral in the middle of a system's life, and expect everyone to use it. Sony will have to take it upon themselves by throwing some money into one of their first-party studios, and ask them to use everything in their powers to make a must-have game that requires using the controller.

[CYMBOL]

I'm still waiting for new PS Eye games. Probably one of the most useless purchases I've made for the PS3 - they didn't support it AT ALL!

I will not be buying this until I see they'll actually be putting more than 5 games on it before ceasing making anything new for it.

I feel a bit ripped off on the PS Eye - not trying anything new till I see continued support.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Better than Natal? That's hard to say. Natal is real future tech. However, it's not necessarily game tech. I see it not working well with games but with everydy things. Natal will change things though. I don't think we can say the same for the ps3 magic wand.

That is, assuming Natal actually works.

Either way it just makes sense to delay it till Christmas for many reasons.

[DonRSD]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

I guess the real question is, will anybody bother with it even with the delay?

Are companies going to go out on a limb to make a game for a product which could utterly utterly fail?

Or will it get nothing but half-assed add-on control schemes to games with normal control sets as well?

i somewhat agree.

why play with ps 'new' controller when xbox is coming out with a controller-less controller

they cant go head to head.

last year @ e3 when ps motion controller came out it was cool, but when seeing natal i cant help but think "xbox natal is new tech, ps wand is rehashed tech"

[toef]

Originally Posted by DonRSD

i somewhat agree.

why play with ps 'new' controller when xbox is coming out with a controller-less controller

they cant go head to head.

last year @ e3 when ps motion controller came out it was cool, but when seeing natal i cant help but think "xbox natal is new tech, ps wand is rehashed tech"

Well, two reasons I could think of:

1) People are used to holding things in their hands while playing. If I'm playing a shooting game, I'd like to hold something as if I'm holding a gun. I don't want to make a gun out of my hands. Same goes for driving games, tennis games, etc.

2) If you have dark skin or even a poorly lit room, you better hope they fix the rumored detection issues with Natal. Even when a bunch of white people showed it off on Jimmy Fallon, they had to wear bright orange suits. It's an awesome technology if it works, but what if it only works 95% of the time? If it misses a gesture and you have to do it again, or just misinterprets the gesture, that's going to get really annoying, really fast. It has to work on the first gesture, and interpret it correctly, 100% of the time.

[alanshearer]

Originally Posted by DonRSD

i somewhat agree.

why play with ps 'new' controller when xbox is coming out with a controller-less controller

they cant go head to head.

last year @ e3 when ps motion controller came out it was cool, but when seeing natal i cant help but think "xbox natal is new tech, ps wand is rehashed tech"

Natal is a clone of eyetoy. I expect Natal to stand more chance to succeed though.

As always Sony seem to be dithering. They were the first ones to come up with motion controls, they even had games in development for the PS2 for it but did nowt and allowed Nintendo to steal there thunder. Same with Eyetoy a PS2 idea that MS have picked up and put there full weight behind.

[RebelJeeper]

"Assuming" they both work (and that is a big assumption as far as I'm concerned)...I can't believe anyone in his/her right mind would compare this wand technology with Natal... "If" it works, Natal will be SO far outta this league it's not funny. I don't really care about either one, because I'm a lazy, arrogant American (because I can be) who won't be wasting my money on either. I'm all about advancing technology, but to try to compare the two is simply hysterical.

IMHO