March 10, 2010: A day that will live in infamy. The crumbling of an empire began while the rise of the new king was whispered about in hushed tones. Truly, history was made on this most hallowed and memorable day. Hyperbole aside, it was the day Sony officially unveiled their motion control device at the 2010 Game Developer’s Conference. Those who missed it should know it’s named the Playstation Move, and it caught the attention of the gaming world as planned. Unsurprisingly, the device shares a lot of the same qualities as Nintendo’s Wii remote, right down to the PR pictures (see the image below). Even Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Amie noticed this, saying he would be “embarassed” to have Nintendo produce such a copycat. There’s no denying Sony is attempting to capture the same market the Big N has had so much success with since the 2006 launch battle, but is it too little too late? Probably, but they’re not doing themselves any favors at this point by ignoring a couple of key ideas that helped their competition get off to and maintain such a massive lead.
While Sony showed off a few games during unveiling, they failed to show off what is commonly referred to in the industry as a killer app. For those not in the know, a killer app is the game that is supposed to both show off what your system is capable of and, perhaps more importantly, catch on as a talking point in popular culture to help build hype and drive sales. Look at what Halo: Combat Evolved did for the Xbox — there would likely be no Xbox 360 today without that game. The Nintendo 64 had Super Mario 64; even the Natal had the Milo demonstration at E3 2009 to capture the imagination of the public (whether it’s within its capabilities another discussion). Those great games and demonstrations aside, what Sony is truly lacking is their Wii Sports. What will drive the Move should be intuitive to pick-up use, be fun to play in a group setting, and most of all come standard with every Move package — just like Wii Sports did for the Wii. Move Party! is probably the closest thing they have at the moment (click for a video), but cutting hair and catching baby birds just doesn’t have the same appeal as a four-player match of bowling, or a rousing and intense match of tennis.
Another way Sony could help the Move succeed is simply by shoving it down our throats, gamers and developers alike. The Move will be relegated to secondary and niche status unless it comes with every Playstation 3 from the device’s launch and on. Looking back at Sony’s previous peripheral profile will show this to be true. The PS2 hard drive and network adapter were supposed to take the system to the next level, regardless of whether it needed it or not. They met with tepid response at market due to a lack of public interest, and it’s Sony’s fault for that. There was no reason for the public to grab them because so few games required their use. Looking back a little further reveals a successful blueprint. The Dual Shock controller was a hit on the original Playstation because developers made creative use of its capabilities (Ape Escape was seriously innovative for its time) and because Sony used it to replace the original controller entirely. Can the Move replace the Dual Shock 3? No, not unless they intend to stop making traditional games altogether. Either way, it can’t be a fringe option if there’s any hope for its success, either.
One thing the Move does that the Wii doesn’t is make use of a camera, namely the Playstation Eye. Allowing the player to actually step into the game Nick Arcade-style is something any video game player has imagined; this is a positive step in that direction. It’s also pretty neat how the controller in your hand can be made to look like you’re holding anything. A sword, a baseball bat, a tennis racket, an octopus… whatever fits the game can be put in the palm of your hands. It’s here Sony has something special, and it’s something they should make the most of. There’s a good chance, though, that they unintentionally shot this aspect in the foot years ago with the Eye Toy on the PS2. People have seen this type of functionality before, and they didn’t bite then either. Even the PS3 version hasn’t met with much success. Granted, neither alone could show you on the screen with an axe in your hand, but it looks similar enough for people to make a connection.
When all is said and done, the Move will likely be seen as a mildly successful “me too” device that failed to live up to its potential. If Sony throws a good potion of their weight behind it there’s a good chance it could see some traction, but it’s more likely that this is serving as a test to see what can be done with motion controls in the inevitable Playstation 4. Sony’s new device is no Wii killer and they only have themselves to blame — Nintendo’s blue ocean will not opt to move on.
