PS3 Motion Controller May Be Best Game Motion Capture Yet
After Xbox 360's Project Natal, Sony is also adding their own motion controller to the PS3, aptly named The PlayStation Motion Controller. It's the best motion control demo that we have ever seen, but it may be arriving a little too late.
Context & Ripple Effects
Sony's controller had been reported as an anticipated E3 reveal in May; the demonstration turns that expected addition into a visible part of the PS3 proposition. On the same date, Microsoft also unveiled its new Xbox controller initiative, putting competing approaches to game motion input on the same industry agenda.
The significance is less the controller alone than Sony's effort to make interaction method a reason to choose PS3, while Project Natal gives Xbox 360 its own motion-control narrative.
First-order effects
- Sony adds a motion-control path to PS3, giving its developers and players a new input option alongside the existing console experience.
- Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's controller become directly comparable demonstrations for publishers deciding which motion experiences to support.
Second-order effects
- Game developers planning motion-led titles face a more fragmented design choice: Sony's handheld controller and Microsoft's alternative each require distinct gameplay assumptions.
- Sony and Microsoft must compete not only on the quality of their demonstrations but on whether their respective motion approaches attract developer support.
Third-order effects
- If both initiatives gain software backing, console competition shifts further toward proprietary input ecosystems, where the controller and compatible game catalog reinforce each other.
- Motion control is becoming a platform-differentiation layer rather than a standalone accessory category, raising the value of exclusive software designed around each system's interface.
The trend: Console makers are using motion interfaces to differentiate platforms and shape the software ecosystems built around them.