Hasta La Gadget!

To hear Microsoft and Sony tell it, you’d think that there’s no question that Kinect and Playstation Move will each become as integral to their respective consoles as a regular controller is. But not every game publisher is hopping on board just yet, and Activision is now publicly voicing some skepticism about the motion controllers. Speaking to Gamasutra last week, Activision COO Thomas Tippl said that he is “absolutely” concerned about what he considers high price points for the devices, and as a result he says that Activision will “have to see how much of an install base they’re going to develop.” Tippl further goes on to say that Activision has “few franchises where we think this could be an interesting value to improve the experience for the player,” and that he doesn’t see it as “something that will be in every game, because I don’t think it’s one size fits all. It’s not going to enhance the experience for every game.” He does ultimately leave it in the hands of consumers, however, so if Kinect sells, we could well finally get a proper Air Guitar Hero game.

Activision taking a wait-and-see approach to Kinect / Move, ‘concerned’ about high prices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s PlayStation Move was hardly the surprise of the show, after all we’ve been seeing it waved around in various forms for years. Likewise the price ($99 for a bundle with an Eye Toy camera and a game) wasn’t exactly a shocker. Still, the release date of September 19th is earlier than anticipated, and the wealth of titles supporting the gadgets was a little unexpected too. We had a chance to sit down (and stand up) with a few of the best, and we’re generally pleased. Move on after the break for our full impressions.

Continue reading Sony PlayStation Move hands on at E3: these lollypops don’t lie

Sony PlayStation Move hands on at E3: these lollypops don’t lie originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re sure every other retailer in the world will have PlayStation Move orders up in the next week or so, but Best Buy and GameStop are leading the charge: the $99 Move bundle that include the PS Eye, a Move controller and Sports Champions is now available for pre-order, with an estimated delivery date between November 1st and the 6th — just a little bit after the announced September 19th launch date. We’re sure that’ll be revised as things get firmed up, though. So, what’s it going to be? Considering we’re still guessing at Microsoft’s final Kinect pricing, we’d say the decision’s a tough one, but honestly, you know we’re totally buying all of this stuff and having an all-night dance off.

[Thanks, William]

PlayStation Move bundle up for pre-order at Best Buy and GameStop originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During its E3 2010 press conference on Tuesday, Sony divulged one eagerly-awaited bit of information: the price and shipping date of its Move controller.

There will actually be two Move controllers: a motion controller, and a smaller, one-handed navigation controller that will be available on the same day.

Sony said that the Move’s motion controller will be released in the U.S. for $49.99 on Sept. 19, actually ahead of the release in Japan on Oct. 21 but behind the European launch on Sept. 15. Within the U.S., Sony will sell the navigation controller for $29.99.

(How this all works together is best explained with our hands-on with
the Move technology from earlier this year, which goes into how the
Move interacts with the PlayStation Eye camera and the other
components.)

The Move technology will be supported by at least twenty titles, including “Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition” by Capcom, “Time Crises: Razing
Storm” by Bandai Namco, “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11” by Electronic
Arts, “Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest” by WB Games, and “EyePet,”
“Sports Champions,”  and “Kung Fu Rider” by Sony itself.

Don’t think that those are the only two Move peripherals, however. In addition, there’s a “PlayStation Move shooting attachment” for $19.99, that will place the Move in a horizontal configuration that will allow player to hold it as if he or she were holding a gun. The attachment is designed to work with games like “The Shoot! 3” by SCE and “Time Crises: Razing
Storm,” Sony said.

And then there’s the charging attachment, which can charge two Move peripherals at a time. Sony will charge $29.99 for the charger.

Naturally, Sony is offering official bundles, besides what may end up being put together by retailers. The first combines a PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Eye camera, Sports
Champions Blu-ray disc game and PlayStation Move demo disc for
$99.99. Another “Sports Champion” bundle combines a PS3 system, PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Eye
Camera, Sports Champions Blu-ray game and PlayStation Move game demo
disc for $399.99.

PlayStation Plus announced at E3: $50 / year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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