Jason Trent, Associate Writer

Sony and Microsoft Get Ready for 2010 with Motion Control

Sony recently announced the delay of their PlayStation Motion Controller (not yet officially named) from Spring of 2010 to Fall of 2010. This decision means that both Microsoft and Sony plan to release their respective new entries into the casual gaming market at the same time. For years now, Nintendo has been raking in the cash with their every-man's console; now both Microsoft and Sony want a piece of the action.

The first rule of entering the casual gaming market is to not step on the existing gamers' toes. Can we expect to be inundated with motion control and needless gimmicks? If there's anything that hardcore gamers dislike about the Wii, it's being drowned in a sea of waggle and shakes. Please, Microsoft and Sony, if you're listening, we do not want gesture-based games to take over. We, the hardcore gamers, still need you to give us as much attention and love as always. Though there are seemingly limitless dollars in the casual market, don't forget those who made you successful. Sometimes, games don't need to be played with gestures. Sometimes using a good ol' fashioned d-pad or analog stick is all we need to move our characters around.

On the flip side, there are some instances where motion controls make sense. An example that comes to mind is Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. It pains me to say this, but I don't know if this game would have been as effective on the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 as it was on the Wii. There were some subtle but very engaging things done with the Wiimote that added a great deal to the game's level of immersion. Using the controller as a flash light to quickly and accurately light the environment was a stunning twist on the tried and true Silent Hill formula. It didn't only look great (a tough thing for Wii games to do on a big HD display), but it worked well as a game mechanic. It wasn't something that was tacked on as a way to try to appeal to the casual gamer. This is a perfect example of a developer taking advantage of the Wii's strengths to compliment their game.

There's a lot of potential to succeed or fail. At this point, the biggest hurdle seems to be getting the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 into the homes of their target audiences. People looking for a casual gaming experience already have a Wii (or at least 67.45 million of those people). We're going to have to see some new tricks if consumers are going to be convinced that they need another console in their home.

Project Natal has the benefit of allowing players to interact with their games without the need of a controller. It also allows players to supplement their traditional controller with subtle movements, so rather than having players get used to an all new controller, they can use what they're already used to and comfortable with and add some gestures if needed. I might be the minority on this, but I am most excited at the idea of being able to navigate the NXE with no remote. Just a swipe of the finger and you're off. This would be ideal when streaming videos over my network; something I do religiously.

The PlayStation motion controller appears to be a bit more accurate, at least from what I've seen in the tech demos at the last E3. Unfortunately, we've not seen much since then, so it's impossible to know what refinements and changes have been made. One issue is that this will still require players to handle a controller that may not be suitable for traditional games. I just don't think that the PlayStation motion controller (or Arc if you'd prefer) is going to work for third person action games or first person shooters. There's a fine balance between motion controls and traditional controls, and I suspect that Microsoft will be closer to the mark on this.

So who is going to reign supreme in the causal gaming market? No one can deny that Nintendo already has a firm hold on this part of the market, but at this point the ending is anyone's guess. So sit down and buckle up: we're in for a ride. The best part of being a consumer is having companies fight for your attention and dollar. Competition is a healthy thing, and in this case, the one who sells the most could very well determine the future of gaming as we know it.