It only took Sony four years, but they’ve finally created their version of the Wii killer: a glowing magic wand lollipop known to the world as the PlayStation Move. Requiring Sony's PlayStation Eye camera to deliver the experience dubbed by some as the most advanced motion controlled gaming to date via Bluetooth technology, it is slated to take interactivity to new heights for casual and hardcore gamers alike In conjunction with its release on September 19th, Sony plans to release two Move bundles, which were announced and priced on Wednesday: the PlayStation 3 Sports Champion Move Bundle and the Playstation Move Bundle.
The PlayStation 3 Sports Champion Move Bundle comes packaged with a Playstation 3 console (hard drive size forthcoming), the Sony Eye, the PlayStation Move, DualShock controller, a PlayStation Move demo disc, andSports Champions, one of the premier launch titles for the hyped peripheral. The Sports Champions disc—aka Wii Sports’ bigger brother—contains the following games: Disc Golf, Gladiator Duel, Volleyball, Archery, Table Tennis and Bocce.
The aptly titled Playstation Move Bundle is perfect for current PS3 console owners, and for $99.99, contains the basics to get you Move-ing (ba zing!): the Move, the Eye, and the Sports Champions game. If you currently own a PS3 and the Sony Eye, players can simply purchase the Move controller itself for $49.99. Regardless of the peripheral porridge that is just right for you, it’s interesting to note that the PlayStation Move Navigational Controller—the Wii equivalent of the Nunchuk portion of its dynamic motion controller duo—will be required for some games and is not included in any of the listed launch bundles or the Move. At $29.99, save a place for it in your shopping cart and wave goodbye to another hot meal.
Now if you would enjoy an even lighter wallet and an even steadier diet of Ramen, Sony has just the things for you: the Playstation Move Shooting Attachment and the PlayStation Move Charging Station.
As the product’s title suggests, the PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment places the controller horizontally in an enclosure, turning it into the perfect weapon for use withBig 3 Gun Shooting (not included), a compilation consisting of the arcade ports of Razing Storm (renamed Time Crisis: Razing Storm), Deadstorm Pirates, and Time Crisis 4. At $19.99, it will also come in handy when a hollow game featuring gimmicky carnival shoot-em-up scenarios is undoubtedly released.
The PlayStation Move Charging Station, $29.99, offers dual-docks to charge two Move controllers, or the Move and Navigational controller, simultaneously via an AC adapter, leaving your PS3’s front USB outlets clean-cut and presentable for the ladies. However, unless you live in a house with multiple Moves, this peripheral is auxiliary at best considering the ports it frees up can be used to charge the controllers, negating its purpose for deserving your money.
None of these prices include admission either to the “Made in China” over-priced cheap plastic party with special guests Nyko and Mad Catz, who will inevitably be confusing parents come the holiday season when little Timmy wants the officially licensed product and gets it's cheap, ugly duckling counter-part. Remember: don't be fooled by shoddy imitations come September.
The Move is being priced aggressively to combat sales of Xbox’s Kinect through the end of the fiscal 2010 calender year, the brightest time for video game sales. The Kinect, a controller-free interactive gaming experience which provides full-body motion capture and both vocal and facial recognition, will be released on November 4th. While Microsoft was hush-hush regarding the MSRP recently at E3, stores have begun setting placeholder prices at $149.99, but nothing has been finalized. This alleged price is comparatively far less for your buck and doesn't include any software titles with it, making Sony's Move an easy choice in the short-term for owners of both consoles.
If you’re a jealous Xbox owner wanting a slice of the interactive pie, mom and pop killers Wal-Mart, known for their industry-leading console bundles, have assembled for a limited time their own Kinect pre-order package. For $199.99, buyer’s will receive the motion-sensing camera, a $30 Wal-Mart eGift card, and their choice from the following Kinect launch titles: Kinect Sports, Kinect Dance Central, Kinect Joy Ride, Kinect Adventures, or Kinectimals. Official Kinect bundles have yet to be announced.
And in the end, if you don’t want to spend any money at all, you can also just go outside and do most of these activities with your friends for free. But where's the fun in that?
