In 2010, gaming on PS3 becomes even more immersive with the arrival of the PlayStation Move motion controller, explains Shuhei Yoshida, president of SCE Worldwide Studios.

What influenced the design of the PlayStation Move motion controller?Technically speaking, the essential part of the controller is the sphere. There is a specific requirement to make the size as it is, in a perfect spherical shape. The hardware designer at Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), Yano-san, worked on a design to integrate the sphere and make it accessible and friendly to users.

The second unique feature is the Move button on the front of the controller. With the movement of the arms being such an integral part of using the controller, we feel that it is better to have one big button, making it easier for anyone to understand and press.

The third is to make the controller easy to hold and difficult to lose from your hand when you move your arm around. The concave shape fits snugly in your hand, while at the same time providing a firm grip.

How does the introduction of the PS Move motion controller impact on game design?It forces fundamental rethinking around how a game should be designed. The game developer needs to throw away a conventional wisdom of how gamers use a controller and instead consider what will provide the most immersive experience and make players feel a direct connection with the game. If this cannot be achieved, players will just be happy to stay with using the DUALSHOCK 3 Wireless Controller.

What types of games are best suited to the PS Move motion controller?We have been testing with many kinds of titles from many different teams and so far we have not found any genre that does not work well with the controller. Perhaps simulation games, such as driving or guitar games, would be served better by a steering wheel or a guitar controller. Besides these genres, which are already served well by real world simulated peripherals, the controller works well with any kind of game. The high fidelity of motion recognition and real time response are the key for the success of any motion based game input device, and the controller surpasses in these areas anything that is available in the market either at present or later in 2010.

What is unique about the PS Move motion controller?There are many things that are unique about the controller. To name a few: the precision of recognising a player’s motion, the 3D location and orientation of the controller, the response time that is as good as DUALSHOCK 3, the camera and audio input that allows Augmented Reality games as well as introducing a player’s image and voice into the game, the sphere colour changing to respond to the game and the Move button on the front, making it easier to interact with, to name but a few.

These features help create totally new, immersive experiences for our all current PS3 owners, whilst also expanding the audience making games more accessible and fun for all ages.

How will the PS Move motion controller change the way people interact with their PS3?With the new controller, PlayStation 3 will become more accessible to wider audiences, from small kids to even your grandmother. All gamers will be more active in front of their TVs and, regardless of the type of game, the gaming experience will be far more immersive.

How much time has been spent testing the controller in various ambient conditions, such as in different light?We’ve been testing the controller under various ambient conditions since its early prototype. Unless it is used in direct sunlight, it is pretty robust in different lighting conditions.

What is the philosophy behind the PS Move motion controller in terms of how PlayStation 3 will continue to engage with existing and new audiences?The controller is inclusive whether it is our existing PlayStation community or brand new audiences. We can make our games easily accessible and at the same time create enough nuances and depth to the game to satisfy our existing audience of core gamers.

To what level will the PS Move motion controller be integrated into gameplay?In addition to games being built from the ground up for the controller, many of our new titles will support it as well. We believe we can expand our audience of existing franchises by the use of the controller, making the games more accessible as well as providing an even more immersive experience.

What has been your favourite moment using the controller so far?Playing the title Sports (working title) and feeling a direct connection between my subtle movements and the game.

Keep an eye on PlayStation Blog at blog.eu.playstation.com and eu.playstation.com for more news and information on the PlayStation Move motion controller.

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After September 22 but before December 21, that’s when you’ll see the PlayStation 3’s spiffy new motion controller on store shelves, says Sony. In a press release issued late last night, the company revealed its wand-based motion control peripheral for the PS3 will ship this fall in Japan, North America, and Europe with ready-to-play software. (Note to Sony: It’s just ’software’, ’software titles’ is technically double-dipping.)

“We have decided to release the Motion Controller in fall 2010 when we will be able to offer an exciting and varied line-up of software titles that will deliver the new entertainment experience to PS3 users, ” said Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kazuo Hirai in the press statement.

“We will continue to work to have a comprehensive portfolio of attractive and innovative games for the Motion Controller, not only from SCE Worldwide Studios but also from the third party developers and publishers, whom we have been working closely with. We look forward to soon unveiling the exciting software line-up that further expands and defines the PS3 platform as the ultimate entertainment system for the home.”

Microsoft’s ‘no controller’ motion sensing alternative, dubbed Project Natal, is due to ship by the end of the year, probably in November, placing it head-to-head with Sony’s product.

As expected, you’ll need the PlayStation Eye camera to use the double-wand system. The Eye’s been available for years, of course, and retails for $40 today. It’s also arguably the most underutilized, prematurely released official Sony peripheral in existence, so unless you’re hip to play Eye of Judgment (a totally decent card game, by the way) I’d wait to pick one up until they’re discounting it later this year, or, you know, bundling it with the PlayStation Arc.

Hold up, the PlayStation Arc? What the heck is that?

If you buy VG247’s claim, raised ‘on good authority’, a Sony insider says that’s what the motion controller’s actually named. You know, Arc. Like the plasma bolts spit from a Tesla Coil.

Interestingly, Sony says–my emphasis–that it will “vigorously promote the Motion Controller as the de facto controller of the PS3 platform along with the DUALSHOCK series controller.”

Translation: The Arc–I mean Tentatively Labeled Motion Controller Wand Duo PlayStation Accessory Thingy–gets to ride up front with the big boys. No lounging in the backseat or huddling in the trunk with neglected peripherals like the Eye, or the forlorn SIXAXIS accelerometer.

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