|
When
Nintendo
unveiled the Wii four years ago, few game industry
pundits gave it much of a chance.
Its core
processor was pedestrian compared with those in
Sony's
PlayStation 3 and
Microsoft's
Xbox 360, the other new consoles that debuted about the
same time. It didn't support high-definition video,
unlike its rivals. And while the other two consoles
could play movies and do other multimedia tricks, all
the Wii did was play games.
But none
of that mattered because of the Wii's innovative
motion-sensing controllers. The controllers helped
reinvent gaming, making it more fun and accessible to
the masses.
Those
controllers, along with some well-done games and a price
that was significantly lower than its rivals, made the
Wii a hit.
Nintendo
has now sold 74 million Wiis, nearly as many as the
combined sales of the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.
It took
them a while, but
Sony
and
Microsoft
finally realized that motion-sensing games are more than
a passing fad. In hopes of luring past and
would-be-future Wii buyers,
Sony
released its new motion-sensing system, dubbed the
PlayStation Move, earlier this month, and
Microsoft
will soon follow with its own system.
The Move
is actually a collection of accessories. The two core
parts are the Eye camera, a Web camera designed
specifically for the PlayStation 3, and the Move motion
controller, which looks like a handheld microphone with
a glowing ping pong ball on top.
There are
additional accessories players may want or need. Some
games encourage the use of two Move controllers per
person. Others require the Move controller to be used in
tandem with the Move navigation controller, which has a
small joystick and extra buttons and is used similarly
to the Wii's Nunchuk accessory.
The Move
controllers work very much like those for the Wii. Game
players direct the actions of their on-screen characters
by making more or less natural motions with the
controllers. For example, if you want your character to
hit the ball in a tennis game, you swing the controller
through the air as if it were the handle of a racket.
I'm
generally a fan of motion-sensitive games. I've enjoyed
playing the tennis, boxing, swordplay and other
mini-games included in "
Wii Sports
" and "
Wii Sports Resort
." I've also had fun with the motion-sensitive
elements of other games, particularly making Indiana
Jones snap his whip in the "Lego Indiana
Jones" games.
I tested
out a handful of the new Move games for the PlayStation
3. Their big advantage over similar games on the Wii is
that they are in high definition. As fun as the Wii is,
its standard-definition games often look fuzzy on an
HDTV. "Sports Champions" isn't all that
different from the "
Wii Sports
" games, but it looks a lot better on a big screen.
As with
the motion-sensitive games for the Wii, the Move games
are designed to get players up and moving, rather than
sit on the couch mashing buttons. I got a decent workout
playing tennis in "
Racquet Sports
," playing beach volleyball in "Sports
Champions" and having a sword fight with my son in
that game's Gladiator Duel activity. I also found myself
moving with my character while playing "Kung Fu
Rider" and "Sports Champions" disc golf
mini-game.
But the
Move system differs from the Wii in important ways and
overall comes up short.
The
biggest difference is the price. You can get a new Wii
with a controller, Nunchuk and two games for
$200
. In contrast, a new PlayStation 3 with a Move
controller and Eye camera costs
$400
. And a bundle of the Move controller and Eye camera
alone costs
$100
.
The
Move's underlying technology is different, but not
always in a good way. The PlayStation 3 uses the Eye
camera to track the ball on the Move controller. That
allows players to become characters in augmented reality
games as their images are projected on the screen
holding a paintbrush or sword instead of a game
controller.
But
because it uses visible light, the camera can have a
hard time tracking the ball against a bright background.
I also noticed at times a lag between pressing a button
on the Move controller and having the system respond.
Whether
for those or for other reasons, I frequently found that
the games I played didn't do a good job of mimicking my
movements. I'd try to kick someone in "
Kung Fu Rider
," but nothing would happen. I'd try to hit the
ball in a tennis game but my character wouldn't swing
his racket.
I also
found that the games generally weren't as inspired or
fun as the motion-sensing games on the Wii. For example,
the mini-games included in "Sports Champions"
are similar to those in "
Wii Sports
," but "Sports Champions" includes a set
of 20 stereotypical characters — the jock, the tomboy,
etc. — that lack personality. Players aren't given the
option, as they are on the Wii, of creating and
personalizing their own zany characters.
"Kung
Fu Rider" has a fun premise — you ride through
the streets of
Hong Kong
on rolling chairs and vacuum cleaners, collecting points
and fighting off Mafiosi — but its lack of
responsiveness made it frustrating to play.
A slew of
Move games is in the works, so better ones may come
along soon. But given what's out there now — and the
Move's considerable price — I think I'd stick with the
Wii.
———
SONY
PLAYSTATION MOVE:
—Troy's
rating: 3.0 out of 5
—Likes:
Brings high-definition to motion-sensing gaming.
System's webcam allows players to become game characters
—Dislikes:
Pricey. Didn't work well at times. Early games generally
uninspired.
—How
much:
$100
for accessory bundle;
$400
for bundle including PlayStation 3 console and Move
accessories. Navigation controller (not included in
either bundle, but needed for some games) is
$30
—Web:
us.playstation.com
|
