Gamers on the go don’t usually have a whole lot of specialized options in terms of headgear. While you could jury rig just about anything into a microphone-enabled headset with a Hands Free 3.5mm Adapter, if you can find a solid built-in option, there’s no reason to go through all the trouble.

Turtle Beach’s new “mobile” line offers three models: the M1, M3, and M5. Each subsequent model not only ups the bulkiness, but the functionality as well — not content with anything but the best, we got our hands on the Earforce M5.

Look

The headphones themselves have a sleek black finish on the outside, with the unmistakeable Turtle Beach logo emblazoned upon the outer-cups. The inside hosts a grey looking material that looks cheap at first glance, but feels comfortable on your ears, and does a decent job of keeping out sound (although they’re nowhere near noise isolation, as I can still hear a lot of outside sound, even with the volume turned up).

Keep in mind that the Earforce M5 is available in a wired option only — in case you were looking for a Bluetooth enabled option, you’ll have to find it elsewhere. Cord length is probably the worst part of the unit — it’s a mere 39 inches long (compared to their other non-mobile Earforce options, which run at least 4-5 feet). As a result, you may need to bust out the extender if you’re planning on using it outside of portable devices.

The plug type is a standard 3.5mm 4-pole connector, but it has a separate PC adapter for dual microphone and headphone use (for reference, these are the green and salmon connectors). Thankfully, the ear-cups fold very nicely, which means you’ll pretty much never find yourself in an uncomfortable position, whether they’re on your ears, around your neck, or packed away. Overall, they feel pretty comfortable on the ears.

Functionality

For the purposes of this review, I tested my Earforce M5s with the 3DS, Playstation Vita, Apple iPhone 4, Kindle Fire, and a PC. Out of all of these devices, I was most satisfied with the sound quality from the Playstation Vita — the 40mm speakers seemed to capture every nuance, and every high and low that my games could deliver.

While the maximum volume level wasn’t as powerful on the 3DS and the iPhone, the headset is still able to produce quality sound. For select devices (like iPhones), the M5 also contains music functionality, as well as an in-line mic that’s attached near the top of the cord. Using the mic’s button, you can pause, play and skip tracks (or videos) — I never had any issues during my testing.

The mic itself can not only be used on iPhone itself for incoming and outgoing calls, but with the aforementioned connector, you can use it on PC. Although the functionality is nice, it would be nice if there was a volume adjuster on the mic unit.

Overall

The $49.99 M5 is a great middle-ground between a light convenient headphone solution, and a giant bulky full stereo headset. I’m already finding myself keeping them close at hand whenever I need to review any Vita or 3DS games, and occasionally I take them along on trips for use with my iPhone. Alternatively, if I’m in a jam and I need headphones for any of my various PCs, I have that option as well.

If you’re in the market for some new headphones, I’d take a close look at the M5s — they may just suit your needs.

It looks like the cat is out of the bag: Nintendo is perched to release the “Midnight Purple” version of the 3DS on May 2oth, alongside of Mario Tennis 3D.

This is the fifth new color for the 3DS. The unit will retail for $170, and sadly will not ship with the Ambassador games. In what seems like a missed opportunity, I wish this iteration was called “Eggplant”, and shipped alongside of Kid Icarus: Uprising.

Nintendo 3DS Gets a Royal New Color on May 20: Midnight Purple
April 30, 2012

Just as lilacs and hyacinth bloom throughout the spring, so too a new color is blooming for the Nintendo 3DS system. Midnight Purple gives the hand-held a royal new look. The new color will launch May 20, the same day Mario Tennis Open becomes available.

The Midnight Purple Nintendo 3DS, offered at a suggested retail price of $169.99 in the United States, becomes the fifth color in the always-stylish Nintendo 3DS color palette, joining Cosmo Black, Aqua Blue, Flame Red and Pearl Pink. Now fans have another option to customize the look of their systems to suit their individual styles and personalities.

Nintendo 3DS lets users enjoy games and videos in 3D without the use of special glasses. Mario Tennis Open adds to the strong library of Nintendo 3DS games, which also includes Super Mario 3D Land, Kid Icarus: Uprising and Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir. Fans also can check out 3D videos on Nintendo Video and access new and classic downloadable games in the Nintendo eShop.

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

Carl Franklin, a heavy hitter in Microsoft coding circles, claims to have had an “eureka!” moment with the development of GesturePak. This application and SDK is supposed to simplify the development of Kinect based software, especially around gesture recognition.

While GesturePak is focused on Kinect for Windows rather than XBox 360, we can think of at least one game that could have used some better gesture recognition, ahem.

“When Microsoft released the Kinect for Windows SDK beta last year, I tried to write an app to recognize a simple gesture. It was too complex,” Franklin says. “The SDK splits out a stream of joint data (X,Y, and Z axis data points for each of the 20 locations on your body that the Kinect tracks) at 30 frames per second. In order to recognize gestures you have to tack coordinates in space over periods of time, compensate for margin of error, and somehow determine that the user is actually moving deliberately the way you want them to.”

Did you get that? Essentially, Franklin alludes to the fact that programming to track motion is hard. Really hard. He set to remedy this with GesturePak.

Long story short, instead of having to program software to track the complex, fluid movements of human bodies, GesturePak allows developers to focus more on a series of individual poses. If the person progresses through these poses, their motion is recognized and the application, game, etc. recognizes it as a valid movement.

This means that organizations using Kinect say, in medicine, will have better responsive software. This is good, as I wouldn’t want to have my life hanging on by a thread as a doctor, trying to swipe through charts and x-rays, is cursing the screen for not recognizing his hand.

This also has one wishing that Kinect developers start using GesturePak or something similar for better Kinect games.

[source: franklins.net]

While Sony has insisted that they’re not going to reveal a new console at this year’s E3, Kotaku learned some potential details about the PS4 from a “reliable source.”

Hit the jump to read the rumors about Sony’s next-gen hardware.

All of these are just rumors for now, but Kotaku insists that this source is reliable and “has shared correct information with [Kotaku] before.” According to this source, the new console will aim for a late 2013 release and will be called the Playstation Orbis. This could be a code name or the final name, and when combined with Sony’s new handheld you get Orbis Vita which roughly means “orb of life” in Latin.

The source also states that some “secret developers” already have their hands on them, and the machine’s current specs include AMD x64 CPU and an AMD Southern Islands GPU. According to these rumors, it sounds like Sony is moving away from their Cell processors.

Finally, the most interesting and potentially inciting bit is the fact that the Orbis won’t be backwards compatible with PS3 games, and it will include measures to prevent gamers from playing used games. The source says that new games (available either on Blu-Ray or digitally via PSN) will be locked to the user’s PSN account. Of course to counter people from getting around this by playing games offline “you’ll need to have a PSN account and be online to even get the thing started.” Gamers buying games secondhand will “be limited to a trial mode or some other form of content restriction, with consumers having to pay a fee to unlock/register the full game.”

These are just rumors for the moment, but if they turn out to be true, I can’t imagine gamers being happy with some of these features (or non-features).

[Source: Kotaku]

We’ve all heard the rumors swirling around about Nintendo’s secret new console–a successor to the Wii, code-named Project Cafe. Well the rumors were confirmed tonight. Hit the jump for more info about Nintendo’s announcement.

Rumors about the specifications aside, all that got confirmed is that Nintendo is working on a new console to be released in 2012. However the memo’s released by Nintendo have one little paragraph that sent my heart racing: “We will show a playable model of the new system and announce specifications at the E3 Expo [...] June 7-9, 2011.”

That’s all we’ve got for now. So I guess the proverbial cat is only halfway out of the bag. I can’t wait for Nintendo’s press conference so we can finally see the thing in action and hear more about the rumored 3rd party support its gaining.

[via Nintendo (English) & Nintendo (Japanese)]

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s studio director, Mick Hocking revealed that the Playstation 3 will soon play host to more than 50 3D titles. “[A]nd this number is growing fast,” he told magazine Develop. Hocking explained that many industries are investing heavily in the technology and that once consumers see the sheer power and range of what it has to offer, people will come flocking — not only to 3D gaming, but to 3D technology as a whole implemented into film, television shows and even websites.

We have already seen the film industry embracing it with the likes of Avatar, the more recent Megamind and soon to be released Tron: Legacy. Despite this, there is still reluctance on the public’s side mainly because of the price tag. Tickets are double the regular cost and the average 3D TV resides in the neighborhood of about $3,000 (glasses not included). But let’s look ahead, as Hocking does.

Indeed, let’s look ahead with this short video.

As the video intimates, you just watched the Heliodisplay L90 in action. The product of San Bruno, California company IO2 Technology, it renders eye-tricking 3D obsolete. In its place, the Heliodisplay creates free standing images in true space. They’ve even created an interface with which you can interact, moving your hand to pan through images, select certain items, etc. The video game industry is playing with that sort of technology, at least on the interactive side, right? Oh yes, that’s right, the Kinect.

SCEE’s Hocking explained how Sony has applied forward thinking by encouraging its developers to work with 3D technology, because, as he says, everyone is investing in it. 3D is the next big thing.

If you follow the articles I write, you may find that I try to stay a few more steps ahead than the next big thing. True, 3D technology is here. Embrace it or toss it in the trash, it’s not going away. But, that’s not what I’m excited about.

A few weeks ago a representative from Evil Controllers, a small 3rd party gaming controller manufacturer/designer, approached me asking if Gamer Limit would be interested in reviewing some of their products. Always being down for a hardware review, I jumped on the chance. To my surprise, the gaming controller they wanted me to review was their new “Evil D-Pad” for the Xbox 360.

As you can see in the image above, the only real difference between the Evil D-Pad controller and the standard Xbox 360 controller is that the Evil D-Pad has replaced the oh so problematic Xbox 360 d-pad with four individual buttons. At first, I though, “Who would want this? It’s just a PlayStation D-Pad on an Xbox 360 controller; especially considering it’s priced at $54.99 for the wired version ($74.99 for the wireless).” I couldn’t imagine dropping this kind of money on a new d-pad for a controller.  Then I actually sat down and played a few games with it.

You wouldn’t believe it, but the Evil D-Pad controller actually makes gaming more enjoyable, albeit only slightly. My first observation was that this controller made navigating the Xbox Dashboard much easier. As someone who is primarily a PC gamer, I’ve always found flipping through the various Xbox menus a pain in the ass, especially in the Netflix application.

If you guys are anything like me, nothing makes you rage harder than digging through the hundred plus movies in your instant queue only to inadvertently hit down or up (or at least when the crappy stock Xbox 360 controller D-Pad interprets as down or up) taking you to a new category and ultimately losing your place: with the Evil D-Pad, I had no problems.

In terms of actual gaming, how useful the Evil D-Pad is to you will depend on the game. Personally I don’t really use the d-pad in most of my games. The rare case would be switching up plays in NHL 11 or checking up on quests in Dead Rising 2. In order to give the Evil D-Pad a real test I busted out some of my old XBLA games that were d-pad dependent. Games like Streets of Rage 2, Golden Axe, Street Fighter HD Remix, etc.

When playing beat ‘em ups, like Streets of Rage, the Evil D-Pad preformed pretty well. The buttons offer the right amount of resistance ensuring that there aren’t any accidental miss-presses. I also found that my thumbs were hold up a lot longer than they used compared to when using the stock Xbox 360 d-pad.

When playing Street Fighter, I found myself having a little trouble when my primary character Zangief (due to the fact almost all his moves involve rotating the d-pad 360 degrees.) On the other hand, I was noticing a huge improvement with my charged based characters (Guile, Blanka, etc.)

All in all the Evil D-Pad controller from Evil Controllers really surprised me. At first I wrote it off as just another gimmicky third-party controller, but after spending a few weeks with it, I have to say, it’s pretty nice. I stopped suffering from sore thumbs on my d-pad intensive marathon gaming sessions and I was no longer tearing my hair out when navigating the Netflix queues. I can safely say that the Evil D-Pad is a solid controller.

My only concern about it is the price. $75 is a lot to ask for a new d-pad, especially considering Microsoft has just come out with a new controller that features an adjustable d-pad that retails for $10 less. If money isn’t a problem for you, then I recommend the Evil D-Pad controller from Evil Controllers whole heartedly. I just have a hard time recommending it to your average broke college gamer.

“Universal Console”. These two words have been thrown around for quite some time. In 2007, Silicon Knights president Denis Dyak gave a presentation at Game Convention entitled A One Console Future. Eat, Sleep, Play, Inc. co-founder David Jaffe has also put out the call for a “single standard” platform in his blog Criminal Crackdown.

The concept is gaining reinvigorated press today with an interview between CVG and David Reeves, Capcom COO. Reeves views the universal console, or ‘console agnosticism’, as something close to inevitable, and predicts that it will happen in the next 10 to 15 years. Gamers may not have to wait that long — OnLive is definitely throwing its hat in the ring as the console-to-end-all-other-consoles with the December 2 release of its $99 OnLive game system, touting that you can “[p]lay games instantly” with “[n]o high-end hardware required” and “[n]o patching or upgrading” needed.

When all is said and done, the OnLive game system may be more than that.

Can you imagine a console-less future? While OnLive is definitely not that (one does need what they call a MicroConsole), it is a step in that direction. Straight from its press release Thursday, OnLive takes a jab at the console concept: “[t]he sleek, pocket-sized OnLive MicroConsole TV adapter, backed by high-performance Internet-based (cloud) game servers, delivers an unprecedented gaming experience, launching top-tier games in seconds instead of the minutes they take to start on high-end consoles or PCs.”

The first step is to see OnLive as a bridge between console and PC/Mac gaming. It still allows you to play games the “console way” via a controller and TV, but it also caters to the PC and Mac crowd through its browser version. OnLive also gives the internet a larger role in the gameplay experience similar to another service that is PC and Mac exclusive.

Dare I say OnLive is the next progression after Steam? While some gamers may revolt at that statement, here is the credence and a short explanation for gamers unfamiliar with Valve‘s product — Steam is an online based system that allows you to purchase games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Fallout: New Vegas and play them on your PC or Mac without a disc. You will be able to do this with OnLive’s browser version come December; but unlike Steam, you don’t have to download software to do so.

So, how did we get to PC and Mac gaming from the universal console issue? It’s that other pesky issue that no one is talking about, that no-console issue. In the CVG interview, Reeves noted that it takes millions upon millions of dollars to develop a new console. In the near future, Microsoft and Sony will most likely find it too expensive to continue console development in competition with one another. A universal console may be the answer, of course. More than the universal console, however, OnLive arguably gives way to another solution through digital distribution.

Regardless of whether OnLive is a hit, it has definitely introduced new technology into the market with its MicroConsole small enough to fit in your pocket. According to NPD, digital distribution is already a proven success making up $2.6 billion of the approximately $9 billion video game industry. What need is there for consoles when you can play the same games through the internet?

Imagine instead HDTVs (or 3DHDTVs if you like) that come complete with two controllers, and a universal gaming system built in. If OnLive can develop gaming hardware that small, most likely someone can find a way to put it into a TV. And if you’re not a console fan to begin with, you can always enjoy gaming on your PC or Mac as you always have. All of this without a console.

What do you think of the OnLive service? Are you on board with a universal gaming console, or do you like the choice that consoles bring? Where do you stand on the no console issue? Let us know by posting a comment below!

*All discussion about the future beyond cited source is the conjecture of the Gamer Limit author and is supplement to the news of the article.

As soon as I heard the announcement for the Rock Band 3 keyboard, I immediately chanted the old Wayne’s World mantra: “she will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine”. I have to admit, my wife is the pianist of the household: I’m not very good with keys of any kind. But, like any good student, I’m willing to learn; and like any good teacher, Rock Band 3 has some great lessons.

Read on to find out if Rock Band’s newest fully functional MIDI instrument is worth the plunge.

The Rock Band 3 Keyboard

In terms of the quality of the hardware, I’m pretty impressed. As a general rule, I’ve avoided everything Madcatz for the past 15 years, after learning that most of their PS1 controllers’ d-pads were simply stuck on with Elmer’s glue. However, despite my initial fears, I’ve become pretty comfortable with the keyboard. Over the past few weeks, it’s received a pretty good thrashing [pretty much entirely compliments of the song "Du Hast"], and is still going strong.

In addition to the standard 25 keys, there are five special ones located in the blue and green regions of the keyboard, near the middle and right sides of the board, respectively: those are the keys you will be using for standard, Non-Pro songs. You’ll also be able to utilize the touch sensitive pitch shifter [whammy bar] on the tail end, and a simple button that triggers overdrives. Thankfully the 360 version is fully wirelessly integrated into the machine, but if you have a PS3 or Wii, you’ll have to take up a USB slot with the included dongle.

The only real qualm I have is that the d-pad, guide button, start, back, and face buttons are all in the upper right hand corner of the keyboard, which makes it really cramped if you’re playing by yourself, and selecting songs from it. It would have been nice if the d-pad was on the top left instead, or there was a little bit more room on the top of the unit.

As previously mentioned, make sure to keep in mind that the unit is actually a fully functional MIDI keyboard that was simply fitted into controller form. If you want to use the Madcatz board as a real keyboard, go ahead! I’m honestly surprised that they went through the effort, as it makes your investment that much easier to swallow.

The Rock Band 3 Keyboard songs

I was incredibly surprised to find out how easy it was to learn how to play the regular keyboard setup, which utilizes the standard “5 note” color coded scheme; and how in-depth, and challenging the Pro Mode really was.

Unlike Pro Drum Mode, which Editor Andrew Kauz highlighted, Pro Keys songs are not that accessible right off the bat. In fact, unless you already play keys of some kind, you’ll need to take the crash courses in the tutorial mode: it’s that detailed. Every single one of the 25 keys is utilized in most difficult songs, in addition to a two octave range that can get pretty complicated on fast songs.

Initially, with the Non-Pro mode, it is possible to play most songs on Medium difficulty or below on one hand – but eventually, you’re going to need to rock out crocka-rocka style, which requires both hands vigorously trying to find multiple chords in rapid succession: and on Pro Mode, you can forget about one-handing it. Every bit of dexterity you have is going to have to go into learning where exactly every key is: both black and white. It helps to play it on lower difficulties at first, which generally only use white keys, so you can learn the placement – at least that’s how I did it. While I’m still not a “pro” at Pro-Keys, I am getting there, and I really feel like I’ve somewhat learned a real instrument: which is the ultimate goal of Rock Band 3, after all.

In terms of the setlist, things are looking mighty good – you get 63 songs that are fully keyboard compatible in Rock Band 3, and every song’s Guitar or Bass track can be played on non-pro keys.  The setlist contains some pretty obvious classics such as Bohemian Rhapsody, China Grove, Free Bird, Fly Like an Eagle, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, and The Power of Love, but there are a lot of other lesser known songs that contain some nasty key combinations.

In fact, practically every song in the game has a good vibe when it comes to both pro and standard keys, and around half are at  the “4/5″ difficulty rating or higher, which is great news for fast learners. Also keep in mind that some songs, such as Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, feature a synth guitar part that mesh very well with the Keyboard.

Overall

$80 seems like a high price to pay, but you’re buying the ability to play any Rock Band song [1-3 and spinoffs] via Guitar or Bass tracks, and unique regular/pro Keys for 63 songs out of the box, with the promise of more keyboard supported DLC. The fact of the matter is, unlike some of the other pro instruments, you’re not really as limited with the Rock Band Keyboard: you’re not entirely restricted to “just” keyboard songs, which actually makes the keyboard the most versatile instrument in the game. I’d recommend a purchase even if you’re curious: you won’t regret it.

Much ado has been made about the addition of keyboards, a wildly overhauled pro guitar controller, and their respective pro modes within Rock Band 3. However, the hoopla for the new pro drums mode seems to be far less intense.

With that said, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time with the pro drums since the game’s release in order to gather my thoughts on both the hardware itself and the pro drums game mode. Read on for my conclusions on both.

The Rock Band 3 Pro Drum Kit

Essentially, the pro drum kit can be thought of as a typical Rock Band 2 drum kit with the addition of three cymbal attachments, which are placed right onto the kit’s support rods using included clamps. The kit is quite easy to set up, but the plastic clamps don’t work as well as advertised. The instructions ask you to tighten the wingnuts and then press on a plastic clip in order to snap them shut for added strength. It takes a lot of fidgeting to get them to snap properly, and once they do, they don’t release nearly as easily as the instructions suggest they should. It immediately makes the kit feel cheap.

Unfortunately, the new cymbals don’t do anything to assuage such feelings. Right out of the box, one of my cymbals was faulty and had to be returned to Mad Katz. A phone representative had already run out of replacement cymbals (this was on release day for the Rock Band 3 software) and one would be sent out soon. This makes me seriously question the quality of the cymbals.

However, the two cymbals that did work seem to work just fine. They don’t have a particularly pleasant sound when you hit them; in fact, they rattle around and make a sound somewhat similar to a snare drum. So while you may be pleased with the regular kit’s quieter 4 pads, the cymbals will make plenty of noise to make you forget it.

The adjustibility of the cymbals is also severely lacking. The height of the cymbals can be adjusted to a comfortable height for most players, but their horizontal positioning in relation to the rest of the kit can only be adjusted by turning the plastic clamp. Therefore, drummers used to keeping their high hats up and to the left of the snare drum will find this kit somewhat uncomfortable at first. In addition, the pads used for the ride and crash cymbals are attached to the same clamp, meaning that they can’t be repositioned individually.

Anyone who has used a Rock Band drum kit knows the struggles with the foot pedal, and it’s not a different story with the pro kit. The foot pedal is the reinforced version, meaning that there should be fewer instances of the pedal snapping in half. Still, the spring action isn’t any more comfortable, and the issues of missing notes if you don’t lift it up high enough after a hit are still present.

As for the four main pads, they’re decently quiet and seem sturdy enough, but there’s no significant upgrade from the Rock Band 2 kit. They still don’t register light hits nearly as well as they should, but faster drum rolls will register with much more accuracy than what I became accustomed to with the original Rock Band kit. They also seem far sturdier and will hopefully last longer.

It should be noted that the kit also included a port for a second pedal, which can be used as either a second bass pedal or a hi-hat pedal. I tested this out, and while using a regular old pedal as a hi-hat pedal isn’t ideal, it does work. However, neither functionality is built into any songs yet, so you’ll only be using this during freestyle mode if at all.

All said, it’s very, very difficult to recommend this set at its asking price of $129.99. Nothing in this package comes close to justifying that price for people who are currently happy with their drum sets, especially given the potential quality headaches. If price isn’t as issue or if you need a new drum kit anyway, this is clearly the way to go only because of the lack of alternatives. This should be a much better product than it is.

Rock Band 3 Pro Drums Mode

Pro drums mode is easily the most accessible of the new pro instrument modes in Rock Band 3, far different from the 100s of new buttons or the entirely new controller of pro guitar and pro keyboards respectively. With just three new drum components to worry about, pro drums can seem like a logical first choice to introduce yourself to the pro modes of Rock Band 3.

Pro mode works by transferring cymbal hits from the typical yellow, blue, or green pads to one of the new cymbal controllers. Luckily, this information was already coded into the game for the sake of proper animation, so every single song, even from the original Rock Band, can be played in pro mode. Therefore, you’ll have many more songs to play in pro drums mode than with any other of the new pro modes.

While pro drums can initially feel intimidating, the jump between regular drums mode and pro drums mode is really pretty small. You’ll quickly get used to playing a typical rock beat on the yellow cymbal and red pad instead of the yellow and red pads, which is the vast majority of what you’ll be doing in a typical song’s verse. Things get quite a bit more complicated when you run into a song that switches often between cymbals and toms, and this is consequently where you’ll find the greatest learning curve. However, even switching between toms and cymbals quickly becomes easier over time.

So while there are tons of songs for you to play in pro mode, the difference between the two modes really isn’t all that vast. Some songs really aren’t any more difficult in pro mode, and some are far harder. It’s very hit or miss, and it’s something to keep in mind when you’re considering making the leap to pro mode. If you’re hoping for a deep new experience that is vastly different from what you’ve played before, this isn’t it.

That said, pro drums is unquestionably more fun than regular drums. The question again becomes whether you’re willing to spend the money required to make it a part of your Rock Band 3 experience.

Overall

There’s really no doubt in my mind that the price of getting into pro drums mode is too high, especially considering the lackluster quality of the pro drum kit. But the pro drums mode is still a strong addition to Rock Band 3, and its relatively low barrier of entry will make it a much more fun addition to parties than the pro guitar. It’s a strong purchase for people who need a new drum kit anyway, but those who are happy with the current drums and regular drum mode will face a harder decision.

PlayStation Move on Gamer Limit: Sports Champions | Start the Party! | Kung Fu Rider | Tumble

[As you can see from the list above, we've now trawled through the main line-up of launch titles for the PlayStation Move, but it’s finally time to delve into the hardware itself.]

Since the birth of the Nintendo Wii in 2006, the 21st century has seen the rise of a new movement in gaming: motion controls.  Several smashed television screens later, the Wii’s radical Wii Remote controller proved to be more than a passing fad too, with the Wii achieving phenomenal worldwide success and breaking sales records. Today, the Wii still smugly stands as one of the biggest influences the modern gaming industry has ever seen.

It may have taken four years, but the competition has finally started to catch up when E3 2009 saw both Sony and Microsoft compete for a spot in the market – each leader took a decidedly different approach however, with Sony aiming to stick with the traditional tangible controller in the vein of the Wii and Microsoft opting for a more radical, hands-free revolution with Kinect. Then again, Sony isn’t entirely new to the market having developed the EyeToy Camera for the PS2 launched back in 2003, and the PlayStation Eye in 2007 Camera which has been left with very little opportunity to flex its muscles due to only a handful of throwaway titles available – until now.

Move over Nintendo?

On first impressions it takes a while to get over the controller’s frankly funky design: you’d swear you were gripping a Sony sex toy. And then there’s the initial intrigue of the large, squidgy glowing ball that protrudes the top that puny children will probably liken to a coloured candy. Before long however, you grow to appreciate the design; it’s certainly a more comfortable fit than the Wii’s squarely rigid formation due to a more tactile, rounded construction.

The sleek black design is standard of Sony’s solid build quality, and blends in nicely with the PlayStation family of peripherals as the central square, circle, cross and triangle face buttons you’ve grown accustomed to for the past 15 years are present. To the left and right of the controller you will find the slightly awkwardly placed start and select buttons, along with the PS button for XMB access and a couple of Move-specific buttons – a trigger is situated beneath the unit and the primary Move button dominates the front for your thumb to rest on.

Overall, despite its kinky first impressions, the Move controller is a successful design that your hand comfortably moulds into. A wrist strap is also included to prevent you from inadvertently breaking your extortionate plasma television and calibration is less complicated than you might expect.

Like the dual shock controller, the Move can be plugged into the PS3 via USB to charge (it takes an hour to fully charge and a reported nine hours of battery life) and it’s a similar story with the Eye Camera which works the instant it is plugged in. Adjust the lens to wide angle by turning it clockwise (you are prompted to do this whenever you start a Move game) and marvel at your picture in all its grainy glory.

Truth be told, the resolution of the Eye Camera isn’t its greatest asset when used as a standalone webcam for video chat, but it’s not as noticeable in most games, particularly when the game doesn’t even use your image on-screen during gameplay. Most games will put you out by presenting an initial calibration, but very little effort is required thankfully – more often than not you will just be asked to point the controller at the camera in order for it to register your position. Nothing too taxing then.

The pricing strategy for PlayStation Move is smart in that Sony has catered for all consumers here. For example, some, like myself, may already own an Eye Camera, in which case the controller is available in a standalone package with an RRP of £34.99, whereas others will want a starter bundle which contains the Move Controller with the Eye Camera and a demo disc for £44.99, though they can typically be found online at prices below RRP. Move can also be found bundled with the PS3 and accessories such as a charging dock and gun attachment are also available. Curiously however, the controller can also be found included with launch title Sports Champions in a bundle that’s exclusive to America.

To accompany the Move controller, a Nav-controller is also available, although at this point it’s not really worth it. It acts as a substitute for the dual shock controller and contains an analogue stick akin to the one you would find on a standard unit. While only a handful of games really make use of it, the dual shock controller can still be used in conjunction with Move, even if it is somewhat cumbersome in practice. You can also navigate the XMB by moving the Move controller, but it again feels too unwieldy to be precise.

On face value at least, the Move Controller offers good value for money until you factor in the accessories and games, but still seems to be more accessible than Kinect’s comparatively steep price-point for the core experience.

Move requires you to stand at least eight feet away from the camera, but this simply isn’t practical for some people. My room for example offers nowhere near this amount of space, but fortunately I haven’t encountered any problems from playing at a closer distance. It also reacts to low lighting conditions surprisingly well, but reports of problems with brighter lighting levels have been surfacing.

Unsurprisingly, Move works better when played whilst stood up, which may come as a shock to those who love to unwind into their DFS sofas at night for a spot of COD. Trust me; I tried to play a sitting game of Table Tennis on Sports Champions when I was feeling overly lazy, but it only made the experience more problematic and less immersive.

Comparisons to the Wii are frankly unavoidable so I’ll get this way: many initially scoffed at Sony’s scornful attempt to replicate the Wii’s technology, but in terms of sheer accuracy, Sony Wii’s all over Nintendo and doesn’t bother to flush afterwards. It’s absolutely astonishing.

The squidgy ball that you previously wanted to lick is actually the Move’s central component which acts as a sensor detected by the Eye Camera, resulting in absolutely pinpoint accuracy when your movements are translated on-screen in true 1:1. In a novel touch, the orb glows in different colours depending on the game, and is soft and squidgy in texture presumably to soften the blow should you whack an innocent infant child, as demonstrated by the comical safety briefing diagram that is presented every time you start a game.

Progression from the Wii was only natural however: you would hope that technology would have improved given that the Wii was launched four years ago now. As a piece of geeky hi-tech technology then, the Move’s attributes instantly impress even at this early stage, but it’s ultimately up to the software to showcase what it can really do.

Sports Champions and Tumble are the clear software frontrunners but, typically of most hardware debuts, the majority of launch games are somewhat lacking overall, with lacklustre entries such as Kung Fu Rider and Racquet Sports dampening its supremacy.

The Wii is famed for starting the casual gaming craze, and while the Move has its fair share of obligatory titles of this vein, Sony aims to broaden this cliché by releasing a slew of gamer’s games to those that think motion controls are infantile atrocities for seven year-olds with underdeveloped motor skills. PlayStation-exclusive favourites such as Heavy Rain have already been patched to be compatible with the Move controller, and SOCOM and Killzone 3 are also on their way soon.

It’s fair to say however that the games principally designed for the Move work better than some of the existing titles that have been forcefully patched: Heavy Rain, for example, didn’t benefit from the Move as much as you would think because it was never designed for it from the outset. It’s like screening older films in 3D that were never meant to be viewed that way.

Speaking of 3D, like many others I’ve been a bit of a pessimist when it comes to the advent of 3D TVs. And yet I’m starting to think that Move is one of few technologies that could genuinely benefit from the added depth – it would undoubtedly enhance your ability to judge shots in Sports Champions, for example, and could heighten the immersion which is what Move is trying to achieve anyway. So far only Tumble is playable in 3D, but I’ve yet to try them for myself. When 3D hopefully comes into full fruition next year, it will certainly be interesting to see if and how Move adapts.

Overall, PlayStation Move is a sturdy piece of kit that is technologically proficient in the motion market. While it is, in essence, a mere step from the Wii’s concrete foundations, but the more advanced 1:1 tracking makes a profound difference in gameplay and there is clearly a lot of potential for future and existing games to take advantage of the hardware. As with most launch line-ups however, some of the games currently available don’t quite do the technology the supreme justice it so richly deserves.

With Microsoft’s rival Kinect launching in a few months’ time, Sony’s head-start is a clear advantage, but it will nonetheless be a very interesting battle once it unravels -initial sales have shown that there is interest in the product, but will the initial hype dissolve into a forgotten novelty? This of course is a question that can only be answered by the developers and their ability to conjure consistently innovative games to retain our future interest. Still, it’s about time the Eye Camera was put to good use.

Gamer Limit gives the PlayStation Move Controller 8.5/10.

Microsoft Game Studios is promising “an incredible line-up” of titles, with a companion to the Halo: Waypoint hub and Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst named on the docket already. Other recognizable titles include Assassins Creed, Castlevania, and Splinter Cell: Conviction. You can check out a full list of launch titles here.

Source: CVG