As with the standard PlayStation 3 wireless controllers (Sixaxis, DualShock 3), both the main PlayStation Move motion controller and the PlayStation Move navigation controller use Bluetooth 2.0 and an internal lithium-ion battery[6] charged via a USB Mini-B port on the controller.[7] On the PlayStation 3, up to four Move controllers can be used at once[8] (four Move motion controllers,[9] or two Move motion controllers and two Move navigation controllers[10]).
Motion controller
The primary component of PlayStation Move, the PlayStation Move motion controller, is a wand controller which allows the user to interact with the console through motion and position in front of a PlayStation camera.[4] It functions similarly to the Wii Remote.
The PlayStation Move motion controller features an orb at the head which can glow in any of a full range of colors using RGBlight-emitting diodes (LEDs).[11] Based on the colors in the user environment captured by the camera, the system dynamically selects an orb color that can be distinguished from the rest of the scene. The colored light serves as an active marker, the position of which can be tracked along the image plane by the camera.[12][13] The uniform spherical shape and known size of the light also allows the system to simply determine the controller's distance from the camera through the light's image size, thus enabling the controller's position to be tracked in three dimensions[13][14] with high precision and accuracy.[fn 1] The simple sphere-based distance calculation allows the controller to operate with minimal processing latency,[17] as opposed to other camera-based control techniques on the PlayStation 3.[18][fn 2]
A pair of inertial sensors inside the controller, a three-axis linear accelerometer and a three-axis angular rate sensor, are used to track rotation as well as overall motion.[12][15] An internal magnetometer is also used for calibrating the controller's orientation against the Earth's magnetic field to help correct against cumulative error (drift) by the inertial sensors.[19] In addition, an internal temperature sensor is used to adjust the inertial sensor readings against temperature effects.[20] The inertial sensors can be used for dead reckoning in cases which the camera tracking is insufficient, such as when the controller is obscured behind the player's back.[11]
The controller face features a large oblong primary button (Move),[21] surrounded by small action buttons (, , , ), and with a regular-sized PS button beneath, arranged in a similar configuration as on the Blu-ray Disc Remote Control. On the left and right side of the controller is a Select and Start button, respectively. On the underside is an analog trigger (T).[11] On the tail end of the controller is the wrist strap, USB port, and extension port.[22]
The motion controller features vibration-based haptic technology.[11] In addition to providing a tracking reference, the controller's orb light can be used to provide visual feedback,[11] simulating aesthetic effects such as the muzzle flash of a gun or the paint on a brush.[23]
Using different orb colors for each controller,[11] up to four motion controllers can be tracked at once on the PlayStation 3.[23] Demonstrations for the controller have featured activities using a single motion controller, as well as those in which the user wields two motion controllers, with one in each hand.[12][24] To minimize the cost of entry, Sony stated that all launch titles for PlayStation Move would be playable with one motion controller, with enhanced options available for multiple motion controllers.[25]
On the PlayStation 3, image processing for PlayStation Move is performed in the console's Cell microprocessor.[17] According to Sony, use of the motion-tracking library entails some Synergistic Processing Unit (SPU) overhead as well an impact on memory, though the company states that the effects will be minimized.[26] According to Move motion controller co-designer Anton Mikhailov, the library uses 1-2 megabytes of system memory.[17]
Navigation controller
The PlayStation Move navigation controller is a one-handed supplementary controller designed for use in conjunction with the PlayStation Move motion controller for certain types of gameplay, similar to Nintendo Wii Nunchuk, although it lacks motion-sensing technology, as dual-wield, independent two-handed
motion control is implemented with the use of another Move Controller. Replicating the major functionality of the left side of a standard PlayStation 3 gamepad, the PlayStation Move navigation controller features a left analog stick (with L3 button function), a D-pad, L1 button and L2 analog trigger.[7] The navigation controller also features and action buttons, as well as a PS button. Since all controls correspond to those of a standard PlayStation 3 gamepad, a Sixaxis or DualShock 3 controller can be used in place of the navigation controller in PlayStation Move applications.[19]
Accessories
A number of additional accessories have also been released for use in conjunction with the PlayStation Move controllers.
PlayStation Move charging station could charge up any combination of two Move controllers.[27]
PlayStation Move shooting attachment adapts the Move controllers into a handgun form. The motion controller is fitted into the gun barrel so that the motion controller's T trigger is interlocked with the trigger on the gun attachment,[27] while leaving all the topmost buttons accessible through an opening in the top. Its functions are similar to the Wii Zapper.
PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter attachment adapts both Move controllers into a submachine gun form, which features an adjustable shoulder support.[28] The motion controller is fitted into the gun barrel, while the navigation controller is clipped into a holder below this gun barrel. This accessory also adds several buttons to the controller. Several games, including Killzone 3, Dead Space: Extraction, SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs and Resistance 3,[29][30][31] officially support this peripheral.
In addition to selling the controllers individually, Sony also provides several different bundle options for PlayStation Move hardware such as: software/camera bundles with a PlayStation Eye, a Move motion controller and motion-control enabled software; console bundles which include a PS3 console, DualShock 3 controller, PlayStation Eye, and Move motion controller; and bundles with a Move motion controller with select games.[35]
Though the games with the bundles vary in each region, most bundles come with the PlayStation Move Demo Disc which contains demos for eleven different games. The bundles in Europe and Oceania however, come with the PlayStation Move Starter Disc with a setup tutorial and nine demos (same as the Demo Disc, except without Kung Fu Rider and Time Crisis). The demos included are for the games Beat Sketcher, Echochrome II, EyePet, Kung Fu Rider, Sports Champions, Start the Party!, The Shoot, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, Time Crisis: Razing Storm, Tumble, and TV Superstars.[36]
In North America, bundles are available with the game Sports Champions[37] or the PlayStation Move edition of EyePet.[38] In Japan, bundles with Beat Sketch!, Biohazard 5 Alternative Edition, or Big 3 Gun Shooting are available.[39] All bundles, as well as the stand-alone controller will also include the demo disk for a limited time.[39] In Europe, a bundle will be released with a demo disc.[40] In Asian countries outside Japan such as Singapore, the bundles are available with the games Sports Champions, Start the Party!, and Kung Fu Rider.[41]
History
PlayStation Move stems from early work on the EyeToy,[42] a webcam-based controller for the PlayStation 2 conceived in 1999 and released in 2003. Early in the EyeToy's inception, developers experimented with color-based 3D wand tracking,[43] including prototypes using spheres.[fn 3] By the time it was released, the EyeToy's focus was on hands-free applications. With the emergence of affordable inertial sensors and the success of the Wii Remote motion controller wand,[45] in 2008 Sony began work on productizing its own motion controller wand, revisiting the sphere-tracking concept for use with the PlayStation Eye, integrating inertial sensors, and refining the device from an engineering and a design perspective.[15] The Move's internal development codename was the "Y-con", so called because three groups — the hardware team in SCEI in Japan, the software engineering team at SCEA, and Sony's Worldwide Studios — worked together to develop the hardware, with the three points of a "Y" indicating the three teams coming together. This was the start of a new form of development at Sony, where hardware had previously been developed separately from software teams and later delivered along with technical documentation for software teams to get to grips with themselves; this move was continued with the development of the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4.[46]
The motion controller was revealed at Sony's E3 2009 press conference on 2 June 2009, with a live demonstration using an engineering prototype.[47] Tentatively referred to as the PlayStation Motion Controller, the device was originally stated to be available in Q1/Q2 2010. As of August 2009, the controller features and design had not been finalized.[25]
Soon after revealing the motion controller to developers, Sony indicated that it was exploring the possibility of using the motion controller in combination with a standard PlayStation 3 gamepad, such as having the player use "the motion controller as a sword and use DualShock 3 as a shield."[26][fn 4] One combination control scheme was demonstrated in September 2009 at the Tokyo Game Show for Biohazard 5: Alternative Edition, making particular use of the DualShock 3's analog stick. Although users found the setup to work well, some found holding a DualShock with one hand to be somewhat awkward.[49][50] At the time Sony was already rumored to be in the design phase of a supplementary controller akin to that of the Nunchuk controller for the Wii Remote.[51]
In January 2010, Sony announced a revised release target, stating instead that the motion controller would launch in Q3/Q4 of 2010.[52] On March 10, Sony revealed the official name and logo at the Game Developers Conference, showcasing the final motion controller design, and unveiling the PlayStation Move navigation controller (then referred to as the PlayStation Move sub-controller[53]), to be launched concurrently with the motion controller.[19] The logo is a colored squiggle-like shape, representing a light trail from the sphere of a PlayStation Move motion controller being waved.[54]
Name
Prior to the Game Developers Conference 2010, the PlayStation Move motion controller was known by several names. Initially given little guidance on what to call the device when it was unveiled in June 2009, many in the video game press informally referred to the controller as the "magic wand", or simply "Wand" due to the controller's wand design and glowing orb.[55][56][57][58][59][60] Sony had used the term "PlayStation Motion Controller" from the motion controller's introduction,[24] but many perceived it to be used merely as a description. Sony gradually clarified "Motion Controller" as the tentative name,[61] but by this time media attention had shifted to rumored final names. In September 2009, statements in two unconnected interviews at the Tokyo Game Show led to speculation that the controller may be referred to by developers as the "Sphere".[62][63] In December, a brief reference to the motion controller as "Gem" by Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello during a media industry conference presentation[64] prompted an admission by Sony that "Gem" was an early code name for the controller.[65]
In January 2010, video game blog VG247 reported that Sony had named its PS3 motion control platform "Arc".[66] The name was observed to liken the controller's glowing orb to the charged sphere of a Tesla coil or a plasma globe electrode.[67] The report was supported by evidence emerging in the following weeks, including a registration of the playstationarc.com domain name to SCE dated October 2009 (shortly after the Tokyo Game Show)[68] and numerous references to "Arc" by president Brian Farrell of video game publisher THQ during the company's February earnings conference call.[69] Responding to speculation that Farrell's statements effectively confirmed the name,[70] SCEA senior director of corporate communications Patrick Seybold stated that they did not, and that Farrell was referring to "Arc" as a "rumored code name".[71]
On March 1, it was reported that Sony submitted Japanese trademark application filing for "PlayStation Arc".[72] A week later on March 8, Sony was reportedly considering a hasty renaming due to a trademark held by competitor Microsoft for its Arc-brand PC accessories, which could present trademark conflicts.[73] On March 9, Sony submitted a European trademark filing for "PlayStation Move",[74] which was announced as the official name the next day at Sony's press conference at the Game Developers Conference.[19] Video gaming blog Joystiq reports several anonymous Sony sources claiming that the PlayStation Move logo presented at the conference resembles a letter "A" because it is the same design for when the name was "PlayStation Arc", in which the "A" would stand for "Arc".[75]
PlayStation Move is now being actively used in recreational therapy on children that suffer from obesity. The Move creates a challenging physical environment for the children. In one study, recreational therapists utilized PlayStation Move Fitness. The children chose which activity to do and then, they engaged for a period of approximately 30 minutes. The recreational therapists monitored the children.
These programs have shown to:
Alongside SIE Worldwide Studios and its second-party partners, a total of 36 third-party game development companies had confirmed that they would support the PlayStation Move by the time the finalized controller was announced in March 2010.[19] On the box art of PlayStation Move games, underneath the PlayStation 3 logo banner, a blue bar with white letters indicates when a game supports the PlayStation Move. When a game can only be played with the PlayStation Move, the box art carries a "PlayStation Move Required" label. When a game supports traditional Sixaxis/DualShock 3 controls and PlayStation Move controls it carries a "PlayStation Move Features" (or "PlayStation Move Compatible") label.[77]
Reception
Critical reception
The PlayStation Move has been generally well received. Game Informer gave it an 8 out of 10, saying, "The PlayStation Eye and motion controller are a killer combination for accurate and highly responsive motion-based gameplay, and we applaud Sony for getting the hardware right the first time."[78]Kotaku praised its accuracy, design, use of augmented reality and said, "The Playstation Move is a intuitive, natural feeling way to play games and it brings with it not only a sense of increased immersion to already graphically immersive games, but a new way to play with your reality and a refreshing form of colorful feedback."[79]IGN gave the Move an 8.5 out of 10, noting that the launch line-up of games for the controller was insufficient though it summarized by saying, "At the end of the day, the PlayStation Move has the potential to be the best motion control system on the current crop of consoles."[80]Joystiq praised the Move, saying, "The hardware's great, and I can see it being used in a multitude of really cool ways, but of course it's only as cool as the games that use it" and that the launch line-up was not worth the purchase, though it believed that the Move would be worth the purchase in early 2011 due to a stronger line-up of games such as SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs and Killzone 3.[81]CVG gave the Move an extremely positive review and awarded it 9 out of 10, saying, "Sony's motion control gets beyond being a gimmick. We found ourselves constantly itching for 'one more go'."[82]The Guardian strongly criticized the Move's launch line-up, though it noted that the hardware was strong and that after playing with the Move it was "very hard to go back to the relative inaccuracy of the Wii".[83]
The PlayStation Move won the 2010 Popular Science award for the "Most immersive game controller".[84]
Sales
In October 2010, the PlayStation Move had shipped around 1.5 million units in Europe and 1 million units in North America during its first month of release,[85] figures that Sony felt were selling "extremely well" at the time.[86] On 30 November 2010, it was announced that 4.1 million units had been shipped worldwide in the first two months since its release.[87] By June 2011, at E3 2011, Sony announced that the PlayStation Move had sold 8.8 million units.[88] By November 2012, this figure had grown to 15 million.[5]
In March 2012 Fergal Gara of Sony UK spoke to Official PlayStation Magazine UK to acknowledge that, the device had not lived up to their expectations, in either their target audience or the software support that had been provided for it.[89]
^According to the Move motion controller's designers, the sphere's position along the camera's image plane can be resolved at a "really sub-pixel level",[15] translating to a spatial XY-axis precision to the nearest millimeter.[11][16] The motion controller's distance from the camera (Z-axis) can be resolved with a precision of a few centimeters.[11]
^ According to SCEE senior designer for PlayStation Move software Mark D. Green, the response time for the motion control system is 22 milliseconds.[16]
^The colored-sphere based 3D wand tracking technology was publicly demonstrated as early as 2000[42][44] and 2001.[14]
^The Wireless Controller for PlayStation 3 has some inertial sensing capabilities through the standard Sixaxis feature. Sony had also submitted several patent applications describing techniques in which the port indicator lights of a Wireless Controller could be used as markers for tracking the controller's position and orientation with the PlayStation Eye.[48]
^Wilson, Mark (11 March 2010). "PlayStation Move Gimps 4-Player Support". Gizmodo. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2010. Four PlayStation Move controllers can connect to a PS3 at one time (or two PlayStation Move Controllers and 2 PlayStation Move sub-controllers).
^"PlayStation Move navigation controller". Sony Computer Entertainment America. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2010. Up to two motion controllers and two navigation controllers can be connected at once to the PS3 system.
^ abcAnton Mikhailov (31 October 2009). PlayStation Motion Controller Interview Part 2 (podcast). Foster City, California: Sony Computer Entertainment America. Archived from the original(Flash Video) on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2009.
^ abcRichard Marks (27 August 2009). PS3 Motion Controller (podcast). Foster City, California: Sony Computer Entertainment America. Event occurs at 4:41. Archived from the original(Flash Video) on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2009. Basically we converted into a product just starting last year [...] and we started— melded it together with some inertial sensors, like the gyros and accelerometers, for example...
^ ab"PlayStation Move games interview". EU.PlayStation.com. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. 1 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-06-06. Retrieved 2010-06-08. So I can tell you that it is accurate to the nearest millimetre [...] Its reaction time, from movement to delivering to the screen, is just 22 milliseconds
^ abcYoon, Andrew (11 March 2010). "PlayStation Move requires 1-2 MB of system memory". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2010. Coombes explained that all the calculations necessary to handle image processing are done by the Cell CPU, which apparently excels at the doing floating point calculations [...] And while Mikhailov didn't reveal how much of the CPU's overall power the Move controller requires, he did reveal that the memory demands are truly "insignificant" -- 1-2 MB of system memory.
^French, Michael (16 July 2009). "Sony motion controller is 'true interaction'". Develop. Intent Media. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2009. We're not getting any lag, which we had with the camera-based stuff on PS3 before. It is very quick and responsive.
^ abcde"PlayStation Move motion controller delivers a whole new entertainment experience to PlayStation 3". Sony Computer Entertainment. 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010. Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that PlayStation Move motion controller for PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, launches worldwide this fall [...] Concurrently with its launch, SCE will also release PlayStation Move sub-controller to be used along with the motion controller for intuitive navigation of in-game characters and objects. [...] PlayStation Move motion controller delivers unmatched accuracy through its advanced motion sensors, including a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, as well as a color-changing sphere that is tracked by PlayStation Eye camera. [...] DUALSHOCK or SIXAXIS Wireless Controller can also be used in place of the sub controller. [...] The introduction of PlayStation Move controllers has been well received within the industry and now 36 third party developers and publishers have decided to support PlayStation Move platform.
^Yoshida, Shuhei (11 March 2010). "Get physical with PlayStation Move". EU.PlayStation.com. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010. The second unique feature is the Move button on the front of the controller. With the movement of the arms being such an integral part of using the controller, we feel that it is better to have one big button, making it easier for anyone to understand and press.
^ abGibson, Ellie (21 July 2009). "Sony's new motion controller". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2009. You can programmatically set the colour as well. It's RGB, so there's the full spectrum of colour.
^ abGera, Emily (27 July 2010). "PlayStation Move: Not just another Wii". VideoGamer.com. Pro-G Media. p. 1. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2013. PlayStation Move is the direct result of the work we did with EyeToy, so we really did start with the camera portion. Back in the year 2000 one of the tech demos we were doing, even back then, involved a coloured ball on a stick and we were trying to track that around.
^Gera, Emily (27 July 2010). "PlayStation Move: Not just another Wii". VideoGamer.com. Pro-G Media. p. 1. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2013. Also around that time was when the Wii was coming out. The goal with EyeToy was to have a new way to play games and have something that people who wouldn't normally play would play. The Wii had also accomplished that a little bit with a very simple controller. So we realised we didn't have to get rid of the controller as long as we didn't make it too complicated. [The controller] was easy to use, you could get all the benefits of having buttons. But we could also have all the benefits of tracking the controller with a camera, and that's when we basically started the productisation of Move. We pay attention to what's going on [in the market], to the Wii in particular. We tracked how successful that was.
^US application 2006282873, Gary Zalewski, Richard Marks, Xiadong Mao; Marks, Richard & Mao, Xiadong, "Hand-held controlller having detectable elements for tracking purposes", published 2006-12-14, assigned to Sony Computer Entertainment
^Aziz, Hamza CTZ (26 September 2009). "TGS 09: Resident Evil 5's PS3 waggle controls in action". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 9 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010. It's great that you don't have to buy an extra controller, but using the Dual Shock 3 with the Motion Controller looks so unpleasant. Hopefully Sony has something planned for an alternative controller to go with the Motion Controller.
^McElroy, Griffin (25 September 2009). "TGS 2009: Motion-controlled Resident Evil 5 caught on video". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2010. due to the fact that Sony's controller has no nunchuck (which forces the player to hold a Sixaxis in one hand and the wand in another) the controls look a bit more awkward this time around.
^"Motion Controller for PlayStation 3 to become available worldwide in fall 2010". Sony Computer Entertainment. 20 January 2010. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2009. Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) today announced that it will release its new Motion Controller (tentative name) for PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system in fall 2010 in Japan, Asian regions and countries, North America and Europe/PAL territories together with an extensive line-up of exciting software titles.
^Magrino, Tom (12 April 2010). "PlayStation Move sub-controller renamed 'navigation controller'". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2010. As it turns out, the use of the term 'sub-controller' was itself a placeholder. Yesterday, Sony submitted a finalized ID label to the Federal Communications Commission, revealing that the sub-controller will in fact be known as the 'navigation controller.'
^Sharkey, Scott. "Top 5 WTF Moments of E3". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2009. It was a damn blinking wand! The thing looked like it was looted out of a discounted, knockoff "Harry The Wizard" Halloween costume from a dollar store.
^Takahashi, Dean (3 February 2010). "RT @VentureBeat". Twitter. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2010. RT @VentureBeat Did THQ CEO spill the beans on Sony's PlayStation Arc name?
^Seybold, Patrick (3 February 2010). "@deantak". Twitter. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2010. @deantak No. We haven't announced the name of our Motion Controller. He referred to it as a rumored code name.
^Yip, Spencer (1 March 2010). "A PlayStation Arc Trademark, Wonder What That's For..."Siliconera. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2010. Sony filed a trademark for PlayStation Arc in Japan, which also happens to be the rumored name for Sony's motion controller.
^Robinson, Andy (8 March 2010). "MS forces Sony to scrap 'Arc'?". Computer and Video Games. Future Publishing. Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2010. It's emerged this morning, however, that a range of Microsoft-trademarked PC accessories of the same name could have forced Sony to change its plans.
^Nelson, Randy (11 March 2010). "'Arc' lives on in PlayStation Move's logo". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2010. the PlayStation Move's logo [...] it's a letter "A," as in "Arc," the name which, according to multiple Sony sources who wished to remain anonymous, is what the peripheral was to be called at retail until the company was refused a trademark on the Arc name.
^Concepcion, Hans (2017). "Video Game Therapy as an Intervention for Children With Disabilities: Literature Review and Program Protocol". Therapeutic Recreation Journal. 51 (3): 221–228. doi:10.18666/TRJ-2017-V51-I3-8416.