First and foremost, have any of you designed a peripheral? One that works with motion capture? Didn't think so. Let's take a list at the things required to make motion capture work:
An input device (Kinect camera, eyetoy, motion sensor bar)
An output device (you, Move sensor ball, infrared Wiimote output)
We're going to separate the Kinect from the Move and Wiimote for this discussion because it is a different brand of motion capture technology (read: flawed).
The Wii works through internal sensors and an IR I/O tech that's been used for DECADES, in every rail shooter you've seen in an arcade. In order for the IR input to work, you need to be pointing directly at the field of view of the sensor bar, otherwise the Wiimote uses the internal sensors for tasks like stirring, running in place, etc, as the IR doesn't work.
The Move uses a high-speed camera tracking system to recognize the lit ball at the end of the peripheral, and also comes with internal motion sensors. This allows full range of motion as you can point offscreen, and the camera will still be able to continue tracking the nuances of motion. If the ball leaves the field of view (which will be much less often than the Wiimote leaving the Sensor Bar's field of view), it still has the motion sensors to follow along in the same way the Wiimote technology does.
The Wii was revolutionary because it took the whole IR technology, and simplified it into a universal controller. You didn't need to have a Guncon to play Time Crisis anymore, etc. Sony is taking the technology a little bit further and trying to move past IR, and I agree with that, as it is a fairly outdated technology.
My last point is from the side of design. Imagine a controller that you can hold in one hand, with a motion sensor ball, that still has buttons that can be used by that same hand. Nintendo came up with a design that worked BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY LOGICAL STYLE OF DESIGN THAT WOULD WORK WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGY. Much along the same lines, Sony is bringing in a peripheral that follows the same style of design BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY LOGICAL STYLE OF DESIGN THAT WOULD WORK WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGY.
Were you people expecting a pineapple with a motion sensor? Were you expecting a shovel with a motion sensor? The reason that the Playstation Move looks so much like the Wiimote from a tactile point of view is that is designed to be grabbed by one hand, have buttons that can be used with a thumb, and have a visible motion sensor. Any other design (and believe me, Sony hired teams of designers to come up with ideas that didn't look so much like a Wiimote) would not have worked as effectively, or would have looked ridiculous.
Stop looking at the tech like fanboys and arguing about it, and be happy that the companies are at least making efforts in advancing immersion technology.
An input device (Kinect camera, eyetoy, motion sensor bar)
An output device (you, Move sensor ball, infrared Wiimote output)
We're going to separate the Kinect from the Move and Wiimote for this discussion because it is a different brand of motion capture technology (read: flawed).
The Wii works through internal sensors and an IR I/O tech that's been used for DECADES, in every rail shooter you've seen in an arcade. In order for the IR input to work, you need to be pointing directly at the field of view of the sensor bar, otherwise the Wiimote uses the internal sensors for tasks like stirring, running in place, etc, as the IR doesn't work.
The Move uses a high-speed camera tracking system to recognize the lit ball at the end of the peripheral, and also comes with internal motion sensors. This allows full range of motion as you can point offscreen, and the camera will still be able to continue tracking the nuances of motion. If the ball leaves the field of view (which will be much less often than the Wiimote leaving the Sensor Bar's field of view), it still has the motion sensors to follow along in the same way the Wiimote technology does.
The Wii was revolutionary because it took the whole IR technology, and simplified it into a universal controller. You didn't need to have a Guncon to play Time Crisis anymore, etc. Sony is taking the technology a little bit further and trying to move past IR, and I agree with that, as it is a fairly outdated technology.
My last point is from the side of design. Imagine a controller that you can hold in one hand, with a motion sensor ball, that still has buttons that can be used by that same hand. Nintendo came up with a design that worked BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY LOGICAL STYLE OF DESIGN THAT WOULD WORK WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGY. Much along the same lines, Sony is bringing in a peripheral that follows the same style of design BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY LOGICAL STYLE OF DESIGN THAT WOULD WORK WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGY.
Were you people expecting a pineapple with a motion sensor? Were you expecting a shovel with a motion sensor? The reason that the Playstation Move looks so much like the Wiimote from a tactile point of view is that is designed to be grabbed by one hand, have buttons that can be used with a thumb, and have a visible motion sensor. Any other design (and believe me, Sony hired teams of designers to come up with ideas that didn't look so much like a Wiimote) would not have worked as effectively, or would have looked ridiculous.
Stop looking at the tech like fanboys and arguing about it, and be happy that the companies are at least making efforts in advancing immersion technology.
