Sony announced that it will not launch its motion control until the fall, only a short time before the launch of Microsoft’s Natal.
Kazuo Hirai, President of Sony Computer Entertainment, indicated in a statement that the delay may have to do with the desire to launch with a strong line-up of games to take advantage of the new control scheme. Sony reinforced that the Motion Controller still has no official name, despite truly outrageous rumors of it being called Gem or Arc. Along with the Dual Shock, Sony wants the Motion Controller to be the “de facto” user input device of the PlayStation 3.
“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 Hirai. He went on:
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.
With Natal slated for a holiday 2010 release, Sony seems to be cutting it close by shooting for fall 2010. In any case, this holiday season will be the proving ground for the future of motion controlled videogames, with consumers having the choice of 3 different technologies in Sony’s Motion Control, Microsoft’s Natal and the Wii.
I say the three should duke it out Iron Chef style, with gamers playing each of them for an hour to see which is better. What do you say, Chairman? “Whose control scheme will reign supreme?”
