PS3's Motion Control Approach: Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

With both Project Natal and Sony's "arc" motion controller slated to launch this upcoming fall/holiday season, the two camps are positioning themselves to hit the market with as strong a product as possible. Nintendo owns the motion control space right now, but both Sony and Microsoft are dying to change that. In our recent conversation with Rob Dyer, SCEA Senior Vice President of Publisher Relations, we asked the executive point blank about Sony's chances in the impending motion war.

Frankly, what we told Dyer is that from a pure marketing and PR perspective, Natal seems to be winning the battle. Microsoft has done much more to hype up Natal as some revolutionary platform, while emphasizing what great support they've garnered from the major publishers. Dyer, of course, sees this as simply a lot of posturing by Microsoft. He remains extremely confident in Sony's product.

[Echo307]

It's a shame Sony couldn't have gotten this out in the Spring like they originally intended, because they really could've gained a huge edge over Natal. But on the other hand, the last thing I want to see is a hobbled together launch because they pushed it out the door so quickly.

Despite the fact that it still doesn't have an official name, I'm looking forward to the motion controller, and the games it will bring with it. Sony and Microsoft both have the same tall task of trying to get the "hardcore" crowd to come around to motion controls, and because of it's design and accuracy, I think Sony may have the leg up, even if they don't spend millions trying to market it.

[saint_john_paul_ii]

FACT: When sony announces new Playstation Hardware for the spring, dont take it as if it will release in the spring. They tend to do this with anything playstation.

[SilentNegotiator]

Fact: Theodore Roosevelt is Badass.

So Sony's approach is to get customer excitement through GAMES, not so much marketing. Makes sense to me, at least, that's how it should be.

[presto717]

Warhammer is awesome.

[The Great Melon]

^^^^
lol, I remember that line. Need to pull out those games again. Loved how they changed the rts formula up a bit.

[Bungie]

now that what i call hardcore

i hope the stick n ball sell good

[Shang-Long]

Yup st8 from the article. That was an interesting read. I wasn't to hintobthe arc thing.. Now I'm pretty excited about it. I donno if I'll get it. price matters but if theY have a game set in medevil times that'd b cool. You could choose from a knight. Wizard. Elf that would be fun.IMO

[Bereaver]

No, Sony didn't want another RROD, if the wand wasn't ready, it wasn't ready. Unlike MS, scum of the gaming world. Just trying to push it out so they could make profit off of gamers.

HELLO! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SELL STUFF! YOU MAKE A PROFIT? AM I SAYING ANYTHING WRONG?

Thank god for Sony. Profit + Reliability = A better gaming future and a win for gamers regardless. Sony knows what it's doing.

[D4RkNIKON]

Last year's E3 PROVED the motion controller has 1:1 motion with zero lag. This year's E3 will show off Gaming and blow the press away. It really bothered the hell out of me to see Natal getting so much credit in the media when in my opinion it just didn't deserve it. Natal shows no promise to me without buttons and a latency issue.

[NewZealander]

the problem i see with sonys motion control is im obviously going to have to buy a camera? and at least one control, maybe more for multi-player games, thats probably going to be a lot of money spent on a motion control that at this point doesn't seem to be getting a lot of support from devs.

and how would it work for real games, shooters...maybe, but racing or action games?
call me a skeptic but i think natal is the true next gen motion control to watch.

[Syronicus]

If they can show me some hardcore gaming with the Arc then by all means, it will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine. But if they go the way of Nintendo and only cater to the casual with this then I will pass. I already have a Wii for that and would like to see some cool games for daddy to play.

[sikbeta]

I hope Sony make The "ARC" with and Analogue stick, with the shape of a Joystick, like the Dualshock, not just a "wand" and That's an Instant WIN

Gamers FTW!!!

[ravinash]

"obviously going to have to buy a camera".
"how would it work for real games, shooters...maybe, but racing or action games? call me a skeptic but I think natal is the true next gen motion control to watch".

Yes, your skeptic.
Sorry, I try to avoid sounding like a PS3 fanboy where possible but...
You have better chance with a camera and controller (wand) than just the camera by its self.
Hope your arms don't get too tired holding them out while driving your racing car.
Just how many games do you think are going to come out using Natal.
There are 101 gimmick and plug in devices you can get for consoles and how many of them end up at the bottom of so cupboard.
Don't believe we? Ask any Wii owner where his Wii fit is right now.
I'll bet 9/10 will say just that.

Time will tell.

[silkrevolver]

For those of you who don’t know, Big Stick Diplomacy was derived from the African saying “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” Hehehe.

[unchartedgoty]

motion controll ftw!!!

[Parapraxis]

Dyer: "When you get MLB and play it with the motion controls, it'll be like an epiphany. Angels will start singing and you'll have a very different experience. I promise you that; it's so damn cool. We're not making any official announcements, but I've seen the technology on it. The tech is very different from what's out there today"

That's great to hear.
Hopefully MLB gets Arc support, I would definitely buy it.

It's good that Sony aren't intending to shoehorn the controls in as well.
And he says the games WILL appeal to the "hardcore" crowd as well and that's something I don't feel either Nintendo or MS are going for.

[saint_john_paul_ii]

just expect that support for next year's the Show.

[The Great Melon]

From the little information that I have heard about Random_Name Motion Controller, I am very excited. Hopefully I will see many types of games that I have yet to see released on the Wii even though it is capable now with the MotionPlus. I would love to see Sony at E3 just drop a bombshell with all of the upcoming games of the year yet to be announced fully compatible with the controller if they are a good fit.

Hopefully, the delay was done to have a more refined and larger selection of games from the start to leave a bigger impact in the gaming community. Bite sized bits of information are good every now and then, but the rare megaton announcements imprint the mind with excitement much more effectively.

[jack_burt0n]

yeah the mlb quote is great angels singing excellent stuff.

[Jester]

" Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick "
not the best business model

[Parapraxis]

Did you just knock Sony's business model?
Oh wow.

[Echo307]

He didn't knock Sony's business model, he knocked the line itself as it pertains to business... and Sony didn't even use that line, the guy that wrote the article did... and he wasn't even talking about Sony as a whole, he was talking about his own views on their motion control approach.

Man, you fanboys are MEGA defensive when it comes to Sony and the PS3.

EDIT - Nice stealth edit BTW... it's cool, no one likes to look foolish.

[commodore64]

" Speak Softly and Carry a Big Marital Aid "

fixed.

[DS36]

It all adds up to me in my opinion

[ALFAxD_CENTAURO]

Looks good, but Im waiting games more for Mature on ARC, in my opinion.

[strickers]

I don't see how anyone could Natal is better for games than this.I'm not a motion fan and I feel most proper Wii games would be better with a normal pad but this is definitely a better game solution.

[Xi]

At least for me that's the pinnacle argument as to why I think it's better for gaming overall.

With natal I'm not limited by the controller(s) I'm holding. If you want to play a gem game, you have to use the gem controllers, if you want to play a regular ps3 game it's back to sixaxis. With natal, you have your natal games, your regular 360 games, and games which utilize both natal and the regular controller (like fable 3). This extends to likely peripherals too, http://www.sixense.com/ for example, now you have the 360 version of the gem/wiimote.

I guess that's my take on it. But we wont know until both release.

[playstation123]

100 bucks Metal gear rising comes trolls here

[jonnydize]

he probably will.

Jump out PLAYB3YOND

[meatnormous]

Hes banned for telling spoilers earlier.

[Bungie]

"Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick"

casual gamers = ps3 only owners

they'll love this

[captain-obvious]

and NATAL ??
you guys say it'll sell more
that means xbox only owners are more casual gamers than PS3 only owners

thanks for making that clear

[fr0sty]

There are some surprises in store that many of you may not have considered. Full body camera tracking with the pseye, while not as accurate as natal, when combined with the controller will provide a much greater level of accuracy than you might expect. Having played a few games on the eye already, I am already impressed.

Also... we have 3d. imagine standing in front of your screen, looking into it at the pitcher standing off in the distance. you watch the ball fly off your screen until you take a swing and connect... the possibilities are endless. I can see why they have so much confidence, especially knowing Wii and 360, being that they lack HDMI 1.4, will not be able to output to the new 3dtv's coming out later this year in 3d (HDMI 1.4 is required for 3D content now that the standard has been finalized).

he's right though, that experience will only lend itself well to some game types. I couldn't see myself flailing around to control Kratos, steering with it in gt5 (though the head tracking thing is awesome! that plus 3d will own!), etc. But, it's versatility will allow it to be used with a wider variety of games than both natal and wii (more power than wii, and an actual controller to use).

When you combine that fact with the advantage of native 3d, Sony actually is in a very strong position to battle against natal.

[SasanovaS1987]

i just imagined what u just said, seeing the ball fly through the screen in 3D as i swing the Arc, connecting and seeing the ball go off in the distance...thats just sick, no lie...and i hate baseball haha yet id buy everything needed for such an experience

[D4RkNIKON]

Sony's motion controller will have RUMBLE SUPPORT. Something not featured on Natal. So your swing will make contact and you will feel it ;)

[Raz]

WHAT?

This just got more interesting. Rumble, you say... <3

[jack_burt0n]

fr0sty nailed it, out of the park lol totally agree. The mlb 3d demo @ e3 will sell this product on its own 1:1 motion means so so much.

[awesomeperson]

Who wants to bet a bot was either thinking dildo or is gonna post it here *sigh*.

[commodore64]

You thought it and said it before anyone else.
Ding Ding.
Congrats.

You know it's true!
*sigh*

[playstation123]

Lol Xbots thinks natal is new lol, Last gen ps2 technology.

[dtrain21]

I'm not buyin a dildo. Sony fans will love this

[awesomeperson]

And I was correct, ding ding.

[karan8624]

Just take one from your mom, I know she has some under her bed

[trounbyfire]

i got to say this guy says all the right things that makes me feel reassured that Sony will not screw this up but it can't hurt to have the public think that this is the second coming of god like Microsoft has done.

The level of precision and that fact that if you wanted to you can point a bat at yourself. you could use the butt side of the bat to hit the ball. thats really cool but people still think that its a wii rip off. if you had a flash light you could shine it on yourself thats has never been done.

I know that there wouldn't be a game that would have you shine a flash light on yourself but it shows innovation

[RememberThe357]

"When you get MLB and play it with the motion controls, it'll be like an epiphany. Angels will start singing and you'll have a very different experience. I promise you that; it's so damn cool."

lol when I read that I pictured playing MLB The Show and having the sky open up like in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

[Absolut_Turkey]

"Bubbles" for the Monty Python reference.

OT: This article was indeed a good read. It seems Sony's handling this "Arc/Gem/whatever" launch just right. They're doing plenty of market research, refining the hardware, lining up support from first and third-parties, and more importantly not over-hyping it like MS is with Natal. I'm looking forward to this year's E3 when we'll all find out more. Here's my prediction for it in advance: SONY IS GOING TO PWN E3!

[xc7x]

now i see the bigger picture of it all,i might actually really like it but playing on the Wii early didn't convince me until Natal / Arc [Gem as it's now being called] shown their wares,i'm definitely leaning towards Sony's set up way more though,it just makes more sense overall.

[ipe]

u ll use ur fingers.

[ApocalypseShadow]

sony will show some things at GDC next month.but they are just sitting back thinking of what they are going to show the public at E3 this year.

but it's not just motion control.it's motion control,with rumble,with augmented reality,with 3D,with accuracy and with high def graphics that don't have to be dumb down.as we have seen GT5,motorstorm,etc working in 3D at CES.

shooting games with bullets flying out the screen,sports games with balls flying towards you or away,magic spells that seem to come your way.just the tip of the iceberg.see this:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

let's say your playing a star wars light saber game against someone else on playstation network.but when you see your opponent,he looks like darth vader.but you look like luke skywalker to him.or even if it was just video chat.you could look like anybody they allow.but there's more:

with 3D,all those characters pop out of your screen and stare right at you with eyes,lips,etc being in sync with your facial motions.and with your motion controller,you could change the color of your saber to fit your character.

as a true future proof system,sony is going to go beyond bluray with 3D movies.with 3D tvs,all your games come at you.with motion,you control the action accurately with whatever type of weapon you choose and see it on screen.and augmented reality?

some of those objects will appear to be sitting on your floor just like this kid playing eyepet.
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
maybe it will be R2D2 or C3PO sitting next to you fighting the empire.or blocking the sith lords electrical force power.

sony is just getting warmed up.and wii can't do it as the sensor bar is NOT a camera.natal can't do it as 360 can't do real3D,and is pushed as having no controller to interact.h#ll...it's not even accurate like sony's.

but sony's concept video over 2 years ago is coming to be.microsoft is just trying to copy it as we see from their concept video last year.
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
and they are trying to beat sony in getting it out.but when you look at sony's games like eyepet,eye of judgement,and the facial recognition video above,sony has and are already doing it.but they are going to go beyond what we thought they could do with pseye,the controller and 3D.

gamers have no idea how bad sony is going to make them look.just like 1080p,hdmi,bluray,killzone2,et c.the detractors are going to get blown away.

[Meryl]

Fact 1. Because of the choices that MS have made to do with Natal, the only thing it will be able to do is lame mini games, like the ricochet one, which is hardly offering anything new to the casual audience, the x360 userbase consists of mainly hardcore users and most of them will not even be interested in it, it is simp,y going to flop, especially when people experience the severe input lag, and then take it back...
Fact 2. Sony was the first to use motion controls(sucessfully), whether you like it or not (on consoles with EyeToy), so therefore they have had more experience of what works and what the audience wants now, so after reading the statements they have made, I have no doubts that the new motion control device will be totally awesome and will provide unique, fresh experiences to both hardcore and casual users alike, if people were afraid of spending more money, then tell me why do so many people buy wii fit, it is one of the most expensive experiences for the wii, yet people jump all over it, it will be the same for the ps motion controls... The end

[Cueil]

Those are some interesting "facts"

[djreplay]

I think Apocalypse Shadow hit the nail on the head, with PS3 motion in the next few years we are going to see full motion control games in 3D with a gaming experience like no other. I just can't see natal beating it, its going to use a third of the 360's processing power to keep the price down but the games will suffer. PS3, It Only Does Everything.

[djreplay]

In the next few years i'd rather be using a dildo in 3D than laggy natal using up a third of the already inferior 360 processing power.

[Ronster316]

Droids= love "arc"..... a free dildo to play with their virgin selves.

Or pay a prostitute to shove it up their rear ends for them.

[rekonizakilla]

Yes, it does sound like someone's a virgin.

[THC CELL]

guys sony have this one in the bag
he is hinting some really good games on the way

man i would love to see mag using motion controls
lol

[Blaster_Master]

The laser whip and ball n chain at last years E3 dropped my jaw in awe. I dont know how everyone looked past that and only hyped up Natal. Especially after that elephant painting demonstration. Natal will be perfect for all of those fat people that cant fit on the Wii Fit board though. LOL!

[Rockox]

and carry a big I don't give a crap about motion control or casual games.

[hill71]

Metal gear rising is bungie

[clarkdef]

I hate overdone motion control. I think that sixaxis is fine for motion integration, I hate using sixaxis to do complex things, like, fly a plane, or steer a vehicle. Some abrupt movements are good though, like melee attacks "thrusting the controller forward", that feels good to do, and say for e.g. in GoW instead of shaking the stick side to side in the QTEs, you shake the controller instead.

I no its the market they are trying to pull with this new hardware, so they should go ahead, but I always felt they never used sixaxis right. just imagine in GoW, wrenching the controller backwards to pull off the Gorgans head! That is the very thing they do not do.

As for the ARC vs Natal, I think MS may win because they are marketing it just like Nintendo did for the wii, and as usual Sony is as quiet as a mouse.

[artsaber]

A VERY good lightsaber based Star Wars game, and something better than Red Steel. A No More Heroes HD would be nice too. Give me these at a minimum, and I will buy you ARC.

[DARKrage34]

Gotta love the TR quote!

Can't wait for this big stick... it'll be pretty tight and hopefully can alter the way I play certain games. As long as it stays casual and top games aren't forced to use such control, it will succeed.

What's better is that it will launch with 100+ games (mainly small mini games) ready to go as Sony said. Plus, with true 1:1:1 tracking... wow, I hope devs can really find a creative way to use such an amazing peripheral!

[strickers]

Got to say that MS will probably win this.Just like the consoles the media seem to flock to MS and hype for them.Later consumers realise the press are often half wits and go and buy the better product.With PS3 sony just about got it together in time,they better not let MS get a march on them this time.
I don't see how any intelligent human can think the Natal camera will be better as a game controller.I find it very strange how all the press seem to have forgotten Eyetoy ever happened.