Not to be outdone by Microsoft, Sony unveiled an engineering prototype for a Playstation 3 motion controller at this year's E3.
The unnamed project is best described as a cross between Nintendo's Wii Remote and Microsoft's Project Natal, revealed a day earlier at the video game expo. Like Nintendo's Wii, it uses a handheld controller with buttons, but instead of relying solely on accelerometers, Sony's controller uses a camera to track 3D motion, sort of like the Microsoft project.
A tech demo at Sony's press event showed far less polish than Project Natal, but it gave a sense of the device's potential. When weilding the controller, the presenter was shown on screen holding a tennis racket, a baseball bat, a golf club and a flashlight, which lit up the virtual space around him.
Later, the presenter manipulated blocks on the screen and moved around a room in a first-person shooter scenario. When holding two controllers at a time, the presenter shot a bow and arrow and used a sword and shield to fend off incoming attack dummies.
Sony said the motion controller will launch in the spring of 2010. I can't imagine that it will be ready earlier than Microsoft's motion tracker, which seemed further along in its press event.
After seeing both controllers in action, one thing is certain: They're better than the Wii Remote, even with the upcoming MotionPlus add-on. It'll be interesting to see if Sony and Microsoft can compete now that Nintendo set the trend. Will people buy into new motion controllers from less family-oriented brands, even if they're better?
