As games evolved, so did controllers. They added extra buttons for more actions, triggers for our index fingers to rest on and finally joysticks to better control 3-D movement. Ergonomically, controllers have differed quite a bit — but when it came to functionality, they were about the same. That is, until the Nintendo Wii came along, reinvented the controller and sold boatloads of systems.
The Wii focused on controlling games with motion and pointing at the TV. Its controller looks far more like a television remote than a typical game pad, and this new form of control has helped Nintendo sell nearly 74 million Wiis worldwide between November 2006 and July 2010 [source: Alexander]. Sony and Microsoft have been scrambling to tap into the Wii experience — but how do they beat Nintendo at its own game?
In September 2010, Sony launched its own motion control system, the PlayStation Move, compatible with its game console the PlayStation 3. Just like the Wii, the PlayStation Move comes with a pack-in sports game. Just like the Wii, the PlayStation Move controller looks a bit like a weird TV remote. Sony hopes a special camera and a unique system of 3-D positioning will help the PlayStation Move outmaneuver Nintendo. In this article, we’ll explore how.
PlayStation Move on the Outside
PlayStation is a well-established brand, and Sony played it safe with the overall design of the Move by closely adhering to an aesthetic gamers would recognize. Like the PlayStation 3 controller, the Move remote is matte black plastic, with four small face buttons near its top bearing the familiar PlayStation symbols: X, O, square and triangle. The four small buttons flank a larger center button marked with the Move logo.
The Move controller’s slight hourglass shape and button placement help guide the user’s hand into place, since the thumb is meant to rest over the center Move button. Since the PlayStation Move is all about motion, it can get away with fewer in-game actions springing from button presses; hence one dominant, large button.
The final button on the face of the controller bears the PlayStation logo and can sync the controller to the console and access the PlayStation 3’s dashboard. The typical start and select buttons for pausing and options rest on the sides of the controller near the top. Finally, on the back of the device is a concave trigger (appropriately marked with a T) for gamers to cradle with an index finger — perfect for first-person shooters or any motion control trying to simulate a hand grip [source: Mikhailov].
Of course, there’s the impossible-to-overlook sphere resting atop the Move wand. It even glows! As we’ll explain in the next section, that glowing ball is actually what allows the PlayStation eye camera to track the controller’s movement.
For more Details: How PlayStation Move Works
