PS3 motion controller delayed till autumn

By Ellie Gibson Published 20 January, 2010

Will work with PlayStation Eye.

Sony has announced a delay to the planned release of the new motion controller for PlayStation 3.

The controller had been due to launch in spring this year. However, in a statement, Sony said it will now be released in the autumn in Japan, North America, Europe and other PAL territories.

There's still no official title for the peripheral, which is referred to as "Motion Controller (tentative name)" in the press release. Reports began circulating yesterday that it will be called Arc.

According to Sony the controller will work with the PlayStation Eye camera. It's said to "detect the natural and intuitive movement of the hand and reflect the precise movement within the game, delivering a whole new entertainment experience on PS3". The plan is for the new peripheral to become the de facto controller for PS3 "along with" the Dual Shock pad.

"We have decided to release the Motion Controller in fall 2010 when we will be able to offer an exciting and varied line-up of software titles that will deliver the new entertainment experience to PS3 users," said Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai.

"We will continue to work to have a comprehensive portfolio of attractive and innovative games for the Motion Controller, not only from SCE Worldwide Studios but also from the third-party developers and publishers, whom we have been working closely with. We look forward to soon unveiling the exciting software line-up that further expand and define the PS3 platform as the ultimate entertainment system for the home."

The PS3 motion controller was first unveiled at Sony's E3 press conference last year. Back in July, R&D exec Paul Holman told Eurogamer the company was on track for a spring release "from a hardware point of view".

Sony will now face competition from Microsoft, which has given a "holiday 2010" date for the release of new motion control technology Project Natal.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (53) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Zander #1 2 years ago

    I am glad they are holding back if it means getting it right from the get go. Originally I thought Natal looked like the better option but now I don't know.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #2 2 years ago

    What about the new version of resi 5? Are they gonna release it without having the wand on sale?

  • Eoin #3 2 years ago

    Just a note on this mysterious "PlayStation Eye 2"...it seems that the press release is very badly formatted.

    It says: "The new controller, combined with the PlayStationŽEye camera(2)" - however, the term "PlayStation Eye" here - almost certainly - refers to the existing PlayStation Eye camera, and the "(2)" is in fact a reference to a numbered footnote in the press release. The footnote simply says "(2) Users will need to use the PlayStation Eye camera to enjoy the Motion Controller on PS3".

    It therefore looks like there is in fact no such thing as the "PlayStation Eye 2".

  • EmiliasHorse #4 2 years ago

    Head to head with Natal will be interesting. If Natal works as well as MS say it can I think Sony will need a better AD campaign than the truelly arse cut out head photos on GT and MAG AD's that EG have been displaying for the past few weeks. They are tacky, nasty and frankly Chavish.

  • Lee_Morris #5 2 years ago

    Natel will probably be the more exciting tech but I bet the 'wand' will have more fully featured games coming out with it.

  • RedPanda #6 2 years ago

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

  • woodnotes #7 2 years ago

    Did anyone really think this was ever even scheduled to come out in Spring?

    This is typical Sony. I remember when the PS3 was coming out in "Spring" too.
    Edited by woodnotes at 20/01/10 @ 07:44

  • HuggyAtHome #8 2 years ago

    So we have to use the the Eye camera, with its low res view, very specific lighting requirements and narrow field of vision to play Arc games? - that's a real let down. I have been grappling with EyePet with the kids over Christmas and New Year, but the camera is so fussy it spoils what could be a lot of fun. Can't see the Arc being move that a variation on a Wii waggle - not all bad but not quite the groundbreaking tech we were promised, and 6 months late too.

    Oh well, back to Darksiders.
    Edited by HuggyAtHome at 20/01/10 @ 07:46

  • rotmm #9 2 years ago

    @Woodnotes,

    I don't think many believed it and saw Kaz's announcement of "March 2010" as a "Natal Spoiler" more than anything else.

  • Nabokov #10 2 years ago

    These camera things are very nice, unless you are using projector, and the room has to be totally dark...

  • Bealsy #11 2 years ago

    Eurogamer 2010 news article mathematics:

    Sony + Something new = Delayed x 2

  • MeBrains #12 2 years ago

    woodnotes: as a customer I prefer a company saying "we are not ready" over one which shoves shabby 'chines up our chutes because of a deadline, if you catch my drift.
    Edited by MeBrains at 20/01/10 @ 08:28

  • Ellie #13 2 years ago

    Apologies - there was indeed some confusion with the press release formatting. There is no PlayStation Eye 2, it's just the PlayStation Eye. Sorry for the error.

  • HandOfBeadle #14 2 years ago

    Huggy, you're rather missing the point about the camera. Firstly it's non-HD resolution means nothing when being used for the motion controller; it's the refresh rate that matters when trying to create responsive yet precise controls (which is 60 Hz but able to go up to 120Hz if you go sub HD, IIRC). It's very unlikely that any of the bigger budget games using the controller will ever fill the screen with a massive image of you, so you will hardly ever need to see the video feed it captures. The main point of the glowing ball on the end of the controller(s) is precisely that lighting conditions won't matter either.

  • woodnotes #15 2 years ago

    "woodnotes: as a customer I prefer a company saying "we are not ready" over one which shoves shabby 'chines up our chutes because of a deadline, if you catch my drift."

    Sounding a little defensive with an agenda.

    Did you read my post? Clearly not. I said I didn't think it was ever really even scheduled for Spring. The deadline didn't really exist in the first place. Just like PS3's "Spring" date in 2006. It was just a Natal spoiler like somebody mentioned above.
    Edited by woodnotes at 20/01/10 @ 08:37

  • Widge #16 2 years ago

    Not the ground breaking tech we were promised?
    Which was what? A 1:1 motion controller. Which it appears to be.

  • TopKatt #17 2 years ago

    Meh. I might get interested in this and Natal when I actually see what games are being released for them.

  • teabagger #18 2 years ago

    Weren't the previous dates banded about only speculation anyway?
    I'm looking forward to both this and Natal, though my feeling at the moment is that the PS3 stuff is more my cup of tea with Natal more suited to Nintendo-style games. I'm not bashing it in that regard, it just doesn't hold as much appeal. That said, when my daughter is a few years older I'm sure that will change!
    Anyway, I'd rather they released with some great software support rather than shooting themselves in the foot trying to beat the other product to market.

  • Widge #19 2 years ago

    EA Sports Tennis (both consoles) looks like a great one. Tennis via motion > Tennis via a controller. Much more enjoyable!

    I think there might be a certain amount of disappointment from some quarters about the games offered, one of the things that is great about the Wii is that it removes the complexity barrier. Look at Wii Tennis, just 2 moves, serve and thwap. Much easier for first timers to pick up than the finger twister that Fifa can be sometimes.

  • Widge #20 2 years ago

    No I'd say both are more suited to Wii style games, although based on that "bow and arrow" tech demo, I'd love to see Oblivion using the motion controllers!

  • MeBrains #21 2 years ago

    woodnotes: Indeed. Defensive with an agenda. Your "typically Sony" sounds offensive with an agenda.

    I do not understand why reacting to market dynamics is "typically Sony"? Nor do I see why delaying an incomplete product would be. Just read my awesome alliteration above again.
    Edited by MeBrains at 20/01/10 @ 08:55

  • Negotiator #22 2 years ago

    Sony fail again, top brass at Sony "let's announce a release date and then change it, right at the last minute. The Sony fanboys will love that, how great are we". The constant lies from Sony since they got into the console market has been staggering, and this is just another one to add to the list.

  • Widge #23 2 years ago

    You are boring and nobody listens to you.

  • Goodfella #24 2 years ago

    Constant lies?

    Lol, if you say so.

  • boyakoosha #25 2 years ago

    who cares

  • MeBrains #26 2 years ago

    headache: imho, I agree. The tech's there, the games aren't.

  • mcmonkeyplc #27 2 years ago

    This had better be good then, cause if Natal works well it make the PS wand look like a glorified wand.

    Let battle commence! Hopefully with decent games now!

  • n00bzceam #28 2 years ago

    Why is this news? Everything for the PS3 is delayed and people seems to like it. And with these wands, who cares anyway?

  • FogHeart #29 2 years ago

    I have to twin-stick first person games on the PS3 for the entire year? Oh FFS....

  • Negotiator #30 2 years ago

    "This had better be good then, cause if Natal works well it make the PS wand look like a glorified wand.

    Let battle commence! Hopefully with decent games now!"

    Mcmonkeyplc could not have said it better myself, nice to see your not one of the many lemmings on here.

  • GreyBeard #31 2 years ago

    I'm still betting that it'll be out ahead of Natal.

    MS I believe have targeted "Holidays" 2010 (meaning November), whereas Sony's "Fall" would be slightly ahead around September time.

    There's no malice in my prediction btw, I'm just following the line that Sony are deliberately positioning Arc as a disruptive product against Natal.

  • Petulant_Radish #32 2 years ago



    Widge: Tennis > Tennis via motion > Tennis via a controller.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #33 2 years ago

    So we have to use the the Eye camera, with its low res view, very specific lighting requirements and narrow field of vision to play Arc games?

    Perhaps that's why they decided to put lights in the arc controllers?

    Dumbass.

  • oreillymj #34 2 years ago

    Spring is in November in Japan, so no change ;-)

    GT5 was due in Spring as well.

    Can anyone think of anything Sony announced that arrived early.

  • Mkwone #35 2 years ago

    Since when has anything in gaming arrived early?

    Dissapointed to see it slip, but it's not rearly that big a suprise. At least this way they can rearly hype it up at E3 and get people pre-ordering them. Too little info around at the moment for them.

  • M_of_the_sys #36 2 years ago

    I don't understand the whole problem with having to buy the eyetoy as well.

    Your options would be:

    Eyetoy + wands = Ł20 - Ł25 plus price of wands
    Natal = Ł40
    Nintendo Wii = Ł150?

  • Stepharneo #37 2 years ago

    All I keep thinking when I read about Natal is that I'm getting serious deja vu from reading about the ps3 eye....and that turned out to be pretty damn similar to the ps2 eyetoy, but with less games.

    The other thing I keep thinking is...if this 1:1 control was mixed with 3d gaming, would that work or would it completely fuck with people heads?

  • bratmandu #38 2 years ago

    Oh the race to get novelty peripherals out in time is on!

    Natal, the PS wand and the Wii all strike me as gateways to casual, novelty, party games. Whilst it's good to innovate, surely with companies all churning out similar tech to the Wii, it's only going to lead to an overload of Wii style games on ps3 and xBox, which I could do without to be honest. This motion tech doesn't really interest me at the minute - we have a long ways to go before it can deliver the kind of immersion that will take gaming to the next level. Am I alone in these thoughts?

  • callum9999 #39 2 years ago

    The article does say they announced the "hardware" would be ready by Spring. Maybe it is but they want to make sure they have decent games available for it.

    If they release it soon and the only games ready are stupid wii-style games, it is going to fail.

  • bratmandu #40 2 years ago

    @callum9999

    What other types of game can there be for such a device? Some kid who likes my jumper is fun for precisely one minute.

  • FogHeart #41 2 years ago

    Uh, Resi 5? And just about any FPS? And an RTS where you can point to units on the screen to select them? And so on?

  • Murton #42 2 years ago

    This delay is a good thing, not only does it move the new peripheral away from a busy period of software releases but it also allows extra time to get some games ready for it. Sony have learned from previous peripherals that if you don't have an adequate selection of software available at launch the early takeup of the peripheral is relatively low, look at both of the Eye cameras for example, very low attach rate at launch but when more games out people started buying them.

    This delay is inevitably going to lead to every commentator on the planet hyping up some kind of head to head with Natal when in truth the two pieces of technology are nothing like each other. Natal is essentially an upgraded version of the PS-Eye camera with some fancy software in the back while the Wand/Arc is a 1:1 motion controller similar to what Nintendo originally promised from the Wii-mote that works in tandem with the PS-Eye to directly translate that movement into a controller input. May as try comparing apples to horses.

    What interests me about this announcement is that the controller is going to become "de facto" along with the standard controller, now does that mean that they plan to release enough games to make it a device that a PS3 user will be using almost as often as the standard Sixaxis/Dualshock or does it mean that we'll be using both controllers at the same time for some games? I guess we'll find out later at either GDC or E3.

  • rotmm #43 2 years ago

    Anthony_Daniels = POSTER LITE with extra fag

  • finexi #44 2 years ago

    Who wasn't expecting this to happen?

  • IneptPercy #45 2 years ago

    "Since when has anything in gaming arrived early?

    some say the Dreamcast was ahead of its time.



    those people are nutters, mind. "

    Its so far ahead you still don't understand!

    Is it time for medication yet?

  • bratmandu #46 2 years ago

    Resi 5? Retrofitting new novelty tech into an existing game - can't see that working too well. How specifically would this work in Resi5? Just for aiming? And I see what you mean about RTS games, but really, if these wands/natal things are just different ways of selecting things on screen then this isn't tech I could get excited about.

  • FogHeart #47 2 years ago

    The original designs which are <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/gallery.php?article_id=276576">here</a href> are probably old but the second pic reflects how two controllers might connect together with a faceplate spanning them, to create a sixaxis equivalent which could be bundled with new PS3s. Pure speculation here, but that's how it would become de facto.

    EDIT: There's a video on this site showing wand/arc/whatever controlled Resi 5. And I'm not just excited about using a wand to aim in PS3 rather than twin sticks, I'm over the moon.
    Edited by FogHeart at 20/01/10 @ 13:19

  • darleysam #48 2 years ago

    The problem, as I'm discovering with the Wii, is that if you want multiple people to play, you obviously need to buy multiple controllers. I'm not expecting these doodads to be cheap (may God have mercy on your wallet if you want a bunch of friends to play on your Wii with nunchucks). On the other side, you've got Natal which is just one thing. You buy it, you stick it in front of your TV, and you can straight away have 4 people playing.
    MS really need to play up that benefit when advertising Natal, basically.

  • Tallon4 #49 2 years ago

    I think the games are delayed, not the ARC

  • frunk #50 2 years ago

    @Widge
    "EA Sports Tennis (both consoles) looks like a great one. Tennis via motion > Tennis via a controller. Much more enjoyable!"

    Not saying that your opinion is wrong - it has merits. Bit I have a differing opinion - the Wand is a closer analogue to real tennis as in tennis you "have a controller in your hand" called a raquet, and the ability to track wrist movements would be the key to a good tennis game.

    @Negotiator
    "The constant lies from Sony since..." rant
    Find and Replace with Microsoft with their change from a hardware to a software solution to Natal and the impact that has.

    All big companies are bastards - Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo - they would dearly like you to love them but they all juts want your money.

    @All
    Delay - good and bad. All delays are bad, but in this game: SUCCESS = SOFTWARE, and whoever can give the best line-up will have a better chance of making their peripheral last longer than a few months.

    I am glad some of the fanboyism of this has died down... Natal was initially overhyped and get the impression that folks have it in context a bit better now. It is going to have more of a battle to do "serious games" than the PS motion controller which is more suited to the harder core from the real demos seen so far. Which is head-on against Nintendo.

    Again - repeat - its all down to the software.

    Still gonna get one... I am a sucker for new tech.

  • bratmandu #51 2 years ago

    Lol@ people giving me negative's for being skeptical of motion control tech.

    I have the opinion that motion control tech isn't advanced enough to be useful for anthing other than novelty games, or adding some unnecessary control gimmick to existing games that never needed it.

    Don't get why people are giving negatives to me for pointing out the obvious pitfall for gaming these motion control technologies may cause the industry to fall into.

  • man.the.king #52 2 years ago

    Not surprising. I was expecting it to be delayed, at least till late this year, and I guess that's what happened. My estimate is we'll see both Sony's motion controller and Microsoft's Natal at around the same approximate time. There's a possibility that Sony's 3DTVs will launch earlier than that.

  • coolbritannia #53 2 years ago

    it's worth the wait for the extra 8 HDMI ports, the 16 wands on one PS3 action, and full GT5 functionality. Seriously, why worry about the delay? The gimmicky controller gen starts when Sony says it does. Just don't tell Nintendo.