Sony GDC press conference Finished
Sony hosted its GDC press conference in San Francisco this week, and Eurogamer.net was on the scene to report live on the unveiling of PlayStation Move - the PS3 motion controller.
Due out this autumn in at least one bundle that costs less than $100, Move was the sole focus of the conference. Read on for impressions of the game demos as we saw them.
Our live coverage has now ended. Here's what you missed: Updating...
Now this is happening! Hello everyone. Ellie's in the queue for the Sony GDC conference right now, with kick-off just a few minutes away. Or, in classic press conference tradition, probably a few more minutes away than anyone realises.
It's 4pm PST / midnight GMT, so we should be on our way extremely soon. Unless it's 29th February again.
(And now Ellie takes over.) We're in! Today's conference is taking place from a big hangar type building, all lit up in PlayStation blue. The message on the giant screen reads 'IT ONLY DOES EVERYTHING.' Perhaps we're here for the announcement of the new Sony Swiss army knife?
OF COURSE NOT - we're here for Move, the motion controller formerly known as Arc. And Gem. And Kaz Hirai's Magic Electronical Wand of Joy.
It's Shuhei! Looking dapper in a blue jacked. Black trousers though. Shame.
He's so excited to be here with us. "Today is a special day... As we officially unveil the motion controller for PS3 and its games." GAMES!
For the first time today, they will schedule some of the games available "for the fall launch window".
"May I introduce to you... PlayStation Move."
PlayStation Move combines precise motion control with the full PS3 HD gaming experience, apparently.
Shuhei's done, it seems. He's handed over to SCEA's Peter Dille. "I couldn't get in without a badge."
He's talking about how happy he is to have actual gamers in the building as well to see Move for the first time. It's powered by "terrific technology" that allows Sony to "innovate and differentiate".
Before we get onto Move properly though, Dille wants to talk to us about PS3's momentum, starting with Killzone 2. That was good. Then Uncharted 2. That was also good. "A banner year," it says on the screen.
The PS3 Slim, the price cut, the "It only does everything" marketing campaign - Dille's pretty happy with the "total entertainment solution for the home" that PS3 has become.
PS3 was the only console that experienced 50% growth in software sales from 2008 to 2009, says Dille. They're even having clock issues. Sorry, stock issues.
"I'd like to thank the games press for giving this game its due," Dille says about Heavy Rain. You're welcome.
White Knight Chronicles now. COME ON PETER SHOW US YOUR WAND.
MLB 10 The Show is on the screen now. Some sort of rounders game? KEEP YOUR ROUNDERS PETER WHERE IS OUR MAGICAL STICK.
For a lot of people, Heavy Rain, MAG and God of War III would be a great year, says Dille, but for Sony it's just the first three months. ModNation Racers is coming, SOCOM 4 is coming, it's all good. "We're saving a couple of surprises for E3."
But we're really here to talk about Move today, Dille says/notices. The Move system is "revolutionary and a step ahead of anything currently on the marketplace".
"We like to think this is the next-generation of motion gaming."
"Nintendo has done a great job introducing motion gaming to the masses."
He loves teh Nintendo, but lots of people like high def. "We like to think the migration from Wii to PS3 is a pretty natural path," he says. "Total entertainment solution" again.
On the screen there are pictures of a man, woman and ethnic minority using the wand as a glof club, tennis racket and sword and shield.
Now there are images of the PS Eye, PS3 Slim and a posh telly. "Previous motion devices have used the controller simply as a pointer... Ours becomes an extension of your body."
"It allows you to immerse yourself in the action with incredible precision, rahter than simply playing the game."
He's repeatedly referring to examples of the games, which we're going to see. More women on screen now, using the wands like bows and arrows. Not lipsticks and hairdryers, oddly.
"Games that will appear to core gamers" according to Dille. There's a pic of a US soldier holding a virtual machine gun now.
"We're really approaching this like a virtual platform launch," says Dille, with multiple bundles you can buy. More specific pricing information will follow, but the PS Eye/game/Move controller will be under $100.
Dille expects this to be a "seminal" moment for PlayStation and indeed gaming. And you're experiencing it live!
"Our technology will never compromise gameplay," he says, presumably taking a pop at one or other of Microsoft or Nintendo, although we're too jetlagged to really work it out.
There's a lifestyley video playing, based on the "It only does everything" mantra. A man is using two wands to punch in a fighting game with too much fuzzy felt bloom.
Now there's a woman using a bow and arrow in a virtual wood. Two girls using two wands to play table tennis.
A middle-aged bloke using it as a virtual golf club. A teenage boy using two wands as a sword and shield.
A whole family now. A little girl is painting on the TV screen. A montage of the games you'll be able to play - EyePet, archery, LBP, is that Alan in the Dark? Fall 2010 confirmed. PlayStation Move - "It only does everything."
Scott Rohde, VP of Worldwide Studios, is on the stage. "We have been truly inspired by PS Move," he says. "Or else," we assume.
They're really stressing the precision and subtlety angle on this. Jonathan Ross will be pleased. "PS Move is responsive, precise and able to handle both fast and subtle movements. THe latency is as robust as the Dualshock and Sixaxis wireless controller." "We have virtually no limits to the types of genres and gameeplay experience we can create."
The fact it has an analogue trigger and face buttons really helps, he reckons. Now we're seeing Gladiator Duel, a one-on-one arena combat game.
Sorry, that's a game called Sports Champions, and a game within it called Gladiator Duel.
Another bloke is playing with two wands, live on stage. We see him on one half of the screen and the game on the other.
Digital Foundry's going to have a field day with all this. The split window thing indicates that there's very little latency to the naked eye. He's swinging his weapons around and they're flying just as quickly on-screen.
The next title we're seeing is the table tennis bit of Sports Champions. Hang on, a sports mini-game bundle as a wand launch title? How novel.
In Duel, incidentally, his sword, shield and character appeared as transparent images. He was in a battle arena, fighting a woman from third-person perspective, and he showed how you can do an overhead attack, then a special attack by swinging the shield then sword.
But, yes, table tennis. He's doing backhand serves, simple shots. While he talks, gesturing slightly with his bat hand, the table tennis paddle on-screen responds very swiftly and precisely. Presumably he's quite practised at this, but as Rohde says, "the precision is quite evident there".
Now we're going to see a game called Move Party, where video can be used for "augmented reality, face tracking and chat". Ooh, it's a Brit demoing it. Hello there crumpets vicar etc.
A woman is playing it while Liverpool bloke commentates. She uses the Eye to take her picture and says something to it - "Make a funny noise," the game demands.
Looks a bit like EyeToy - the in-game screen shows the real life lady as if in a mirror, but holding a virtual tennis racket. She uses it to swat a load of butterflies.
Now she's holding a virtual paintbrush and drawing a circle on the screen. Again, there's no latency.
Time for the next mini-game - Wacky Barber Shop. The lady is holding a virtual clippers and using it to cut an alien's hair.
Next mini-game - Blown Away. Now she's holding a fan. She must use it to keep floating chicks in the air and guide them into their nests.
Not exactly Killzone, is it? Looks quite fun though.
"The chicks hit the fan." GENIUS.
Now we're moving on to LittleBigPlanet. "You can literally go into the game and manipulate objects." LITERALLY?
Of course not, but you can use the wand to lift and move in-game objects. One bloke is uising a regular controller to control sackboy, while another bloke usies a Move to help him out - moving a platform over some flames, for example.
Now he's rotating an object to bridge a gap and let sackboy cross it. He's catching Sackboy in a hat then throwing him up in the air.
"Users will be able to create the same level of detail." Instead of switches, you can use the motion controller to get through environments.
It looks like the bits you can move with the Move are highlighted in bright pink.
EyePet now.
We're going to see a video of the Move interacting with EyePet. A family boots up EyePet in their lifestyle living room. Business as usual so far.
But now... The girl picks up the wand and uses it as a hairdryer on the EyePet. You can also use it to spray different colours or do haircuts, or draw things for the EyePet to copy.
In other words, the Move takes the place of the magic card thingy EyePet currently comes with. "Coming 2010" it says, as it's not out in the US yet. Presumably they'll patch our one.
Now we're seeing another new game - Motion Fighters (working title). A man called Johnny Mac is demonstrating. He's clearly from Liverpool. [The home of football. - Ed]
He's using two Moves. On-screen we see the back top half of a bloke with loads of tattoos. Johnny's using the wands to make him perform uppercuts on another bloke. Now he gets the bloke in a headlock and starts smashing his head in. "That one's always a winner." You can do both clean and dirty moves, plus holds and finishing moves.
The game is almost black and white - there are just a few touches of red and yellow in the environment. Looks a bit like Sin City.
He elbows the bloke in the face with both arms, and the demo's over.
There are going to be other Move bits, apparently, including the PlayStation Move Sub-controller.
"You can play all the way through SOCOM 4 with PS Move and the sub controller." The SC has another analogue stick, basically.
There's a man playing SOCOM 4 and he's got the Move in one hand and the sub-controller in the other. He's using the SC to move his character and aiming with the Move wand thing.
The pictures sort of speak for themselves. He can move around in traditional third-person shooter style, go to iron sights, and lob grenades.
Apparently the reason it's suitable to play through the whole of SOCOM 4 is that it was really easy for Zipper to integrate the control system. Now Rodhe's going to "kick it back to Pete".
"We promised at the outset you'd see a broad range of games... The PS brand has always been a very big tent." What?
Oh right, a tent that welcomes all ages and genres.
Third party logos on screen now - Acti, Capcom, WB, Namco, Squenix, Crave, Konami, Ubi, SEGA, Tecmo, Disney, EA. [We'll have a full list of 36 supporting companies after the conference. - Ed]
"Virtually all" third parties are in, and are finding the Move very easy to develop for. They're creating dual skus which work with both Sixaxis and Move, and which can fit on the same Blu-ray disc.
Dille's spaffing on about it doing everything again. This summer it will also do 3D gaming, as announced at CES.
"Seeing a video is one thing - seeing a demo is another - but playing the games is really what it's all about."
There are 30 kiosks next door so we can play the games. Only 30?
And it's over. We're racing over to that kiosk right now!
Thanks for joining us everyone. Look out for screenshots galore and more details on Move in the next few minutes.
Comments (77)
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Like a football team...oh wait.
Possibly the fact that the thing would stop working if you put it right up to the screen due to it being out of view of the camera...
No keynotes from console manufacturers this year so that the GDC could go back to being about games development and not willy waving. I think this indepth look into the wand is acceptable under the new rules.
"wud love to see MS and sony expressing their love for each other one day. if they got together and made a baby, it wud be a beast of a baby! when it comes to gaming tht can only be a good thing
and it wud end the fucking fanboy wars FOREVER! "
Nah. People would just find something else to fight over
If anything is a "rip off" it's natal.. But I seem to upset 360 owners when i point that out.
I thought the console makers werent being allowed to do GDC press conferences this year?
And what's up with the name? Still sounds bad. Would sound better if they put all those names together even for a fancy tv show star "Wandarc Move".
In all honesty I can't be impressed from a new wiimote, which has been out there for many years and sold millions and yet it's not my kind of thing... Even the black version was released already in order to say "Hey at least this is black" since i do prefer the color but not that damn "ball" on the top of the main unit.. lol Holding something up and aiming it ( your "ball" ) is too tiring for hardcore gamer that wont sit down to just play half / one hour even if not often it can be WAY too many hours.
The camera might get in the way, you can put the controller right up against it if you want, but it won't actually do anything. it isn't a lightgun, it knows where you are pointing the thing because it's bloody accurate.
Not impressed personally.
The only thing about motion control that really interests me is the possibility of a chance to play light gun games again on an LCD TV, it's a genre I've missed this generation. I'd love all the Virtua Cops, Time Crisis' or House Of The Deads remade in HD.
(If you're a hateful marketing fuck-piglet.*)
*Not actually sure what a fuck-piglet is, but this post was flow of consciousness stuff, and it worked for me at the time...
Nunchuk/Subcontroller
Casual games
Marketing in the Wii/Natal vein
Live demo
Thing seems to work pretty well,thats for sure,although it has some little lag but its still early days of development.
But for me the interesting thing was
1)All third parties on board
2)Shipping games with dual SKUS(DS3/Move ) in one Blu Ray,so everybody can play their way (Move/DS3) so the core/casual division in many games will dissappear.
3)Move response is one frame....similar to DS3.
4)Very easy to develop for ,so a lot of option of many ,many games taking the 2 route.
@Username pending: the lights are to make it easier for the eye to follow, so that you avoid that crap with eyetoy games of old where the room lighting was off and the game couldn't see you. And as for too much plastic, as a full guitar hero band set owner I would say you can never have too many cheap plastic peripherals.
More importantly, most people probably only have 2 pads for the ps3, if you have these as well, then when people come back from the pub you might actually have enough controllers for a decent game of Pes. Especially if they implement/steal the wii controls for pes, they are definitely "fun" when drunk.
Also, 2 Moves, plus the Move sub-controller, plus the camera seems like too much plastic.
not to mention ppl who only own the HD consoles like me can enjoy a bit of dildo waggle on the cheap
Host of the house.... "No no no.. you need to move the Move gently, dont flapping the Move about..."
"Wot? I wasnt dancing I was trying to play the game"
"Yes I know I was just telling you.. oh well just use the wand thingy more gently"
"Oh that!! Yes I got it!"
It definitely seems to be more precise and quicker, and obviously graphics are win vs Wii, but ... well... Can't feel excited with what was shown today.
Lets face it, doesn't look like we are going to get any games as such, this is a party game tour de force.
I still think overall, that motion controls while cool are very limiting, but Socom etc may change that. I hope so.
i doubt the names are confirmed yet, i mean cmon, it took sony a year to name the playstation dildo properly!
WHAT A FUCKING NAME THAT IS
Nah
I guess I'll wait until the morning in the hopes that someone does a proper writeup on what was discussed/shown rather than needlessly trying to entertain.
Now that *is* useful... may actually get off my arse and finish one of the half dozen levelled I started designing but gave up on because the whole thing was too finicky. But they could have supported mouse input
If they want to focus on casual games, that's fine, but let's not pretend it caters to 'core' gamers as well. This is really what I'm hoping Microsoft avoids with Natal.. focus on the strengths of the system, and the new things it can offer. Don't slap on gimmicky controls to existing games.
No harm in that - have had the Wii since launch and Wii Sports is STILL the most played game with mates back from the pub... simple, elegant and FUN!
And Natal will probably do the same, its a winning formula... don't change what is not broken - just improve it.
WHAT? Could'nt they just refer to the "ethnic minority" as a man, woman or child, thats just disgraceful.
and it wud end the fucking fanboy wars FOREVER!
maybe
Because they were the only console where software sales were appallingly piss-poor before, perhaps?
lol we already knew what it was, jus wanted to know the name really
That was my wish to EG for 2010: Ellie as the coverage of the Press conferences!
Will slap myself now to stay awake
edit anyone else have to keep refreshing for updates?
The news is still going to be there tomorrow morning for pity's sake.
I don't know about the games announcements. Isn't this supposed to be a gathering of developers rather than for press announcements?
I could be wrong. Just guessing...
PS Arc will be ?30-40
PSN paid service announcement and price
Montage video of games in the pipe shown, including PSN and PSP games.
Free headsets with all PS3s sold to become standard.
I mean why blow your load now when you know you have to perform on the next date (i.e. E3)
I wouldn't expect too much from GDC, people usually get too hyped up for this event which is primarily focused on the games developers. But still hoping to see some inFamous 2. No doubt they'll be demonstrating the motion controller quite a bit too.
@taurus82
Considering G4 just put up the trailer, and had to take it down because they put it up too soon.. I'd say yes
More FF14 info
Last Guardian info, maybe a gameplay trailer
DC Universe release info
Agency mmo info
Killzone 3 announced
Resistance 3 announced
More info on R* exclusive The Agent
Release info for Motion Controller. Maybe some games announced
Gran Tourismo 5 release date announced
Likelihood of any of this? Slim, very slim.
I believe this event is not part of GDC, just happening at the same time, in an extremely nearby location.
when the mighty Kaz Hirai opens his mouth, sarcasm is desperately needed. i love my ps3, but i'll just read the important bits in the news tomorrow instead of actually listening to the PR babble.
possible metal gear game
Possible LBP (quite possible)
Gran turismo 5 ( dated)
Would really like to see some news on WOW cataclysm at GDC in general but I doubt that.
As for the rest im sure well see resistance 2 and obviously duke nuke em 3D. lol.
I won't be staying up until midnight though. It'll just have to wait till i wake up.
Maybe next year then :/
inFamous 2 anouncement.
Resistance 3 anouncement.
Motion Controller name, release period (not specific date) & some games for it (1st & 3rd party).
ModNation Racers release date.
oh and for an outside bet:
Lair 2 for the motion controller.