GDC 2010: PlayStation Move Revealed, Gran Turismo 5 Will Ship This Year

Written by John Scalzo  on March 11, 2010

Special Report: I like how Sony kinda, sorta acknowledged the Wii and then starting talking about how unqiue the Move is.

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Sony used their media event at the Game Developer's Conference last night to officially unveil the PlayStation Motion Controller to the world. But first, Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing at SCE, announced that Gran Turismo 5 will ship in 2010.

With that bit of wishful thinking out of the way, Dille went on to announce the peripheral's final name. The PlayStation Motion Controller was officially revealed as the PlayStation Move in a rather ho-hum manner, as if we already knew all about and it was one more bullet point for Sony's 2010 plans. But Dille spent the rest of the press conference showcasing the Move including possible pricing, a Nunchuk-like attachment and games support.

The PlayStation Move will be available three different packages this Fall. A "Starter Kit" will include the Move, the required PlayStation Eye camera and a game. Dille couldn't say exactly how much the kit would cost, but he did say that the current plan is offer it for under $100. The Move will also be available separately and in the Ultimate PlayStation 3 Move Bundle, which will include a PS3 console, the Move, the PS Eye and a game.



The games Sony showed off (many of which will require two Move controllers) include...

Sports Champions, a multi-game collection that includes Gladiator Duel, a one-on-one arena fighter and Table Tennis, a table tennis sim.

Move Party uses the PlayStation Eye's camera ability to bring facial recognition and the player's surrounding environment into the game. It is your standard mini-game collection including turning the Move controller into a tennis racket to squash giants bugs. The game will also mutate the Move into a paintbrush (for painting shapes), scissors (for cutting hair) and a trampoline (to catch baby chicks).

Existing games like LittleBigPlanet will also make use of the Move. Building on the game's "Create. Play. Share." philosophy, one player controls environmental objects with the Move while another guides Sackboy through the level.

Sony's animal babysitting sim, EyePet, will also use the Move when it launches in the Fall, allowing players to move their pet with the palm of their hand.

Probably the hit of the demonstration was Motion Fighter, a behind-the-back beat 'em up that allows players to strap on two Move controllers and beat the holy hell out of a bunch of street punks. Players can use the PS Eye to lean side-to-side and crouch while using the Move controllers to throw punches, elbows and put opponents into headlocks. Rocky, eat your heart out.

The Move will also get its own Nunchuk accessory (the whole thing is very Wii-like actually) in an additional peripheral known as the PlayStation Move Sub-Controller. This will give the Move the ability to support real games as opposed to just motion-controlled games and casual party games.

The Move and the Move Sub-Controller will come into play with Zipper Interactive's recently announced SOCOM 4. Players will be able to use the Move to aim and shoot while using the Sub-Controller's analog stick to move around the level. Sony later revealed in a press release that the Move Sub-Controller can be replaced by a standard DualShock3 controller as well. That seems like it would be rather awkward to hold, but it's an option. Pricing for the Sub-Controller add-on was not revealed.

Finally, Sony has recruited a wide variety of third-party developers to support the Move. They include Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Capcom, Electronic Arts and nearly three dozen more. Say what you will about the PlayStation Move, it won't be lacking in games support.

The entire press conference was about an hour long and Sony has graciously posted it on the PlayStation.Blog for your viewing pleasure. Or, you can check it out right here: