The hardware
New hardware is always exciting, whether it’s a brand new console or a bit of plastic you stick on your analog triggers to make them a little less slippy. However, when the postman dropped off our PlayStation Move last week excitement levels were at an all-time high: this is, along with 3D and whatever magic Dylan Cuthbert’s brewing up next, is the future of PlayStation and regardless of your thoughts on motion control it’s clear Sony is putting everything behind it.
We can’t show you the media kit, yet (so we’ll save our own hardware shots for later too) but the packaging is to die for and once inside, getting our sweaty mitts on the finished Move hardware is a treat that only happens once or twice a console generation. It feels great – it’s weighted nicely and balanced just right, the size is perfect and you immediately grip it with confidence. The difference in form and function from the Dual Shock is distinct – it has to be – but it’s absolutely a PlayStation product.
The controller itself is populated with more buttons than you might at first realise – alongside the main Move button on the top (and the four surrounding face buttons) there’s a spongy trigger (with a fair amount of motion in its arc) and there are start and select buttons on the side of the unit. Tricky to get to, those, but purposefully out of the way so they’re not pushed by accident during a game. The striking thing, of course, is the white ball on the top of the controller, which, as you’ll find out when you first start a game, is quite happy to illuminate with all kinds of hues depending on what’s going on.
Set up and calibration is a doddle – the PlayStation Eye (nothing has changed with this piece of the hardware) needs flicking to the wide-angle mode, and placing directly in the centre of your TV, either above or below. Plug it in, wire up the Move controller via USB (so it syncs to your PS3) and you’re good to go. Dropping in a Move game presents you with a simple one-time set-up (although you’ll need to do it each time you play a new game) which involves pointing the Move controller at the Eye and pressing the Move button – once that’s done you’re all set.
It’s worth mentioning that the Move controller quite happily navigates the PS3’s XMB – something we’ve not seen documented before. It uses the internal motion control tech rather than the Eye, mind, you just simply pull the trigger and ‘move’ the controller to browse the rows and columns of the media bar. We’ll have more on this in a future article, though – this one’s all about the hardware and the games and we’re happy to say that the Move controller itself is lovely, feels nicely built and is a reasonably attractive piece of gaming equipment that compliments the PS3 nicely. Now, about those games.
nemesisND1derboy
Well thanks for the impressions nofi, I am now completely sold on move…if only it wasn’t coming the day after Reach…oh well, Xmas it is!
Charmed_Fanatic
awesome, great read, cant wait for September
jonwaters34
I have ordered this already however I do have one concern and that is the amount of space required to play games etc?
nofi
I think the games wanted you to be about 1.5 metres back, I think – will check later if you want. You don’t need to move side to side much at all though.
bunimomike
You have completely won me over on the hardware. It’s now over to the software developers to convince me to buy their games. Fantastic article, nofi. Really superb.
I assume that’s not a photo of your living room as nofi junior would probably throw up on the EyeToy. :-)
Foxhound_Solid
Cannot wait for PS Move
jayboy31
I’m really looking forward to MOVE, I played ping pong & Frisbee golf at the BETA ROOMS, it was excellent. Although I do have some concerns as to the height of my TV, its at a seated viewing height & not really ideal for standing in front of. The TV’s at BETA ROOMS were all at head height, which was great but no good for general viewing/gaming? Any ideas? Its not an option to wall mount it.
nofi
I was using a TV at seated height, not an issue.
jayboy31
Thanks, i’ll order 1 then. :)
Bilbo_bobbins
nice one guys, a good read. Looking forward to it, but it does sound like an upgraded Wii to be honest, not that it’s bad or anything.
Dexter17
Preordered with Sports Champtions. Can’t wait.
gazzagb
Great read nofi, but im still not convinced by Move. The hardware and tech maybe brilliant, but the Move games don’t interest me in the slightest.
chucknorriskicksass
Do these move games support trophies