Since the official unveiling at last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony has released a number of demo reels exhibiting the technical abilities of Sony’s PlayStation Move , however the firm has been pretty tight lipped regarding how and in which ways it will perform when tasked with everyday, in game uses. To answer some of the Move related questions most of us have been wondering, Gamespot sat down with SCEA’s R&D Manager of Special Projects, Dr. Richard Marks.
In response to a question regarding the Move’s mechanics and the ability for the glowing spheres to change colors, Dr. Marks stated:
The Motion Controller’s high-precision embedded sensors detect the sensitive movements and rotation of the hands, and the PlayStation Eye tracks the glowing sphere on the controller to precisely detect the position in real-life 3D space. The colors of the sphere can be changed by the game programmers to provide visual feedback that reflects changes in gameplay, or to differentiate between players.
When asked about the development process and Sony’s decision to implement motion control, Dr. Marks replied:
We learned a lot from our experience creating EyeToy, from our consumer research, and from the experiences we have observed for other products. We also studied many different technologies over the last few years, including 3D cameras, ultrasonics, and magnetic sensors. We believe the combination of the camera and other sensors we have selected provides the best possible interactive solution for games. Our primary goal in creating the Motion Controller technology was to finally allow players to feel completely immersed in a game across all genres–sports, shooter, action, party. There’s really no limit with the types of game that the Motion Controller can enhance. Nothing currently on the market delivers an innovative experience that’s intuitive for casual gamers and engaging for hardcore fans, and that’s the opportunity the PS3 Motion Controller will fulfill.
It’s encouraging to know that before deciding to begin developing the Move, Sony thoroughly considered and looked into different types of technologies with which to build upon. Not only does this ensure the best possible experience, but also implies a notion contrary to the popular belief that Sony rushed into using their already established camera technology in an effort to combat the popularity of Nintendo’s Wii.
We understand all this talk about motion control might have you bummed considering a concrete release date has yet to be announced, but Dr. Marks was generous enough to reveal Sony’s plans to bring the motion controller on the road, allowing gamers the opportunity to swing about ahead of its scheduled fall release.
Hit up the source link for the full interview, and be sure to check back with us over the course of this week as we bring you the best PlayStation coverage you’ll find anywhere out of GDC.
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