Naughty Dog "not interested" in PS3 wand for third-person action games

By Robert Purchese Published 6 January, 2010

But says device can be "big, big success".

Naughty Dog's Evan Wells has said he won't be making an Uncharted-style game for the PS3 wand any time soon.

He'd rather do 'a Nintendo' and design for and around the motion-sensor - an approach he believes the PlayStation crowd would lap up.

"We really don't have any interest in using the motion control to do a third-person action game. If we were going to make a motion controller game, we'd want to tackle it from the bottom up and make sure that we were designing the game around the motion control, the way the best Wii games are designed," Wells, one half of Naughty Dog's foundation, told G4TV.

"I'm not a Wii hater at all, in fact, it's probably one of my most played consoles in the house. I have a 3-year old son which might account for some of that [laughs], but Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are some of the best experiences of this generation - honestly. They're immensely playable and competitive, and just great fun with a group of people in the same room.

"Yeah, I think the PlayStation audience is totally for it," he added. "In fact, I bet you there are lot of closet Wii owners in the PlayStation community. If there is some really good software for that motion controller, I think it can be a big, big success."

The PS3 wand, which still doesn't have an official name, will be released this spring. It looks a bit like a plastic ice-cream to me.

Naughty Dog's latest, Uncharted 2, is already out of the door. And it's brilliant, as our Uncharted 2: Among Thieves review points out.

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 (27) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

  • Cataferal #1 2 years ago

    A reasonable set of statements, really.

    I've recently pulled the Wii out of the closet to catch up on the Motion plus titles (Resort and Tiger Woods 10, namely). The family are having a great time with it, leaving me with the hope that the PS3s wand will cater for that kind of social gaming just as well.

    Sony just needs the software. I think it'd be a safe to assume that Naughty Dog would deliver on the incredible potential of the tech if they put themselves up to the task.
    Edited by 7 at 06/01/10 @ 11:23

  • Beano #2 2 years ago

    So they do not want to tack wand-controls onto an existing (and successful) franchise/formula and instead use the wand for something new?

    Sounds like good news to me.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #3 2 years ago

    That doesn't send too good a sign for the wand device when contrasted with the likes of Bungie and Lionhead being all over that other proposed motion control system for their action games.
    Edited by 1 at 06/01/10 @ 11:19

  • JohnnyWashnGo #4 2 years ago

    Would any publisher or developer be interested in making a game for a given games console that would not be usable by every person owning the console?

    Seems that in these times of shrinking sales, artificially reducing your target audience by making the game playable with a peripheral that many won't own would be a daft thing to do.

  • Widge #5 2 years ago

    Not quite what he was saying. Its more "make games for the device and don't try and shoehorn the mainstream hardcore games into motion" rather than "we won't make games for it".

    I think it makes sense. Of course its good PR to the HARDCORE to say "yes, all your brown shooty fun will be motion compatible, buy this device", but the reality is that the best games to make and play are games suited to the device.

  • freakzilla #6 2 years ago

    Its not like he can say otherwise is it? But I agree, with good software they could definitely grab the attention of many "hardcore" gamers.
    Edited by 1 at 06/01/10 @ 17:01

  • Bigglesworth #7 2 years ago

    I've recently pulled the Wii out of the closet to catch up on the Motion plus titles (Resort and Tiger Woods 10, namely)

    Lots of repetitive in-out movements in that last one, then it crashes, so I hear.

  • Widge #8 2 years ago

    Well they've announced Sony Motion Resident Evil 5, that is one game. After looking at the horror show which is gesture Half Life 2 and Burnout, the focus needs to be on games for the controls, not games that scream to be played with a proper set of controls instead.

  • GamesConnoisseur #9 2 years ago

    The statement is pretty spot on... though obviously not referring to 'rival' console users or Gamers who doesnt use Playstations. Of which there are many more this generation, still as a developer close to Playstation and that is pretty understandable!

    Wii does indeed bring a new approach that we tends to ignore in light of the overall quality of the game library. I believe that should Wii be a HD console on par with PS3/X360, we would have seen more quality and those who disagree, just ask yourself how would you love to play Metroid Trilogy with similar control but HD visual with much more effects, lightening and particles?!

    Indeed games are much more than visuals, but the processing grunts is very much important.

  • Toothball #10 2 years ago

    Well at least someone won't be rushing to make a series of shake-em-ups. I do hope others follow.

  • FogHeart #11 2 years ago

    I think the twin stick FPS games could be patched to play like COD reflex or Metroid or The Conduit (latter did it best due to ability to fine tune it). And any new FPS games could have the option of twin stick controls or the wand. It's not necessary to build from the ground up - as has been said, that'll just restrict the potential customers to those with a wand.

  • alimokrane #12 2 years ago

    and thank the Lord for that! Thank you naughty dog! u dont need a gimmick to make great games.

  • Arwin #13 2 years ago

    Hope that Naughty Dog will make something for it though. I'm hoping in particular for a slew of cool PSN games supporting the Wand, the best of which they can then maybe compile and sell on BluRay.

    Of course, games like Tiger Woods 10 and Tennis are most definitely going to support the Wand though - that's a piece of cake I think, as they've already developed the game for the PS3 and all they need to do is move the code and bits of UI for the Wand into them. Since Motion+ and the Wand support basically exactly the same (third party) motion control library, the code is almost exactly the same, so it should be a piece of cake for EA and Sega to do it, and a popular one too - these tennis and golf games need something to give people an excuse to buy yet another version of the same game. And this time it could actually be a really good reason. :)

    And hopefully we'll also get a Wii Sports Resort equivalent, to sell the Wand with - after all still a large group of casual users will only buy something tangible in the store.

  • RedPanda #14 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • GamesConnoisseur #15 2 years ago

    Indeed that PS3 and wand together makes a wet dream of Wii HD comes true, though its all depends on what games would best use the wand and also how PS3 gamers takes to it.

    Being not part of PS3 from the start creates a tiered audience, but so has Buzz, Guitar or other extra accessories and wand could bettered them all in term of numbers of gamers having the extra accessory.

    Look foward to both wand and Natal, and these together may unfortunately possibly further renders my Wii to be more switched off than ever.

  • des #16 2 years ago

    Naughty dog,naughty...no meat for you today*

    *Naughty dog is owned by Sony

  • Widge #17 2 years ago

    Wii FPS controls sound horrible. Point the controller to the right of the screen to turn around, using the very same thing that is your aiming device. Its a best fit solution for something that does not fit.

    There seems to be this feeling that if you can't play current PS3 and 360 titles using the new motion devices then they are just big wadges of fail. Maybe we aren't the market these devices are made for. Maybe it is for people who don't want to have the faff of learning the multi button combination of moves in Fifa10 etc, people who want something like Wii Sports Tennis where the controls are "serve" and "thwap". The PR people are carefully trying their best to portray this "look! harcore titles on motion!" image though, for fear of moany forum outcry.

  • Widge #18 2 years ago

    YAYDESSONYHUMOUR

  • FogHeart #19 2 years ago

    "Wii FPS controls sound horrible."

    Well they may sound horrible but they're not. I've played both, and I know how much better Wii FPS is than trying to maneuvre a tiny reticle dot onto a moving head target with a little stick.

    Experience it...then offer an opinion that matters.

  • moggsy #20 2 years ago

    If this wand thingy is successful I'll eat my PS3.

  • El-Dev #21 2 years ago

    A riot based game would be awesome, a crowbar or 2x4 in one hand swinging wildly at riot police and lobbing molotovs in with other hand. It would be bliss.

  • FenderMaster #22 2 years ago

    lol, closet Wii owners!

    thats a new one, why the shame?

    anyway, glad they aren't going down the tacked on motion controls route, smart guys...

  • electrolite #23 2 years ago

    So, they're planning on a Wii Sports rip-off for the PS3? Could be a big success if done well.

    If anyone at ND is reading though, could you find time for a HD remake of Jak and Daxter followed by a proper sequel (to the original, I mean, not the GTA-aping abominations that followed)?

  • electrolite #24 2 years ago

    "Wii FPS controls sound horrible."

    Eh? Wii FPS controls are great, one of the best things about the Wii's controller(s)

    N.B. The Conduit being hideous is nothing to do with the controls
    Edited by 1 at 06/01/10 @ 19:55

  • peterfll #25 2 years ago

    Is Evan in the closet we ask ourselves?

  • gimo80 #26 2 years ago

    Granted, there have been no decent FPS games for the Wii at present (Metroid Prime doesn't count), but the control scheme is pretty accomplished. I actually felt The Conduit was really intuitive but erm...yeah, just a tad repetitive. No thanks.

  • djed #27 2 years ago

    I'm a closet PS3 owner. Meaning that after the SOB gave me the yellow light of death it's been stuffed in my closet along with my laundry (oh foul smell of yesteryear).