E3: Sony: PS3 wand devkits already out

By Robert Purchese Published 5 June, 2009

"A little bit past the research phase."

Sony America marketeer Peter Dille claims that development kits for the motion-sensing PS3 wand have already been sent to third-party studios and the technology is further along than we thought.

"We're a little bit past the research phase," Dille told GameSpot, countering Microsoft's E3 announcement that Project Natal dev kits are being sent to developers this week.

"We're having conversations with the third-party community. The dev kits have started to go out to the third parties as well. They're working on the tech. They couldn't be more excited about it," Dille added.

But for all their posturing, neither company has yet provided a solid date for either technology. That Microsoft has a final product rather than prototype and at least one game suggests Project Natal may arrive first.

First behind Nintendo, of course, which launches the Wii MotionPlus accessory on 12th June. WMP adds a gyroscope to the Wiimote, which takes the controller to a maximum six degrees of motion-sensing freedom.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (36) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • andywilkie35 #1 3 years ago

    oooh waggle!

    /dribbles all over desk

  • Dizzy #2 3 years ago

    Well we are ready!

  • optimusprym8 #3 3 years ago

    I should think so too considering it was shown at ECTS 10+ years ago when they first unveiled EyeToy
    Edited by 1 at 05/06/09 @ 09:57

  • jjolley #4 3 years ago

    You wonder about Eurogamer's research abilities. Didn't Sony say it's out by March next year? Terrible journalism.

  • Progguitarist #5 3 years ago

    You forgot....Its Euro360Gamer now.

    :p

  • Dizzy #6 3 years ago

    Crybaby Progguitarist
    Edited by 1 at 05/06/09 @ 10:13

  • Progguitarist #7 3 years ago

    Sarcasm is a wonderful thing

  • Dizzy #8 3 years ago

    >Sarcasm is a wonderful thing

    The classic Internet reply.

  • Xerx3s #9 3 years ago

    Tsk. It's called a "carebear" now. Do keep up.

  • Progguitarist #10 3 years ago

    A classic internet reply is it?

    Jesus christ I often wonder about the mentality of some people.

  • Bigglesworth #11 3 years ago

    @Dizzy: Wrong side of bed this morning? =)

    But seriously, what's MS's final product? Milo?

  • Munkeh111 #12 3 years ago

    Sony have a fixed date, Spring, Microsoft on the other hand...

  • Evolution #13 3 years ago

    @jjolley

    Where do they say this?

  • miiiguel #14 3 years ago

    Idk why Sony is doing this, what about Sixaxis? Are they going to work together ?

  • jjolley #15 3 years ago

    As I remember it was during the conference. As I already pointed out regarding the 360 system, there are serious issues of accessibility generally. The wand idea seems a bit more workable. Having tried the WII and not liking it, not sure i'd bother with this myself. Mind you, the Wii system was sensative to positioning and motion plus is meant to fix those problems. It might be worth me trying the system again at some stage.

    Project Netall or whatever it's meant to be called seems a gimick at most because people want feedback from there actions. The wand might be able to implement this into the device AKA rumble as a simulation.

    Off topic here but one thing i'd love to see would be force feedback being improved to give a sense of weight. This hasn't been done to my knowledge.

  • bradgrenz #16 3 years ago

    You are quite mistaken if you think natal is anywhere near the "finished product" stage. The current system has a small form factor PC sitting between the camera and the console doing the work of hardware that may be eventually integrated into the camera housing, or migrated to software running on the 360 cpu.

  • Diomedes #17 3 years ago

    Yeah ,I suppose thats why the Sony Wand has a release date in spring 2010 and Natal has nothing .


    I hope Sony has figured out ,or the third parties are telling them as we speak ,that they need an analogue stick in the wands.It could be something as small and imperceptible as the PSP one in the extreme of the left wand ,but it needs one.

    If it hasnt it will be limited for open world exploring and will be as limited as Natal for this fact ...you wont play any game that can make you move outside some m2,or games on rails at best ...and that would be really poor.

    The engineers said in the conference that they wanted the tech appliable for hardcore games ,so I hope they arent stupid and have figured this out .

  • Les #18 3 years ago

    "at least one game"

    Which game?

  • bradgrenz #19 3 years ago

    The patents for Sony's PSMC device show face buttons, a trigger and an analog stick on the wand. It is also likely that they do not have a final wand design because the ultimate intent is to introduce a kind of break apark Dual Shock style controller that substitutes a pattern of led light on the front of the controller for the large colored balls. This is suggested by other patents filed by Sony.

  • Xerx3s #20 3 years ago

    Why do people assume that natal doesn't allow controllers or other objects? You could easily combo it with the 360 controller i.e. They could also put two orbs on a stick and have the same results as the ps3 controller.

    They could turn a default 360 controller into a motion sensing device without alterations to the hardware.

  • thebuzzard #21 3 years ago

    So have you realized that just having buttons on the controller will not be enough?

    As we kinda need an analogue stick on it too.


    Why would you need a stick? The controller is 2 sticks.
    Edited by 1 at 05/06/09 @ 11:15

  • Widge #22 3 years ago

    So basically, it'll come down to they all do the same thing and the bottom line will be which will have the best games.

  • bradgrenz #23 3 years ago

    "Why do people assume that natal doesn't allow controllers or other objects? You could easily combo it with the 360 controller i.e. They could also put two orbs on a stick and have the same results as the ps3 controller."

    The problem is Microsoft's entire pitch for the Natal is based on the premise that controllers are bad and need to be eliminated. A 3D camera plus 1:1 position aware controller would absolutely be the best possible solution. MS may come around on this point, but it will mean eating their words on the subject. And having a comparable wand plus a much more advanced camera will put their motion control solution at a price disadvantage against the PSMC at a point in time when their base hardware price advantage may have evaporated completely. The question then becomes: "will the 3D camera be sufficient to differentiate the experience provided by natal from the PSMC/Wii in actual games to justify the added price?"

  • Eighthours #24 3 years ago

    Rob, Sony say "spring 2010" for the Wand (though that may be the same kind of optimistic spin to disrupt Natal that they engaged to try to destabilise the 360 launch with their initial, no-way-in-hell PS3 release date), whereas Natal is late 2010 at the earliest.

  • SeesThroughAll #25 3 years ago

    Why would you need a stick? The controller is 2 sticks.

    How many hands do people normally have?

  • Yaz #26 3 years ago

    "The problem is Microsoft's entire pitch for the Natal is based on the premise that controllers are bad and need to be eliminated."

    Er, that's a distorted interpretation of their message. ;-) Their pitch is that controllers are not necessary to have motion control, you can use your body instead, and therefore avoid the need for a device between you and the game. Nothing about controllers being bad.

    But yes, it would confuse the message if hand held control devices are added to Natal's control scheme. Although, holding your own objects, i.e a ruler, pen or stick to represent a sword or a racket, for example, could be sold to gamers on the same basis of not requiring a special device.

    I don't believe there is an absolute "best possible solution", since there are pros and cons to each approach, but I do feel Natal offers the most potential and possibly a greater appeal to the target customer.

  • bradgrenz #27 3 years ago

    "Er, that's a distorted interpretation of their message. ;-) Their pitch is that controllers are not necessary to have motion control, you can use your body instead, and therefore avoid the need for a device between you and the game. Nothing about controllers being bad."

    Did you watch the MS Press conference? They spent about ten minutes with Steven Spielberg on stage talking about how important it was to remove controllers from the equation and how hands free motion control was a breakthrough and how controllers were limiting the potential of gaming. The message was that controllers are a barrier between you and the game and should be eliminated! It would look pretty bad if they had to backpedal on that message and introduce some kind of stick. Especially since they've spent the rest of E3 talking shit about their competitors' wands.

  • Beige_Alert #28 3 years ago

    Natal a final product?? The Kotaku hands on seems to indicate that it is isnt finalized at all yet. And what's the game? Milo?
    Sony and MS are posturing like crazy right now, neither have anything close to final for retail. Sony's offering seems easier to productify though, simply based on the apparent complexity of the systems.

  • penhalion #29 3 years ago

    Yea the kits are out there already. I wondered what that ugly stick with a bulb was!

    But seriously it's a Sony Wii remote. That's not a bad thing as it means that you can do any Wii game on the PS3 now and with about 100 times better presentation! On the other hand....it's a Sony Wii remote.

  • Les #30 3 years ago

    "The message was that controllers are a barrier between you and the game and should be eliminated!"

    Controllers are indeed a barrier. But Natan is a controller. An optical one, but still a controller. And therefore in most cases as much a barrier as a regular controller and in other cases even more. Until they've developed a device that can read our minds, MS should have just bitten the bullet and gone with a Wii-mote rip-off. Might not be classy but it would be a better solution and screw what the fanboys think.

  • makeamazing #31 3 years ago

    Controllers are indeed a barrier

    I'm not really sure they are at all. I mean maybe to the real older non techie generation, but my kids have no problems whatso ever with controllers, and as more generations of kids get involved with this stuff, its becoming less and less of a problem.

    Every day we interact with controllers, be it driving the car to setting the dvd recorder to record a show, the problem is the software interface, how you understand what to do. Maybe it would be easier to wave your arms around, but there is still what is output on screen, how you get around... but I really dont think that is really the issue, just because this technology is not that difficult (e.g playing a console).

    Now back in the good old days, yes I could agree, thats why we were all called geeks, messing around with the memory manager to get a game to work in dos... its all just mega PR speak from people trying to make reasons why something is amazing.. OMG controllers stop people playing games, you need a non controller system.. its rubbish :D

  • Les #32 3 years ago

    "I'm not really sure they are at all."

    I think I wasn't really clear: The controller is a barrier in the sense that it translates an intent of the player into input for the game which in turn performs an action. That translation will always be imperfect and limited to some crude instructions. Unless a device is developed that can read our minds. If that would ever happen, the game engine would still be a barrier though and prevent from total immersion.

    Personally I think immersion is ridiculously overrated and the solution to any immersion issues definitely lies not in giving the player more options but rather in giving him/her less. E.g. in a 2D Mario game the unreality isn't nearly as distracting as in something like Fallout 3. The fact that Mario's jumps are ridiculous is easily accepted because of the setting. The strange, floaty jumps in Fallout stick out because it tries to mimick the real world and fails.

    One of the people from Team ICO made an insightful remark about why they chose to have an imaginary animal in their next game: People have expectations about the actions, behaviour, appearance, etc. of real life animals like cats and dogs. Trying to fake that will only result in people noticing where they fail. It's probably also the reason why EyePet's animal is an imaginary one and why Milo is so freaky: It is in fact a freak.
    Edited by 1 at 05/06/09 @ 19:17

  • dominalien #33 3 years ago

    Unless a device is developed that can read our minds

    I honestly think if that ever happens, it will turn out our minds emit too many different signals and we can't focus enough to emit a strong, unambiguous command.

    Then I will be the grandfather who cannot use the thought-controlled Blu2-Gray recorder which my 4 year old grandson can with ease.

  • davisorle #34 3 years ago

    "We're a little bit past the research phase,"

    During the presentation on the conference of E3 when they were showing it off, id SWEAR they said its still in the research phase.. oO wtf

  • bradgrenz #35 3 years ago

    "During the presentation on the conference of E3 when they were showing it off, id SWEAR they said its still in the research phase.. oO wtf"

    They said the physical controllers they were using were engineering prototypes. That means they were not representative of the final look the controllers would have when released.

  • 3william56 #36 3 years ago

    Controller a barrier to the experience?

    Fighter pilots, Formula One drivers, Snipers and Jedi Knights tend to disagree on that one...
    Mimes, on the other hand, are all over Natal like a rash.

    Coming soon to Xbox 360: Mimes of War. Elite face painted special forces street entertainers take on the Locust. Activate force shields with a "glass box" gesture. Pull on an Invisible Rope to fire the gravity gun. Do the Robot to drive Mech Fighting Suits.
    Your Body is your Weapon.

    Since when did Speilberg become such a Microsoft shill? Back to sappy PC movies, beardie!