Sony makes a (PlayStation) Move

The PlayStation 3 will soon join the Wii as a motion-sensitive gaming system, as Sony plans the fall launch of its new controller, the PlayStation Move.

The wireless Move is a bar-shaped controller with an LED-lit ball at one end. Several buttons along the top are used for performing actions, while a trigger button lets you use the controller like a gun.

To make the PlayStation Move work, you have to attach a PlayStation Eye video camera to the top of your TV. You can also buy an optional wireless sub-controller with an analog stick, so you can use both hands to do things like "walk." Alternatively, you can use your existing PS3 DualShock controller with the other hand.

I met with Sony this week for a hands-on demo of the Move. It improves on the Wii Remote—the device that originally brought motion-detection to popular gaming—by  providing greater accuracy and responsiveness. For example, the Move can tell where you are relative to the TV: Move closer and the image zooms in. It can also detect how you're holding the controller: Twist your wrist and the Move will rotate the tool in your character's hand.

During my limited time playing with the Move, it seemed more accurate than the Wii when aiming at objects on the screen. While I still saw a slight delay between the movement of the controller and the movement on the screen, it seemed shorter than the delays I've experienced with the Wii.

The Move's higher accuracy and the PS3's high-definition graphics give Sony the potential to deliver a superior gaming experience over the Wii. But that experience will depend entirely on the number and quality of games created for the Move. Sony says 20 games will be available at launch time. I tried out early versions of a few at our meeting, including a collection of sporting games called Sports Champions; SOCOM 4, a third-person shooter where you play a Navy SEAL; and Move Party, a series of mini-games where you can, for example, catch birds falling from the sky or draw pictures on the screen with family and friends.

When it's released in the fall, the PlayStation Move will be packaged as part of a bundle that includes a PlayStation Eye camera and a game for under $100. The sub-controller will be sold separately. By then we'll also be on the lookout for the holiday launch of Microsoft's Project Natal, a gaming experience that will require no controllers.

For more on video games, take a look at our comparison of the "big three" consoles.

—Chris Lam