After watching Nintendo's motion-sensing Wii console race to the top of the sales charts, it appears rivals Sony and Microsoft may finally be ready to unveil their answers at next month's E3 video game show.Reports have surfaced recently that both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 are close to unveiling new control schemes that would allow people to use natural gesture-based interfaces.
The move, if true, would help them broaden their audiences to mainstream and casual players, who have flocked to the Wii and its motion-sensing controllers.
Variety reported late last month that Sony is reportedly preparing a one-handed PS3 controller that uses light-emitting diodes that communicate with a camera near a television to manipulate on-screen movements in a manner more accurate than the Wii.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal quoted sources who said Microsoft is readying a 3-D camera for the Xbox 360 that would detect full-body movements. The camera is said to utilize technology from 3DV Systems, an Israeli company that Microsoft reportedly bought earlier this year.
Both systems will probably be introduced at E3, the video game industry show in Los Angeles next month.
These are not the first such non-Nintendo devices to emerge. Sony already has an EyeToy accessory that picks up 2-D movements. It also built motion sensing into its PlayStation 3 controller. Both, however, have had limited applications in games.
Nintendo, meanwhile, has soared to the top of the video game world with its Wii system, which has sold more than 50 million units since hitting the market in 2006. The Xbox 360 has sold about 28 million units as of January while the PlayStation 3 has moved 23.7 million units.
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all declined to comment for this story. Analysts said the wouldn't be surprised to see Microsoft and Sony try to replicate the success Nintendo has had with the Wii.
"I'm astounded that Sony or Microsoft hasn't done it already. For them to compete with the Wii, they should have brought out a motion sensitive controller a while ago," said Van Baker, an analyst at Gartner, a research firm.
Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities, said he is scheduled to meet with Microsoft executives next week for a briefing on an announcement that he believes will be about a motion-sensing camera.
He said he doesn't expect a peripheral this late in the game to supplant the Wii. But it will help the Xbox 360 shed its image as a machine for hard-core gamers and allow it to attract new and casual players.
"I think Microsoft is envious of the Wii and its casual family appeal, and they are a little frustrated they are branded as a hard-core company," Pachter said. "They want to be like Sony was with the PS2, with casual and hard-core appeal. They've been struggling to do it but I think this would be a positive step in that direction."
The tougher question is what kind of software will there be for any new motion-based controller. For either to work, they'll need enticing games to sell the new control schemes. It would have to be something similar to Wii Sports or Wii Fit, two titles that catalyzed sales of the Wii and the Wii Balance Board accessory, said Pachter.
Nintendo isn't standing still. The company is introducing the Wii Motion Plus, a $20 plug-in accessory that makes the Wii Remote more accurate. Games that utilize the Wii Motion, including Wii Sports Resort, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis, will start appearing next month.
No comments:
Post a Comment