I always like to go first on these sorts of things since I like to get my initial response out without having to deal with reading what someone else has to say first. So here goes: I have been incredibly down on the Sony Wand (or Gem or Move or Arc or Whatever) from day one. I really had no interest in it, as it seemed like it wasn't really going to offer anything special, and since it was coming so late into this generation I figured there wouldn't be much in the way of compelling software on it either. This feeling of general disinterest floating underneath a thin haze of scorn extended into my time watching you play through the stuff Sony was showing off on the show floor. Washing your creepy little EyePet monkey demon with your hands mirrored on the screen didn't seem all that interesting, immersive, or well... anything at all. Similarly, the minigame compilation whose name escapes me didn't seem to offer much more over EyeToy games of last generation.

 

Lucky for Sony, it gave off a really killer presentation about the controller that was geared less towards press and more towards developers. Seeing the engaging presenter (who obviously knew his way around the controller) wield the Wand was entirely different from watching people flail around helplessly on the show floor. I came away pretty impressed. Despite the fact that I have yet to see a really compelling piece of software designed for Move, I'm still excited for its potential to exceed the Wiimote's capabilities in many ways. The only real thing I'm bummed about is that Sony didn't figure out a way to include an analog stick on the Wand itself so that we could actually dual-wield two of them in any way that actually worked.

 

Andre:

 

I have to agree with Micah's initial assessment. The PlayStation Move, or as it was then known, "motion controller," came across as nothing more than a "me too" product when it was announced at last year's E3. And--let's be clear--that's largely still the case. However, after seeing the panel at GDC and going hands-on with it, I can't wait to bring her home to meet my family. 

 

Why the turn-around? Basically, the PlayStation Move is everything I had envisioned the Wii to be when it was originally announced. Even though Wii MotionPlus did much to correct this, even it wasn't able to deliver the true 1:1 that Nintendo had promised. Now Sony has, and it works great.

 

Granted, there wasn't much in the way of games on the show floor, but the few that were, in addition to a few tech demos, did a fantastic job of showcasing the technology on a fundamental level. There was something oddly magical about seeing myself on-screen, though instead of holding a mere controller, I was wielding something such as a sledgehammer or giant sword. Every action I performed was represented on-screen immediately, with no discernible delay at all. Hell, you could even replace the controller with a virtual representation that was almost identical in every way; truly showcasing how seamless virtual objects can be integrated with live video. The system didn't even skip a beat when Micah tossed the virtual controller into a spin in the air, before catching it seconds later. It's an impressive trick.

 

 

Tech demos aside, I also had the chance to try out a table tennis game on display. I was just about to compare it to the same sport in Nintendo's own Wii Sports Resort, before realizing that Sony's offering is nearly a perfect stand-in for the sport itself. Practically everything you do is represented perfectly on-screen, with the game even going so far as to inform you to turn to the side more during a serve. Whereas Wii Sports' version depended entirely on timing to determine the strength of each rally, Sony's version actually takes into account the speed of your shot. It felt like every movement mattered--a sensation that few Wii games have captured.

Micah:

 

After your fairly glowing impressions, I had to actually try out the Wand for myself. I must say that I'm pretty impressed with the thing. It feels ridiculously responsive and far more 1:1 than the Wiimote could ever hope to be (even with Motion Plus attached). The assorted sports game is still pretty lackluster, as it uses predictive animations in some of the games to help correct for user error. This was emphasized most clearly with the Gladiator game, which actually worked surprisingly well, despite not actually following your motions perfectly. The tech demos that were set up (though not actual games) honestly showed off the potential that the PlayStation Move has better than anything else. When I tossed the controller in the air, I genuinely did not expect the on-screen virtual controller to keep up with the Wand as it spun around. Much to my chagrin, every contortion of the Wand in real life was mimicked perfectly on screen.

I've heard some mention of the technology powering the Move being technically inferior to that inside the Wiimote. In theory, I suppose this might be true, as the Wand apparently uses integrated circuits, instead of the more advanced MEMS Technology found in the Wiimote. This is all well and good as purely conjecture, although it appears simply through playing with this device that none of that matters. The Wand coupled with the EyeToy make for a motion-sensing combo that seems to run circles around the Wii's. I am a huge fan of motion control in games, and it seems that with the PlayStation Move, Sony has drastically improved on the foundation laid by Nintendo. I've contacted the awesome Sony rep that demoed the Move for us regarding the possible technical limitations of the controller. He was very frank with me on the show floor, so let's see if he can't shed some light on why these limitations don't actually seem to limit the controller even a little bit in practice.

Andre:

 

Indeed, there really is no question that it out-performs the Wii Remote in terms of pure motion-sensing capability, plus it's quite comfortable to hold and I love the analog "T-button." With that said, it doesn't quite out-perform the Wii Remote in every area. For one, the sub-controller doesn't have any motion-sensing capabilities at all, making it an impotent version of Nintendo's Nunchuk. I'm also slightly disappointed that Sony's controller didn't incorporate a built-in speaker as well. Sure, the Wii's speaker isn't exactly the highest quality (or even just "quality"), but when it's used well, it's used damn well, providing at least some level of immersion that Sony's controller won't be able to replicate.

Despite the minor issues, I'm stoked to get my hands on some more complete games that Sony will undoubtedly be showing off in the coming months.