Ah. PlayStation Move.
Al: I remember it. It was that thing we saw that stood up strongly against Kinect at that E3 because a) it wasn’t shit and b) actually looked like it might take what was good about the Wii and make it better. Those tech demos, the promise of games that would transform my hobby forever, the chance for Sony to enter the casual market properly and get grannies bowling.
[drop]It came in a shiny blue box, akin to a heavier, fatter shiny blue 3DS. It was a fancy press kit, sure, but it set the scene: this was Sony playing serious, doing something right and making sure that everyone was watching. Carefully popping open the velcro revealed a Hellraiser-esque cube thing, and inside was a Move Controller Stick Wand. It was glorious. So black, so plastic, so in need of a charge.Nestled inside the custom made box was a camera. Yes, a PlayStation Eye, that thing that made dragons leap out of your hands and cost a small fortune when bundled with a bit of cloth and some cards. The PlayStation Eye that wasn’t very high resolution, couldn’t detect depth and – much like Kinect – stood little chance of showing you what was on the sole of your shoe.
But it didn’t matter, because Move had a glowing ball (that I proceeded to dismantle immediately). This glowing ball (and some other fancy technology) could detect the angle of your wrist, the speed of motion, the distance from your TV, the colour of your wallpaper and when you last brushed your teeth. It was magical. Nobody knew how it worked – it even scrolled around the XMB like some kind of otherworldly stretched out Dual Shock.
And the games? Well, there were two (I think) shoved oddly into the media kit. It doesn’t really matter what they were, both were unfinished, and both were a little bit unremarkable. It’s easy to look back in hindsight and point fingers (if you’ll excuse the pun) but let’s face it, the Move launch line-up, Sports Champions aside (and who plays that now?) was a bit, well, dull.
And since the initial rush of new stuff, my interest in Move has sadly diminished. I like it when games use Move cleverly – the Sharpshooter is neat enough – but I just feel like the momentum that should have been there hasn’t really carried forward. Certainly, Sony haven’t captured the family market from where I’m sitting and that’s a real shame – the Move tech is smart, but the implementation hasn’t really progressed.
There’s still time, but just now, for me at least, my Move’s back in that fancy blue box.
In this multi-part Playback special we focus on a number of games given the PlayStation Move treatment, from the simply fantastic to the dreadfully dire. Not fully representative of the selected games themselves, we focus entirely on how well they support Sony’s motion tech, whether it be full integration or on-the-side mini games. Be sure to keep an eye out for the first entrants in our list tomorrow.
cc_star
been robbed by it, bought 2 Sticks & Navi on launch day, quickly followed up by another 2 sticks & another Navi
And pretty much all Sony have done is use it as an alternative control scheme for their FPS
Table Tennis in Sports Champions hinted at what’s possible and Tumble was amazing, especially in 3D… but I may as well have thrown my money down the drain, as usual for Sony their tech is ace but their support of it leaves a lot to be desired, one of the reasons I’ll never buy a platform launch on launch day ever again.
Sony sold us something that’s not going to happen when they released all those developer vids & don’t mention Sorcery whcih also sold people on the idea but was either nowhere near ready to be shown off or was just a vapourware sales tool
Great tech, but bad show Sony, bad show.
bunimomike
Terrible, Chris. Actually… shocking on Sony’s part. The very reason why I stayed away from Move. I ached for Sony to show us what they could do for Move but it was smoke and mirrors all of the way.
Even now it’s hard to justify and we’re a year on from launch. I truly wish Sony could learn from crap like this but I always feel like they have the worrying ability to do it all over again… just with a different bit of hardware.
Peter Rushton
Wish I could go back and not spend the odd 60/70 quid I did on it :\
FireWaller
The Move still has great potential. Killzone 3 is awesome. Resistance 3 is also a great Capaign and Multiplayer. MAG is online only, but offers a great multiplayer experience for a low price.
The Move actually gives players an advantage over the DS3, the deadzones and fast twitch aiming are incredibly fast. They just take some time to master.
skibadee
Move was never made to replace your dual shock it is a great extra piace of kit to have.
skibadee
piece^
The Lone Steven
Move is a failure so far. It seems like Sony has left it to die a lonely death by dust. Even though i hate motion gaming, Move had a lot of potential. You could have used the move to stab people in a FPS, Skyrim would have been a good game to implent move as it could be used to swing a two handed sword, blocking with a shield and then timing your strike.
But it seems that Sony don’t want to support it at the moment. I keep calling the PS Move, the PS Dildo. What? It was a common joke here on TSA. So yeah. :p
I wonder how many moves are covered in a mountain of dust?
tantalus_blank
“You could have used the move to stab people in a FPS”
You can
Darksidesystems
With you 100% on Move for Skyrim. The dual wielding system could incredible with 2 motion controllers. Imagine true 1:1 tracking with your bow or sword and shield, it’d be sweet. Think I’m going to start hastling Bethesda to implement it ASAP
3shirts
To be honest, I have been using Move a lot more recently than I did at launch. In hindsight I wish I’d waited but I would get it now.
The Fight (which is dirt cheap now) is brilliant and really shows off the technology and Sports Champions is good for both a fun kick about with mates or more serious solo play.
I agree that Sony could have done so much more with it, but it’s well worth the money you can pick one up for now.
Kreisash
Back when it was announced, those around me were touting about how it would trounce my beloved Wii. Tech demos aplenty and hype in buckets, but there were a few tell tale signs even back then that it was only potential.
As many of you will know, potential is only half the equation for success, the other half being actually fulfilling it.
I said to my friend, just like the Kinect, the tech is impressive, but without the games to use it, it might as well be a twig in your hand.
The problem is that there is no single must have game that exclusively uses the Move.
That and it’s an add-on.
Market fragmentation is never a good thing, and even less so because it’s an option rather than mandatory.
Who wants to spend money developing games or control schemes for a niche sub-market, which costs money and doesn’t return much revenue?
The answer is pretty much no-one, and always will be.
tantalus_blank
Personally, I enjoy using my move regularly, especially now the LBP2 move patch is out. Like 3D, it’s cool to slag off move, but a lot of people don’t seem to even know what they want. Do people want Sony to go the Kinect route when they made Fable on rails? Yes, new IPs are needed to give move a must-have status, but calling it a failure is just as short sighted as calling the PSP a failure. Move compatible move titles I’ve really enjoy include Resident Evil 5, LBP2, Sports Champions, The Fight, Tumble, Killzone 3, Heavy Rain, and good few more I still haven’t tried. I’m not disagreeing with everyone, I agree that still falls a little short for a year’s lifetime, but I still find it a pretty nifty and fun bit of kit worth every penny.
tantalus_blank
Ha! should have proof read that…I am aware I can’t enjoy something if I haven’t tried it. Soooo, better be hittin the ol’ dusty trail
gazzagb
So glad I didn’t buy it, there’s barely been any games to play with it as far as I can tell, let alone and good quality ones. At least MS are supporting Kinect with plenty of games, even if they are a bit ‘casual’, its still good that players have the option if they want it.
tyrant161
The games have been a bit sparse for move to say the least, yeh, i bought one on day one….i have still to buy a game for it yet but nothing’s been released that makes me want to buy although my 6yr old daughter uses it with eyepet and the game is so much better for her to play now…..without that plastic card thing. We just need some good games for it thats all. maybe house of the dead will make the grade….only time will tell. Someone tell Capcom to release Okami HD on psn….now that would be worth buying.