Portal 2 is easily one of the finest games of last year, and although the PS3 version had at least one clear advantage over the 360 version at launch (namely cross-platform Steam multiplayer) it sounds like the upcoming Move addition is going to not only trump that most unexpected bulletpoint but also mark itself as being the premier implementation of motion control technology this generation.
In a rather enjoyable interview over at iWaggle3D (good friends of mine, make sure you bookmark them) the developers of the Move addition, Sixense, talk candidly about their work with the game and how they’ve taken what they did with their own Razer Hydra peripheral and translated it over to PlayStation’s own tech.
If you haven’t seen it in action – do so now:
I don’t really want to pull quotes from the interview without context – it’s well worth reading the whole thing – but the guys do talk about the new One-to-One object interactions and how they’ve used the Move controller to aim freely rather than the nasty deadzone mess that was SOCOM.
It’s funny, after watching the video it seems odd to go back to vanilla Portal 2 without being able to use One-to-One or Portal Surfing. The new features seem to be expertly woven into the game.
They also tease Move support for the main game rather than just the additional levels that come as part of the package. “We can’t announce anything at this time, but we would like to implement Move support for all of the Portal 2 content on PS3,” said one member of the team.
As someone that still remains unconvinced by Move, perhaps it’s down to one of my all time favourite games to finally make me realise that the technology hasn’t gone entirely to waste. More Portal is always good in my opinion, and new levels that push the Portal universe in a slightly different direction is something I’m very keen to try. I’m hopeful, so fingers crossed that this turns out to be rather special.
jtomlinii
Looks awesome. Makes me wish more developers would support the Move better.
HoboCastro
I haven’t played Portal 2 but the Move inclusion compels me to play it. A lot of games and developers are finally getting the idea of move as a viable control system. It’s just a shame that to make it viable you have to buy a Sharpshooter.
Kevatron400
I don’t think you would have to buy a Sharpshooter to enjoy Portal/move. In fact I’m not sure it would even be that easy to do the scaling stuff using the Sharpshooter.
Also, “I haven’t played Portal 2” is an amazing statement. I know everyone raves on about it, but it genuinely one of this gen’s finest gaming experiences [/portalFanboy]
Awayze
Never really understood what to do in Portal, I hope P2 comes soon with PS+.
JesseDeya
I remember when Gabe Newell appeared on the Sony stage and proclaimed the PS3 version would be the best version of Portal 2… I was _certain_ it was going to have Move support and likely 3D support.
Although still stoked for Portal 2 (still sporting the avatar), I was quite surprised and a little disappointed Move was omitted. It’s great news to hear they’re going back to add it in and I can’t wait to try the new levels!
hazelam
i like that they’re not just remapping the controls, but also adding new features that you couldn’t do with a standard pad, at least not without making the controls fiddly.
they’ve made what could be a fiddly thing to do with a pad into something that seems very natural.
it’s almost like you’re actually holding the object in your hand, or floating at the end of you move wand.
shields_t
I was worried this would never see The light of day when I first saw the tech demo but it looks like I’ll not only be jumping back into portal 2, but dusting off the move controller sooner rather than later. Can’t wait, sounds brilliant.
Kevatron400
This does look amazing. I agree – best use of Move I’ve seen. I’m just hoping that the audio was placeholder, as that wasn’t GLADoS! I need some passive-aggressive commentary to go with my Portals!
colmshan1990
Oh wow, this looks great.
I second the calls for GLADoS though.
Unterred
Love this news. I’ll be all over this like a tight Lycra Mancini when it comes out!
spooner_22
Is that Roberto’s sister?
Unterred
Ha ha. Meant Mankini!
TSBonyman
It looks great and i can’t wait to play it!