PS3 copies Wii controller

danbhala

*i posted this in another thread but figured i'd give it one of its own due to its nature.


looks like sony get their asses in gear and copied some of the things the wii controller can do.

the sony pre-e3 press conference just finished a little while ago... check out the notes some guy blogged from the conference as it happened...

* 6:33pm: w00t, one big secret left.
* 6:34pm: The contoller ... OMG ... the final one ...
it looks just like a PS2 controller!
But the inside changed? ...
Harisson back on stage ... showing what it can do.
6 degrees of freedom without external sensor, just move the controller in the air ... and it tracks movement ... controller will come by default with every PS3.
* 6:38pm: Ken Kuturagi thanks users for support in PSone, PS2, PSP and PS3 ... he's off the stage again.
* 6:39pm: We get demo of what the new controller can do. Flight game, plane is moved by movement of the controller without pressing any button.

source: http://www.ps3scene.com/news/static/SonyPre-E3PressConference-LiveCoverage-1147125845.php

now what do you make of that? it sure is a crazy industry!

RobertFoster

From the video, it looked like a lot of movement was required.

danbhala

watched the first half of it and then got guilty about not doin college stuff..... so i ended up missing that being shown

and what a delightful thread history you have their skitzo

wayne040576

Another 'pointless nintendo gimmick' copied by sony. I'm just suprised they did it so quickly. It took them quite a while to copy the pointless analogue stick and rumble feature a few years back. Expect MS to follow.

Irish Halo

I almost screamed when I saw that, I mean come on Sony try and think of something yourself just once, try innovation, just give it a go PLEASE, hell the PSP is just a kind of fancy GameGear.

Also nice little dig at ninty:

without external sensor,

but I can guarantee nintendo has an external sensor for a reason which will be come apparent as the sytems launch and PS3 titles fail to utilise this "fantastic new idea" because it was rushed and it works crap.

Nintendo announced the Wii controller ages ago and the name two weeks ago, whatever they announce later today I think might be massive.

I love how the PS3 contoller is being reffered to as a Wiimote in a few places, Nintendo are already winning the little battles.

Mantel

The PS3 is a Wii controller. 6 degrees of movement just like Wii! Except it's wireless, no sensors! Didn't take long for Nintendo to be copied.

Apparantly it's only a few weeks old. Demo of Warhawk using it. It looks ridiculous, the guy is flailing around like an idiot controlling the plane. Shooting. No thank you. He seriously looks incredibly unfomfortable. I think I saw him crack his fibula.

Sounds like fun. Sony! Bringing a new meaning to RSI...

Vegeta

RobertFoster wrote:

From the video, it looked like a lot of movement was required.

hey if they can make it work and imersive thats great, hands up who thinks Niny will utilise this feature way better than Fony

I will say one thing though at least, Fony Greystation put the feature in a standard controller which may make it more versatile, no plug ins and same controller for every game rather than maybe having to switch between cube controller and the wii wand thingy

saying that my God they are such losers. They sat back and watched the competitors and then just took some of their best features/ideas. also it cost 500 or 600 euro :eek:

L5

Irish Halo wrote:

I almost screamed when I saw that, I mean come on Sony try and think of something yourself just once, try innovation, just give it a go PLEASE, hell the PSP is just a kind of fancy GameGear.

Also nice little dig at ninty:


but I can guarantee nintendo has an external sensor for a reason which will be come apparent as the sytems launch and PS3 titles fail to utilise this "fantastic new idea" because it was rushed and it works crap.

Nintendo announced the Wii controller ages ago and the name two weeks ago, whatever they announce later today I think might be massive.

I love how the PS3 contoller is being reffered to as a Wiimote in a few places, Nintendo are already winning the little battles.

reason theres an external sensor on wii remote is that it can sense 3d movement, you move it forward , it senses it. ps3 one is purely for tilt sensing..cant do 1/2 as much as the wii remote

Crucifix

God damn. To be honest I hope it's just a crappy gimmick.

projectmayhem

wayne040576 wrote:

Another 'pointless nintendo gimmick' copied by sony. I'm just suprised they did it so quickly. It took them quite a while to copy the pointless analogue stick and rumble feature a few years back. Expect MS to follow.

who said it was a pointless nintendo gimmick?

sony had this patented for years. i guess they decided to roll it out after seeing what the wii was up to. i think it's more about leaving microsoft behind then ripping off nintendo. the 2 "other" companies now have some sort of motion detection, and lots of innovation going on (that eyetoy card game looked great!) whereas microsoft are stuck saying "well... live is great, right?", despite the fact sony has basically taken live and delivered it for free...

Vegeta

projectmayhem wrote:

who said it was a pointless nintendo gimmick?

No one is saying it is a gimmick we all hope it isn't going to be a gimmick on either the wii or the ps3, I really want to see this take off and and be really intuative and make existing genres exciting again but I do fear it will be a gimmick with shallow development. Maybe its my own lack of imagination but i struggle to see many games really use it to its full potential

QuadLeo

I was expecting something like this from sony. As soon as nintendo anounced their controller details Sony went back to work. They were all set for a Spring 06 release and when it didn't happen I knew they were working on something. The Wii will use the sensors more acurately and intuitively. The 6 degrees tilt thing in the ps3 controller is a gimmic. I'd say it won't be used for most games.

mcgarnicle

projectmayhem wrote:

who said it was a pointless nintendo gimmick?

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that Phil Harrison described it as a gimick in an interview just after nintendo unveiled their pad.
I watched that press conference last night and I have to say it was terrible, they have stolen literally everything from their two competitors and in the case of the motion sensitive controller done it in an extremely shoddy fashion. I have read a few reports of people using the controller and most seem to agree that it feels too light and cheap and that the motion sensing tech is tacked on and poorly implemented. People can say what they like about how this is old tech and they didnt really steal it from Nintendo but wake up, had it not been for the Wii I am positive this feature would not be in Sony's pad.
I was a shoe in to buy a PS3 (PStWii?) at launch but now I don't think I will. They were just so pathetic last night, cant believe how much nerve these guys actually had to describe that controller as inovative.

danbhala

Vegeta wrote:

saying that my God they are such losers. They sat back and watched the competitors and then just took some of their best features/ideas. also it cost 500 or 600 euro :eek:

the price off 500 - 600 is rediculous.

since the wii is rumoured to be affordable, Just think, with that same amount of money the ps3 costs you could actually buy and Wii and a 360! so all the people who are holding out for all the next gen systems to be announced, they can either get the ps3, or 'two for the price of one'...

thee price of the wii is going to determine their success ten fold

Crucifix

Vegeta wrote:

....we all hope it isn't going to be a gimmick on either the wii or the ps3

I hope it's a gimmick on the Ps3. I'd like it to provide a different choice if I don't want to get in on all this controller waving.

Mokong

After fumming about this all last night and this morning i've calmed down and realised this "tilttroller" (as i'm gonna call it) won't have a thing on the "Wiimote".

Here's an article from IGN Wii that shows just how little the PS3 tilttroller does compared to the Wiimote

Just minutes ago, Sony made the announcement that its controllers would support tilt sensitivity and showed off the feature with a live demo of Warhawk. While this is a bit of a surprise, it also is to be expected in the grand scheme of gaming. Nintendo has been an innovator from the very beginning, and the best compliment is imitation. Of course, it's a little different when that imitation could put you out of business, right? Although PlayStation 3's and Wii's controllers may share some of the same technology, don't go counting Nintendo out just yet. There are some key differences between the controllers, and between what PS3 and Wii can do with the technology. Let's break it down.


We've known for over a year now that the Wii's input device is what makes it special. The Wiimote (as we've come accustomed to calling it), has the ability to point at any television with pixel-perfect control. In addition, it also can move in three dimensional space, meaning that if a player wants to punch an enemy in the face, they can by simply moving the controller forward. To add to the control, the nunchuck unit can team along with the Wiimote, giving tilt functionality to any game, as well as an analog joystick.

Luckily, Sony's technology isn't quite the same. Here's why:

The technology inside Sony's controller is a basic tilting accelerometer device. In a sense, that's the same style of control as the left hand of the Wii combination. Think of the technology as true 3D movement vs. basic tilt. The Wiimote will sense all pointing, motion and a new dimension of control, while the PS3 controller will expand only on the specific tilt functions. To make this a bit simpler to wrap your heads around, we've put it all in FAQ form below.




Is this technology the same?
No. In fact, the best way to imagine it is to relate the Sony PS3 controller to the left-hand Wii controller; dubbed nunchuck. In short, you would not be able to play a game like Metroid Prime in the same way using the PS3 controller.

What is the difference for developers?
Simply put, it's tilt vs. motion sensing. Monkey Ball for Wii and PS3 would essentially be the same, since it's only using the tilt ability of the controller. On the other hand, a 3D tennis game or sword fighting game with swing control elements is impossible for the PS3 hardware, as it requires full motion sensing technology.

Why doesn't it need a sensor bar?
Since the technology is based solely off the tilt ability, it is self-contained. Keep in mind that the sensor bar is used for the point and click ability of the Wii functions. It doesn't need the bar, since it doesn't use that technology. The same applies to the Wii nunchuck. It can function without a sensor bar.

What type of gameplay styles will work on the PS3 controller?
Here are a few examples: Kirby's Tilt 'n Tumble (which featured tilt control on the Game Boy Color), Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam, racing games (using the tilt to rotate), flight sims, Monkey Ball, fishing (flick the tilt controller).

What type of things won't work on the PS3 controller?
The following actions can't be done on the PS3 controller with the same precision: Throwing/Catching a ball at a specific spot shown on screen, swinging a sword in 3D space and performing stabbing motions, aiming a weapon light-gun-style, swinging a racket, punching, general 3D item interaction, 3D drum simulator, swatting an "on-screen" fly, performing two separate tilt/motion functions at the same time.

In short, Nintendo fans still have a ton to look forward to. Will Wii have what it takes to give the world a true gaming revolution? We'll see you tomorrow morning at Nintendo's E3 conference.