TGS: Sony Announces PS3 Motion-Control Launch Titles

Sony has confirmed a number of launch titles for the Spring 2010 debut of its Motion Controller PS3 peripheral, including a new Ape Escape title and Echochrome 2, plus enhanced versions of Flower and Resident Evil 5. In an announcement made during Tokyo Game Show, the company detailed the first-party SCE Worldwide Studios titles that will debut alongside the device next Spring, as well as confirming technical specifics on the peripheral. The input device, still tentatively named "Motion Controller," is equipped with two motion sensors, a three-axes gyroscope and and a three-axes accelerometer that can detect the controller's angle and movement held in the user's hand. Together with the PlayStation Eye camera for PS3, which can accurately track the absolute position of the controller, the controller can "detect the natural and intuitive movement of the hand and reflect the precise movement onto the game", according to Sony. The sphere on the top of the Motion Controller is not only used to track the absolute position, but can also give visual feedback to users by changing the colors or the illuminating patterns of the sphere. The new controller is also equipped with a rumble feature. The Motion Controller, which requires the user to own a PlayStation Eye camera to work correctly, combines to be "capable of recognizing and tracking a user's face and voice as well as body motion [and] can also output the player's image onto the TV screen." The list of 2010 Sony-published titles which encompass "both Motion Controller dedicated and compatible titles" include new titles Ape Escape, Echochrome 2, Eccentric Slider, Sing and Draw, Champions of Time, Motion Party, The Shoot, and Tower. Also being upgraded via software update to take advantage of the Motion Control device are existing PlayStation 3 games including PAIN, Flower, Hustle Kings, High Velocity Bowling, and EyePet. In addition to this official announcement, a Japanese-language Sony press conference following Kaz Hirai's keynote showcased Capcom's Resident Evil 5: Director's Cut, an update of the game that includes motion control. According to weblog Joystiq's coverage, Sony "also showed off LittleBigPlanet being controlled by two people, one wielding a motion wand while the other used a DualShock 3."