The second sony motion is not configured. Life is in motion! PlayStation Move controller review. ⇡ What it looks like

Hello everyone, now it’s time to write a FAQ on buying such a wonderful thing as the Playstation Move. Traditionally, the FAQ is built on the question-answer principle.

What is PS Move and why is it needed?

PS Move is a motion controller that is, quite obviously, designed for gaming.

How does PS Move work?

I can’t say exactly what principles it works on, I’m not the creator. But PS Move works due to the fact that the PS Eye camera reads the movements of the controller, which is in the player’s hands using a glowing ball at the end. By the way, the PS Eye camera can also read the movements of the player himself, of course, if the developers have added such a feature.

In what configuration can I buy PS Move?

Officially sold in Russia:
1) Bundle PS3 + Move Starter Pack
2) Move Starter Pack
3) Move stand alone
The Starter Pack includes:
1) PS Eye motion capture camera
2) PS Move controller
3) Controller strap
4) Disc with demo versions of games with Move support
5) Instructions for use

Do I need to buy additional peripheral devices, batteries, accumulators?

The only thing that requires PS move is the presence of a PS Eye camera. All other additional devices do not require mandatory purchase. By the way, PS Move, like DualShock 3 (PS3 gamepad), has built-in batteries that can be charged from the console using a regular Mini USB.

What additional devices can be equipped with PS Move?

There are a number of devices available for PS Move that make it easier to use, but they are not required to be purchased.
1) Navigation Controller - a special controller that has a stick, cross, L1, L2, cross and circle. This controller replaces the gamepad in games like MAG, but it’s still not very convenient to hold the gamepad and Move at the same time. It also has built-in batteries with the ability to charge
2) Charge kit - a special stand for simultaneous charging of 2 Move or Move + Navigation Controller
3) Gun Attachment - a special handle in the shape of a pistol, it is designed to improve comfort while playing MAG, The Shoot, Killzone 3, etc.

What games support and will support PS Move? Will there be major titles for the Core audience among them?

The list of games is very wide, I won’t describe casual games, you can read about them on the Playstation website. I will focus on games for the Core audience. Yes Move will support major titles such as: MAG, Killzone 3, Tron Evolution, LittleBig Planet 2, GranTurismo 5, InFamous 2, Heavy Rain, Resident Evil 5. You can try MAG from the list full version, a demo of Heavy Rain has been posted on PSN, which will appear with Move support in November, like Resident Evil 5.

Is it difficult to connect PS Move to a PS3 system?

No, it's not difficult at all. To do this you need:
1) Connect the PS Eye camera via USB
2) Switch it to the blue indicator
3) Connect PS Move via mini USB to the console so that it picks up the controller
4) Turn on the PS Move controller, then, if desired, disconnect it from USB

I have seen that some games are played with two PS Moves, should I buy a second one for comfortable gaming?

No, not necessarily. You can only play with two PS Moves in Sports Champions, but this is not necessary. comfortable game provided by one controller. The second one is needed only to increase the familiarity with the game. You can burrow comfortably with 1 PS Move

What is calibration and why does it happen every time you start the game? Can I do it again?

Calibration is a process that will help determine as accurately as possible the ease of use of the PS Move controller. All players are different in height and build. Calibration helps make it convenient for all players to use without exception. Of course, calibration can be done at any time during the game.

Does the controller ball only glow one color? Can I choose colors?

The PS Move controller can glow in multiple colors depending on what color the developers chose, unfortunately I haven't seen any games where you can customize the color of the controller.

Be patient and have some breadcrumbs. The lecture will be long

Nintendo may be loved for Mario or cursed for its servile obsequiousness to bored housewives, but its influence on the industry cannot be underestimated. It was Nintendo that put innovative controls rather than graphics technology first in this console generation. It was she who introduced the fashion for intuitive controllers, whose operating principle is clear even to the Martians who first picked up the notorious “Wimote” and “Nunchuck” for the Wii console. It was she who ensured the birth of a new genre of games - authentic sports - and returned shooting ranges with light guns to the big screens. And this is what other members of the Big Three are now trying to imitate: Sony and Microsoft.

In one hand there is a shield, in the other there is a sword (although the characters have different weapons, in fact it behaves the same). Full control. We block blows, try to break through the enemy’s defenses with deceptive movements, meet his swing at our blade, parry and make a sharp lunge forward. The shield is also used - to push away, stun the enemy, and then cut his legs, throw him to the ground and pin him by jumping from above.

Maneuvering, jumping back, sharp moves to the side are performed with buttons, only they are responsible for the character’s movement. Jump - sharply pull Move up. Roll to the side - shake the controller from side to side. The character on the screen accurately and without delay repeats the slightest movements with a bladed weapon. Therefore, “Gladiatorial fights” are the most physically exhausting type of competition. Your hands are guaranteed to ache, and your T-shirt will have to be wrung out from the sweat. Especially when it comes to meeting the boss.

Beach Volleyball is just as fun and relaxing as its real-life counterpart. Net, two players on each side. If there is no real partner, a smart AI will take on his role. We hit, pass, cut from above in a jump with powerful blows, put up blocks and rush with our bellies at hot sand to catch the falling ball. The last action is performed by a sharp thrust of the controller in the appropriate direction. The rest are as they should be. By the way, thanks to this sport we became convinced that a chandelier and volleyball in the living room are incompatible things. Scraping your hand by accident, and there is no lighting fixture. Therefore, we recommend that you take care of this problem in advance and turn the TV with the camera to the side if there is something hanging above your head.

Bocce is something of a strange hybrid between bowling, curling and billiards. One player throws a small ball (pallino) somewhere in the area of ​​the rectangular field. And then both begin to throw large stone balls (bocce) in that direction. The goal is to get as many of your balls as possible close to the pallino.

It requires a lot of precision, focus and a bit of tactical planning. Once you get the hang of it, you learn to push your competitor’s balls out of the zone, block his passage with your bocce balls, so that he himself moves you to victory. Very interesting game, completely unpopular in our latitudes.

And the idol of millions is table tennis. A public demonstration of Move's phenomenal accuracy and responsiveness. The racket flutters over the table, repeating the slightest movements. We cut “candles”, send “twists”, exchange a quick series of blows in anticipation of the opponent’s fatal mistake. By turning the wrist, we adjust the inclination of the racket, by moving forward we catch the low serve right at the net, and we deviate to catch the rebound from the very edge of the table.

It's unusual at first. At first, even the first serve is difficult. However, then you get used to the eccentric physics of the game and begin to truly enjoy the process. If you don’t have the opportunity to play real tennis at hand, but really want to, then you won’t find a better alternative.

All in all, a wonderful selection of games that use the Move capabilities in different ways. An excellent demonstration of the controller's advantages over similar competitor technologies. The first step is to ensure that the phrase “sports game” is not associated with a casual game with lazy Mii's, but is perceived as a sport - a test of accuracy, dexterity, tactics and endurance (in some sports you have to really save energy within the round, exhausting), where only skill wins. Well, and a wonderful reason to warm up, shake yourself up, skip going to the gym in bad weather and burn extra calories in a gladiator match.

Difficulty levels increase, victory becomes more and more difficult. The original nuts turn into granite pebbles and are no longer so easy to crack. Costumes for heroes are unlocked, new sports equipment and specific bosses of fantastic appearance appear. All this will last a long time. By the way, despite the fact that in half of the sports it is recommended to use two controllers, you can easily get by with one. For example, in Gladiator Fights, Move is a sword. But if you pull the trigger, control of the shield is intercepted.

• Necessary: one Move (for some sports two are recommended)
• Using the controller: allows you to get a new gaming experience that is not available on any other modern gaming console
• Flaws: calibration is carried out not only before starting the game, but also before starting each a separate type sports

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11

The next part of the famous golf simulator from EA Sports, this time has full support for Move. The controls are as intuitive as possible. You literally take the “stick”, make a wide swing... Hit! Past. Or the land was plowed.

Oh, the initial training will eat up a lot of nerves. If it seems to you that it’s enough, like in “golf” on the Wii, to simply swing the controller back and forth, then you’re unlikely to make even one successful shot. We tried to play with one hand, but it didn't work. Things started to work out only when they got down to business as expected: they stood sideways to the screen, slightly bent their knees, pulled the stick behind their shoulders and with a sharp blow sent their first ball flying.

Despite the fact that in this game the delay in the movements of the virtual Tiger to our actions is clearly visible, their accuracy is calculated thoroughly. With certain conditions, of course. Throwing a stick at spectators or hitting yourself in the forehead with it will not work. In a game with pre-written animations of movements, such freedom is unacceptable.

Note that it’s better to control with a gamepad. There, only the ability to calculate trajectories and press buttons is taken into account. With Move, the player's skill comes first.

For example, we had never played real golf, so for the first round we was pointlessly chasing the ball around the field from one end to the other. We repeated the training several times, and eventually managed to get the ball into the hole on the third hit. Yes, it’s more difficult than on a gamepad, but it’s also disproportionately more fun.

• Necessary: one Move
• Using the controller: allows you to get a new gaming experience; adds authentic controls
• Flaws: visible delay in the reaction of the virtual character to the player’s actions

Diagnosis

Sony's experiment with the launch of a new controller was a success. This is an ultra-precise tool for influencing three-dimensional virtual worlds, which can turn into anything, be it a pickaxe for mining, a pistol for shooting off mindless heads, or a pin for pricking moths fluttering in the air.

Featured on this moment a collection of games allows you to appreciate Move in different guises. Projects from Sony are mostly experimental and demonstration. They show how versatile the controller is, what different functions it can perform, and how much more advanced it is than the Wimot and the Nunchuck.

Projects from third parties, from independent publishers, are not yet shining. Formal binding of the new controller to existing genres with obvious errors in control. It's strange, of course, to see how differently Move behaves in games. Somewhere everything is perfect, just as they showed in the videos. And somewhere you can see the obvious inertia of the cursor and insufficient sensitivity. However, Rome was not built right away; they still have to learn how to calibrate.

If the Move controller itself does not raise any questions, we got exactly what we were promised, then the future of games using it is still uncertain. It all depends on what strategy Sony chooses to promote its innovative device.

The problem with Move is that it came out too late, four years after the Wii. The market has already suffered from sensory fever, independent publishers have made big mistakes and chosen a win-win tactic: rivet cheap, casual crap. Only a crazy person today would think of making a high-budget, exclusive project for PS3 using the full functionality of Move. It's welcome to add controller support to the released games. Release small games for PSN - possible. But this is a road to nowhere. Just " alternative way control." The notorious hammering of nails with a microscope.

Sony itself is also still cautiously testing the market. Shooting ranges are coming out soon, and a number of shooters will receive Move support. Sports equipment and casual collections are already on the shelves. PSN sells small games that introduce us to new types game mechanic. A number of budget projects based on innovative management have been announced. But so far there is not even a ghostly hint of a “big” game to justify the purchase of an expensive device.

And it is precisely expensive. Don't be fooled by the moderate cost of the Starter Pack. One Move and the Eye camera will allow you to play all currently released games with controller support. However, you quickly come to the need to buy Navigation so as not to torture your fingers in shooters while holding the DualShock 3 in them And the desire to have fun with friends and some sports will force you to run for a second Move. Add to this the cost of at least a couple of games (the kind SCEE included only demo versions of projects in the European Starter Pack), and you get an impressive amount, commensurate with the cost of the PS3 itself. Fortunately, all this stuff can be purchased not at once, but in parts.

Sony is afraid to take risks and follows exactly the path of Nintendo, offering games with titles similar to bestsellers for the Wii. It would be a shame if such a technologically advanced controller had a simple fate." laser pointer"or a "magic wand" for parties. While Move's popularity is gaining momentum, its potential could easily be crushed by the heel of public preferences.

So we are waiting for next year and the dots on the future of Move at E3 2011. In the meantime, we are enjoying the new gaming experience, sweating in sports competitions, having fun in shooters, building towers from cubes and hoping that the developers will find something to surprise us with.

Sony's PlayStation Move peripheral was a real breakthrough in motion capture technology. With Move, you not only press buttons, but also perform physical actions. Thanks to the precise transfer of your actions into the game world, you become even more immersed in what is happening on the other side of the screen. In this article we will tell you how to connect PS Move to PS4, as well as what to play with Move on PS4.

Connecting PlayStation Move to PlayStation 4

You will need the Muv device itself, as well as a mini-USB cable (it is used to charge PS3 controllers). Please note that the micro-USB cable included with the PS4 is won't fit for synchronization. It cannot be used with PlayStation Move peripherals.

So, in order to synchronize "Move" with your PS4, do the following actions:

Connect the mini-USB cable to Muv, and insert the other end into the connector of the PS4 system (any of the USB ports on the front side);

Hold down the PS button on your controller, in order to synchronize it with the console. At this moment, a window with a list of system users should appear in the PS4 menu;

Select user, to which you want to assign Move. If no profiles have been created in the system yet, you can create one yourself;

Once completed, you will return to the system menu. If the Muv controller is charged to maximum, it can be disconnected from the mini-USB cable. Look at the red light at the bottom of the case. If it blinks, the controller is charging. If the light just shines, then the “Move” is fully charged.

How to control PS4 menus using PlayStation Move

Once you've connected your device, you can now navigate through sections of your system with simple swipes of your palm. To do this, hold the trigger on one of the Move controllers (on the back) and simply wave your palm in the direction you want to move. Games also use this method, so we recommend you remember it.

How to pause a game using PlayStation Move

The Move controller has two buttons on each side of the device. On the right side of the triangle and circle buttons you will find a button that seems to flow into the body. It is difficult to detect with the naked eye, but it is responsible for pauses in games. You can call it analogous to the OPTIONS button on the DualShock 4. Additionally, most games automatically pause when you press the PS button. This may be a convenient alternative.

What to play with PlayStation Move on PS4

PlayStation Move and PlayStation VR - the best combination

Of course, the motion tracking device is best combined with virtual reality technology, that is, a PlayStation VR headset. Most VR games allow players to use "Move" to play the game. It is these projects that we will talk about.

Special edition of the fifth part of the famous role-playing series The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in VR version will allow you to see the homeland of the Nords with your own eyes. The motion controller further immerses you into the game. You'll slay enemies with your sword as if the hilt was in your palm, and magical spells would fly from your fingertips. Let's not even talk about ranged attacks with a bow: with the help of PS Move you can pull the bowstring and shoot arrows like Legolas himself.

With PS Move it is very convenient to play shooters, as the game confirms Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. You find yourself on a trolley in a theme park. Harmless fun turns into a nightmare, and soon you are attacked by terrible monsters. Aim at them using Move and shoot the monsters. The gameplay is simple and fun: if you are looking for a "virtual shooting gallery" game for both VR and motion controller, then Rush of Blood is the best choice.

Another game in the Until Dawn universe called Inpatient also benefits from using PS Move. In the game, you take on the role of a patient in a psychiatric hospital. The ability to move using a motion controller further immerses you in the world of madness and nightmares. The developers have done a lot of work to integrate "Move" into game process, and you will appreciate their results. In this game you will be able to touch objects, pick up objects and even punch... with your own palms!

Game industry vast and multifaceted. Almost as much as the virtual worlds created by developers. So that you don’t get lost in it, we have prepared answers to popular questions from gamers regarding PlayStaion and Xbox game consoles, licensed games and accessories for consoles.

In 2010, Microsoft introduced a new accessory for the Xbox 360 to the public gamers. Kinect changed the way you interact with the console. The peripheral was the first system to support motion tracking technology that did not require any controllers. However, how does it work? In fact, the Kinect is not powered by magic. In this article we will tell you how the most unusual peripherals from Microsoft work.

To play Star Wars: Battlefront 2Iconic characters from all the main parts of the saga are available - Darth Vader, Yoda, Rey and many others. In this guide to Heroes vs. Villains mode.we will give some tips on how to play in a team, and also tell you about the most powerful characters.

Introduction or a little history

Before we start talking about the new device, let's look at the past. Not that far, by the way: let’s rewind just five years ago. Even a little less, because Nintendo released the Wii console in November 2006. And this weak game console turned over game world upside down. The Wii Remote controller (affectionately known as Wiimote) allowed you to immerse yourself in the game much deeper than traditional gamepads. Immediately after the announcement, the Wii began to sell faster than any hot cakes. In the USA, for example, until the very end of 2009, the console had to be painfully searched for - it was not in stores, it was snapped up as soon as it appeared.

The PlayStation 3 will also be five years old this year.

Against the backdrop of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which was slowly gaining momentum, the inherently primitive Wii looked much more interesting: it was cheaper and gave users a completely different experience from the game. Naturally, Sony and Microsoft could not put up with this, so in 2010 they presented their controllers, built according to different principles, but united by one idea: to give the player the ability to move. This is how the Microsoft Kinect system, formerly known as Project Natal, was born, as well as the hero of today’s review - the PlayStation Move controller.

The EyeToy camera is even older - it appeared in July 2003

In fact, events developed a little differently and the development of what ultimately became the PlayStation Move began back in 2001. A branch branched off from this project that bore earlier fruits: in 2003, the EyeToy controller appeared for the PlayStation 2 console, which was essentially just a webcam. Total sales of EyeToy worldwide amounted to about 10 million copies, so the project can even be considered a success, but only 16 games were released for it in the first three years of its existence, which is not a lot. There was a lack of accuracy - one webcam could not cope with recognizing all the player’s movements and sometimes confused him with furniture. This is why EyeToy somehow faded and almost disappeared from news headlines and store shelves after the Wii's release. In 2001, Sony considered EyeToy and Move (then already existing in the depths of the laboratories in some original form) as a kind of fun and completely optional addition to the console. But the success of the Wii forced the company to change its mind and start creating commercial samples of Move, refining and polishing everything that was possible.

In June 2009, Move, not yet in its final form, was shown at the E3 conference, and a little more than a year later it was officially announced and began to take its rightful place in stores and its market share. In two months since the start of sales, Sony has shipped more than 4 million Move controllers, so the project clearly claims to be bigger than EyeToy. But enough about history, let’s talk about... no, not about practice - it’s too early to talk about it. First, as expected, the materiel.

PlayStation Move video review

⇡ What does it look like?

We won’t talk about the PlayStation 3 itself, since it’s already in its fifth year, just like the Wii. The release of the Slim version also didn’t change much. So let's go straight to PS Move. The easiest way to experience the beauty is to purchase the PlayStation Move Starter Pack, which is what we got.

Our current miracle of technology is delivered in a small colorful box. It contains the PlayStation Move controller itself, the Playstation Eye camera (almost identical to the EyeToy) necessary for its operation, a disc with a video user manual and a short paper instruction. A USB → mini-USB cable is not included in the package, although it will also be required for the console to recognize the manipulator. It is believed that the owner of the PlayStation 3 already has the cable, because the player should have received it along with the console itself. Besides, it's not such a rare thing.

Also, the PlayStation Move Motion controller (that is the name of the part you will hold in your hands) can be purchased separately, although a camera is still required for the game. Additionally, you can buy a PlayStation Move Navigation Controller, which can be useful in some games, and a PlayStation Move Shooting Attachment - the latter will come in handy in all kinds of shooters.

In appearance, the PlayStation Move Motion most closely resembles a microphone: an oblong handle and a sphere at the end. Upon closer inspection, of course, it becomes clear that this is still a PlayStation controller. The usual four buttons with geometric icons are in place, as well as the PS key, and the no less familiar Start and Select on the sides. However, there are no analog sticks, no 8-way D-Pad, or shift keys. But there are new buttons: the T trigger (on the bottom side of the device) - under the index finger - and the Move key (on the top side) - under the thumb.

At the bottom end there is a mini-USB port, which is used to charge the controller, as well as for “sniffing” between the PS Move and the PlayStation 3, which is necessary when connecting the manipulator to the console for the first time. Nearby is also a connector for connecting the Move Navigation Controller - a kind of Nunchuck for PS Move. Once introduced, the console and controller will remember each other. Every time you turn on the PlayStation 3, you just need to press the PS button on the controller so that it will be given a serial number.

A game console or controller for it cannot but be calculated down to the smallest detail - otherwise they simply won’t buy it, so the PlayStation Move fits comfortably in the hand and weighs just enough so that it can be easily swung without feeling heavy. Wiimote, by the way, is much heavier - just a pair of AA batteries/accumulators weighs almost as much as the entire Move Motion.

For the same reasons, the sphere at the end of the manipulator is prudently made of soft silicone. Quite a few of the plastic Wii Remotes were smashed against walls when swung too hard, and the silicone cases on the Wii controllers looked like... like... well, they didn't look good.

The PlayStation Eye camera was once sold separately; moreover, there are games that allow you to work with the camera without using Move. However, the PlayStation Eye is nothing supernatural: a regular webcam with SD resolution, an array of microphones and the ability to switch the lens between wide and narrow angles. Connects via USB.

⇡ How does it work?

Despite all the differences we've been careful to point out, it might seem like the PlayStation Move is a copy of the Wii Remote. However, what controllers differ most from each other is their operating principle. Wii Remote has an accelerometer, Bluetooth adapter and IR receiver on board. The movement of the pointing device is tracked by changes in the accelerometer readings, and where the Wiimote is pointed is determined by data from an IR sensor that captures light from the touch panel, which is installed above or below the TV. All data is transferred to the set-top box via the Bluetooth protocol.

However, as practice has shown, this operating scheme has one significant drawback - low positioning accuracy. Even Nintendo itself recognized this, and three years after the release of the Wii, it released the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which increased positioning accuracy. MotionPlus integrates one dual-axis gyroscope and one single-axis gyroscope.

They are so similar - and at the same time so different

In PlayStaion Move everything is much more complicated. Inside the controller itself there is a three-axis MEMS gyroscope, an accelerometer and a geomagnetic sensor (magnetometer). The first two allow you to track the movements of the manipulator, while the latter makes it possible to obtain information about the player’s position relative to the earth’s axis, thereby amending the accelerometer and gyroscope readings and even more accurately determining the position of the PS Move in space.

But that's not all: as we already mentioned, the controller comes with a PlayStation Eye webcam with a four-microphone array. The camera itself monitors the player's movements, allowing not only the use of the controller itself in games, but also the use of human movements. So, if you raise one hand while playing volleyball, the PlayStation will think that you are hitting the ball with a swing, and if you have both hands, it means that you are trying to pass the ball softly. Microphones can be used to communicate with other participants when playing online or for video conferencing. Moreover, some games will require you to, say, in the right place clap your hands. Where exactly you clapped is determined by the difference in amplitude of the signal coming from all four microphones. Accuracy is enough.

The camera also performs another function. It’s not for nothing that at the end of the controller there is a sphere that lights up in different colors when turned on. Such a sphere is very easy to track with a camera - it cannot be confused with anything. Thus, the camera is also used to determine the movement of the controller vertically and along the lateral horizontal axis, and by changing the size of the sphere image when moving the controller forward or backward, the camera allows you to track movements along the longitudinal horizontal axis.

Also in many PlayStation games Eye is used to create augmented reality: the camera films what is happening in front of the TV and partially displays it on its screen, complementing it with game elements.

Like the Wiimote, the PlayStation Move interacts with the console using a Bluetooth radio channel version 2.0. There is nothing surprising here, DualShock 3, and before it Sixaxis, worked on the same principle and at the same frequencies. In total, up to four PS Move (or DualShock/Sixaxis) can be connected to one PS3 at the same time, and the spheres at the ends of each of them will glow a different color.

Just in case, we disassembled the controller in the hope of seeing inside the clue to its popularity. But nothing supernatural was found there: most of the body is occupied by a printed circuit board and an impressively sized lithium-ion battery. Exactly the same one is used in the DualShock 3 gamepad - for people who are familiar with the latter first-hand, this immediately indicates that the PlayStation Move will last quite a long time on a single charge. At the bottom there is a motor responsible for vibration feedback. We didn’t dare go deeper - we were afraid for the safety of the thin flat cables connecting the buttons on the top half of the controller to the board. So we suggest moving on to why all this is actually needed - games. For total immersion We used a Sony Bravia NX7 46-inch TV.

⇡ Games: jump and wave

Sports Festival

This is some base game, or rather a set of games that allow you to get better acquainted with Move. This set includes archery, volleyball, table tennis (sysadmins say they prefer the name ping-pong), disc golf, gladiatorial combat and bocce. One or two people can play at the same time, and each is allowed to hold one Move Motion, and, in some games, as many as two. The greatest interest from the entire set, in our opinion, is caused by gladiator fights, volleyball and ping-pong.

The first sport allows you to appreciate why you need a controller in the first place. And you need it for diving. You have more than a dozen different characters at your disposal: choose one and off you go. If you have only one controller in your hands, then it performs the function of a sword, and if you hold the trigger, it switches to a shield. If you got two controllers, then one is responsible for the shield, the other for the sword. The game will carefully ask you whether you are right-handed or left-handed, and will give you the right weapon in the appropriate hand.

What is the essence of the game? The enemy must be cut down. And in all seriousness: the stronger the swing, the more in-game health the blow will take away from the enemy. But your opponents are also not immune - most of the time they are covered with a shield, and at high difficulty levels they strike exactly where you are least likely to have time to cover yourself. Naturally, all sorts of super attacks are provided - to carry out such a technique, you will need to perform a series of swings in the directions indicated on the screen. The main thing is to honestly follow the precautions and put them away extra items and extra people. Otherwise, the first ones risk falling, the second ones risk getting hit in the ear, and you yourself can hurt yourself by swinging for a fatal blow.

Volleyball is good because it forces you to actively move and repeat quite classic movements for volleyball: low serve, high pass, “throw” with a jump over the net and the like. However, you don’t need to jump - just raise your arms sharply. If one person plays, then he will be provided with a completely intelligent teammate - you won’t have to complain about him. Together, of course, it’s more fun.

Table tennis clearly demonstrates how much more accurate the PlayStation Move is compared to the same Wii Remote. The racket, that is, the controller, must be turned - the spin of the ball depends on this. “Twisted” ones behave according to all the laws of physics, bouncing off the table not in the same plane in which they flew up to it. You will only be bored at the first levels; then your opponents will give you a hard time. If you remember tennis on Wii, then it was enough to just somehow swing the racket at the right moment. Here you have to watch where you hit.

This is not to say that “Sports Holiday” is an exciting game that absorbs you headlong. But it’s great as a periodic warm-up.

Office Kung Fu

A most magical game, somewhat reminiscent of the good old platformers. The main task is to roll as quickly as possible on an office chair on wheels along the roads, dodging the blows of evil bandits in formal suits, and, if given the right opportunity, at the same time giving them a good kick. Naturally, there is money and other bonuses lying around on the road, and the chair can be accelerated, used as a battering ram, and so on.

This would be fun without Move, but the game does not provide such an option and does not work without a controller. But with Move it’s just some kind of celebration of life. To jump, you need to raise the controller up, movements left and right accelerate the chair faster, and you can ram an enemy by pointing the manipulator to the center of the screen and expressively poking it in that direction. The buttons on the controller are also used, but only two are vital - the T trigger is responsible for crouching, and the PS key is for kicking an unsuccessful box or a hesitant villain.

A two-player game mode is available - in this case, one player gets a bespectacled loser, and the second gets a fragile Asian girl with a size 5 bust. IN single player you can choose your own character - naturally, we liked the girl much more. After completing each of the short levels, the system calculates the points scored and gives the overall result. To get to the next level, it is not enough just to drive to the end of the previous one - you need to get a certain number of points, which you can earn by quickly skating, collecting more money, writing especially beautiful pirouettes and making combos. To add to the fun, in addition to the calculated points, the happy face of the player himself is displayed on the screen, captivated by trying to complete the next stage on his faithful six-wheeled friend. The faces they turn out are simply wonderful - when playing, people rarely pay much attention to controlling their facial expressions. We launched “Office Kung Fu” only in the evenings, otherwise work would come to a standstill throughout the entire editorial office. We recommend.

Surprisingly, there are also puzzles for Move. Of course, Create can be played without this manipulator, but it’s somehow more interesting with it. Create is the creation of a world in which you will then have to solve all sorts of problems, most often not very difficult, but fun. First, with the help of Move, you need to poke flowers, dinosaurs and properly tint the sky so that the world seems more interesting to you, and most importantly, closer and dearer. Then you can start the actual puzzles.

With each new world, the puzzles naturally become more difficult. At the initial stages, it is enough to simply drive, say, a balloon with a load into a ring using a fan or build a bridge so that the car can cross the abyss. Using Move, you can select objects from a toolkit, of which, most often, there are several types available. Let's say the car can be driven into blocks, or you can add hinges and curbs. The player chooses where to place the object by moving the controller in space, and to rotate, say, a fan or the same block, you need to hold down the T button and rotate the controller around its own axis.

The game may seem boring at first, but you have to force yourself to go through several levels, because with each new level new objects are added to the toolkit. The fun begins when you realize that the level can be completed simply, or beautifully. So, it’s easy to drive a car through a burning wheel using just a springboard, while it’s much more interesting to make it fly through the air, bounce from pyrotechnics and perform all sorts of tricks. The more wing flips the car makes, the more points you will get for the level. And this is where the brain begins to work, in which ever more cunning paths and labyrinths are born for the innocent machine. Developers from EA say that the player’s actions are limited only by his imagination, but to prevent the latter from running wild beyond measure, the number of available objects at each level is also limited. Let's say it is possible to create a “track” of 10 or less things, but these will be air balloons and cannons or trampolines and wheels - the player decides. With Move, the game does not even acquire additional interest, but a certain feeling of greater involvement in what is happening. It's also fun and addictive.

Eye Pet Move Edition

It was possible to take care of a funny and slightly stupid animal, somewhat reminiscent of a monkey, back in the PlayStation times 2. The emergence of a more powerful PlayStation 3 and Move only made it possible to transfer the game to Full HD screens and add new tasks to it. Eye Pet is intended (not to be confused with the iPad - it sounds almost the same) for those who, for one reason or another, cannot get themselves a cat, dog or pet monkey, but would really, really like to. The essence of the action is to love, feed and entertain a virtual animal, which, for its part, also undertakes to fulfill at least the first point. A kind of Tamagotchi. The difference is how exactly you have to participate in the process of growth and development of your pet (this is exactly what your monkey is called in Russian translation). If Tamagotchi had four buttons, then here...

To begin with, you will be asked to place the camera at knee level and point it at the floor - this is where you will communicate with your little animal. Sit back comfortably and you can begin. Your pet will have to go through the entire evolutionary path with you - from birth (for some reason, the monkey hatches from an egg) to a kind of perfection. The road to perfection is long and difficult, and most importantly, it consists entirely of tasks. The latter are very different. Simple ones include, for example, the typical cat game “run after my fingers”: you move your hand along the carpet, not forgetting to rustle expressively, and the pet chases after it. Difficult ones - teaching your beloved monkey to drive and fly a toy airplane. All this happens right on your floor, or a little above it, and for each task they can give you a medal - from bronze to gold. For collection maximum quantity gold medals and the game part is reduced. At the same time, between tasks you need to carefully scan your pet with a special scanner, the role of which is played by the Move Motion controller - this will give you knowledge of whether the monkey urgently needs to be fed or bathed.

On the one hand, the game demonstrates the capabilities of augmented reality from a favorable angle, but on the other hand, it sometimes looks very boring. In addition, there are often not enough swear words for your favorite animal: you scratched a little in the wrong place - and that’s it, you have to be content with bronze instead of the desired gold, because the animal does not always respond to your scratches - the accuracy of the camera alone is not enough. The game can be prescribed as a medicine to people who have been diagnosed with an acute shortage of livestock. Others might get bored quickly.

Start the Party! (Light it up!)

This set of mini-games is a classic type of family activity involving preschoolers and younger children. school age, as well as their parents. The games in Start the Party include a wide variety, from cutting the haircuts of young punks at speed to rescuing abstract people from a cartoon Godzilla or pushing chaotically falling chicks into nests (remember the glorious game “Electronics: Just You Wait”?).

All games are distinguished by extreme simplicity, so to speak, of gameplay - in each you need to do only one action. In the mini-game “Stylist” - cut your hair, if you signed up to exterminate beetles - you need to exterminate the beetles, if you are planning to shoot the continuously advancing robots - aim and shoot. Each mini-game has three difficulty levels, most often increasing this leads to the fact that the game simply speeds up: uncut punks begin to replace each other on the screen almost every second, and chicks rain down like hail - just have time to put a fan in and blow them away at the right time nest.

Start the Party also makes great use of the webcam, allowing all the action to take place in your room. The implementation of augmented reality deserves praise, however, the feeling of exterminating herds and swarms of various beetles in your own home is not always pleasant. Another fly in the ointment is the poor quality of the image captured by the camera. On a Full HD TV, the extrapolated SD picture looks strange, and the noise that the camera matrix generates even in normal lighting is somewhat annoying to the eye. In Start the Party, however, this is not particularly a hindrance - all the mini-games are very dynamic, and you hardly have time to pay attention to the quality of the picture.

For adults, the game will definitely be boring, but small children will most likely like it: it’s easy to operate, and the level of immersion in a simple arcade game is always very high - thanks to the camera. Parents and older generation of children Start the Party! can attract with an excellent voice-over. When you accidentally crush some loser chick with your fan, the presenter, in a voice full of tragedy, says: “To the cabbage!” At least it definitely lifts your spirits.

Killzone 3

We weren’t able to really play the third part of the legendary Killzone - the game controls are complicated and require a Move Navigation Controller. However, we were surprised to find out that it can be replaced by a regular wireless Dualshock 3. It just has the missing keys, like the same 8-position D-pad, so that a combination of Move Motion and Dualshock 3 can serve as a controller for passing Killzone 3.

Another thing is that holding the Dualshock with one hand is completely impossible, especially when you need to actively gesticulate with the other. So we divided the duties: one of us held the DualShock and was responsible for walking, crouching and using objects, and the second waved Move Motion and monitored where our infantryman was looking and what he was shooting. There are a lot of impressions, but more and more indescribable. Although, if you have the opportunity, you can try to ride along a race track on a regular bicycle, with two people on it: one spins the pedals, the other handles the steering wheel. These are roughly the same sensations we experienced all the time when we tried to control a character from Killzone.

By the way, aiming with Move Motion is much more pleasant than using the DualShock. But for shooters, which includes Killzone, we strongly recommend purchasing, for example, the “PlayStation Move Machine” and Navigation Controller. The sensations will be first-class - we checked it on the Wii with its Zapper.

Enough about games - it's time to sum up.

⇡ Do we need it?

If you have at least a few hours a week that you are willing to spend on video games, then yes, you should. And if you are already a happy owner Sony PlayStation 3, then it’s absolutely necessary. PlayStation Move diversifies the gaming experience, allowing you to immerse yourself deeper into what is happening and take an active part in it. And most importantly, it increases the “buzz” from the game.

In addition, fans of regular video games with a gamepad often and unnoticed grow decent-sized bellies - long sittings in front of the TV greatly contribute to this. PS Move helps you shake yourself up - believe me, a couple of hours of battles in the Colosseum: and an untrained hand will hurt the whole next day. This is a reason to switch the controller to the other hand and practice your skills in handling, say, a racket - and your hands will become stronger, and you won’t get bored.

The controller itself, as we have already said, costs about 1,500 rubles; for the Starter Pack, consisting of Move Motion, PS Eye camera and training disc, you will have to pay 2,500, and the console with Move will cost about 15,000. Wii Remote in In this regard, the price is almost the same, but the Wii itself, of course, is cheaper - less than 10,000. Prices for games for PS Move start from 1,000 rubles and end at 5,500 rubles - that’s how much the collectible Killzone 3 Helgast Edition costs. Not cheap: the starting price for games for Wii is approximately 600 rubles. True, the average price is the same as for Move. In total, at the time of writing, there are more than 20 games that officially support the controller.

Advantages:

• High positioning accuracy;
• Excellent ergonomics;
• Immersion in the game;
• Opportunity to warm up;
• Low price of the PlayStation Move Starter Pack.

Flaws:

• Relatively high price of the Sony PlayStation 3 + Move kit;
• Requires purchase of PS Move Navigation Controller for some games;
• High price of games for Sony PlayStation 3;
• Low resolution and high level PlayStation Eye camera noise.

We thank the Russian representative office of Sony for providing the Bravia NX7 46 TV.

Russian engineer Anton Mikhailov, a Sony employee and one of the creators of the PlayStation Move, told Igromaniya how he works in America, how the Wii spoiled players, why you should never get rid of buttons, and why Sony, having developed Move in 2001, released it only nine years later

[Gaming addiction:] It’s not often that we get the opportunity to talk with someone who develops something themselves, and does not promote other people’s developments. Anton, what do you do at Sony?

[Anton:] I work in the Research&Design department - this is the smallest division of the company, with about a hundred people. We are engaged in development and research, my group is User interface technology. We design devices and control interfaces. We’ve been working on the PlayStation Move since 2007, and now that it’s already on sale, we’re making all sorts of tech demos for it so that studios understand what can be done with it in the game.

[Gaming addiction:] Sony specifically sent you out of Russia to work in R&D?

[Anton:] No, no one wrote me out: I’ve been living in the States since I was ten. I flew here with my parents in 1995, learned English, found a job...

[Gaming addiction:] Right away - to Sony? Just out of college - and already for a flagship product?

[Anton:] Well, yes, the professor recommended me. There is a very developed internship system here, where companies take on student interns. At first I made some of my own little... projects For EyeToy, year in 2007. Maybe you remember there was such a thing: you draw something on the screen, and the camera recognizes the drawing and turns it into an object in the game. So, this was my intern project. And then they hired me.

[Gaming addiction:] Can you say you've settled in well?

[Anton:] It's not such a dizzying career in the States. This is Silicon Valley - it’s easy for an engineer to find a job here. Moreover, I’m not picky, I came from Russia, and engineers there work differently, I know. (laughs) Any technical work there is work. And we make games. I was specifically looking for such a job - so that it would be combined with a hobby.

The main thing here is to understand in which area you are better... trained. What do you understand better - hardware or software? If it’s hardware, then you need to go to Intel or NVIDIA. If in software, then in Facebook, Google or Amazon.

[Gaming Addiction:] Amazon?

[Anton:] Certainly. In America this is a very serious company. They may look like a simple online store, but in fact, all the statistics and recommendations are very complex calculations. Everything is very... very intelligently made. Programmers there face interesting software problems.

[Gaming addiction:] And what are you trained in?

[Anton:] I took the course Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, that is, I electronics... And computer... geek.

[Gaming addiction:] Have you ever thought about going to work at Google? Here, this is the dream of almost every second talented programmer - come to work at what time you want, eat there as much as you want, play tennis right in the office, and even get paid...

[Anton:] And I worked at Google. Not for long. Everything is exactly like that there - open space, soft colored chairs, billiards, you can play volleyball at any time, come and go at any time... But it’s not like this adds productivity.

After all, if you work eight hours a day (this is a standard American workday), then where will you find time for volleyball? Of course, you can have lunch for two hours and then play for another hour, and you most likely won’t get fired, but it won’t make the company any better.

In our department there were people who were in the office a lot, but worked six hours a day - and no one fired or scolded them for this. Everyone wants to work at Google because there is no pressure there. But this may be so relevant for Russia... In Silicon Valley, in principle, there is such a culture - no one looks at anyone. I come to work at eleven, leave at seven or eight - and that's normal.

[Gambling addiction:] Exactly, in Russia a good social package is rare. Therefore, in a company like Google, Gazmprom or MTS, where there is insurance, active corporate events, and cafeterias in the office, there is always a queue.

[Anton:] Maybe, but to me it's unreasonable. At Google, I heard from everyone: “What a blessing, we have such wonderful food!” - you know, Google always has its own restaurants in the office. Well, maybe. Beautiful. The cook is his own. But in the end it all comes out of you pay check. Of course, no one writes that 12 thousand dollars a year is deducted from your salary for food. But in fact this is so.

[Gaming addiction:] Was it difficult to get a job? We prepare for interviews and tests at Google like they prepare for the Olympic Games.

[Anton:] When I was working - no. This was before Google went public and you just had to pass an interview. These are now tests, multi-stage selection... Although - why not? If they want to come to work for you, then choose, take the smartest.

But in America there is high competition not only among job seekers, but also among employers. The same Google is squabbling over these engineers with Facebook And Microsoft.

But all this is important for a person who is looking for money. People were important to me and projects.

Projects

[Gaming addiction:] And so you ended up at Sony and got involved in the development of PlayStation Move. They had already been working on it for five years, right?

[Anton:] More! In general, Sony returned to Move several times.

The very idea of ​​​​making a controller that would clearly determine the location of the hand in space appeared in 1999 - simultaneously with EyeToy. I've seen footage of early Move prototypes in 2001, before EyeToy launched.

At that time, Richard Marx, an aeronautical engineer, worked at Sony; he had previously written algorithms for robots. Back in 2000-2001, he conducted experiments with a luminous ball on a stick. The camera tracked the ball and transmitted data about its movement to the game - and the game, for example, displayed a witch on a broomstick, who flew along the trajectory that you displayed with the ball. We were already able to track hand movements back then.

But it was a very, very crude prototype. The camera resolution was small, so the ball was the size of a grapefruit. I would call the whole design a mini-proto-Move for PlayStation 2. We understood the algorithm, but it was impossible to make any commercial device using it.

[Gaming addiction:] Why?

[Anton:] There were several problems, but the main one was that people have different lighting in their houses. Our camera could track the ball under certain lighting conditions. As soon as he changed, everything stopped working. But people don’t have laboratory conditions at home, they won’t cover the windows with blankets to play on the console.

[Gaming addiction:] And you put the project on the shelf.

[Anton:] Yes, until 2004. Then engineer Eric Larsen appeared at Sony, who made another Move prototype - a glowing ping-pong ball on a stick. It was never shown in public, but it was already working technology. Now there was only one unresolved problem - the price. Eric used an LED in the ball, and they were terribly expensive back then. Just making such a controller would cost $30-40 - imagine what a retailer would charge for it!

[Gaming addiction:] And you put the project on the shelf again.

[Anton:] Well, yes. And in 2007, when I was doing my project with EyeToy, it came up again. Here it must be said that Sony works very closely with development studios and listens to wishes. And at that moment we were just asked to somehow expand the functionality of EyeToy, so developments like Move were very relevant.

I started thinking about how to make the device cheaper... and then LEDs just dropped in price. Moreover, LEDs appeared that could change color. This automatically solved the second problem - with special lighting in the room. Now we could simply change the color of the ball - and continue to track it whenever and wherever the person plays. And then we just fine-tuned Move.

[Gaming addiction:] Three years - despite the fact that you had a fully working technology in your hands?

[Anton:] And it’s good that there are only three! We had the technology seven years before the arrival of LEDs. But usually the development is similar to a joke about beer lovers. Do you know how 80% of all beer is consumed by only 20% of beer drinkers? So it's the same here. You don’t spend 20% of your time trying to come up with a technology; as a rule, there are no problems with that. And you spend 80% of your time trying to make the technology work perfectly. And this is not always possible.

I already said: doing something in a laboratory is not at all the same as doing something at home. At home there is a cat, a dog, a coffee table, a ficus tree in the background - all these simple objects can confuse the algorithm.

Algorithm

[Anton:] We could have released Move before the Wii, but it would have been a completely different product. You know, with all those prompts at the bottom of the screen: “Please turn on the lights,” “Please stand closer.” No, we didn't want that. We waited because we, our studios, and the players themselves were not ready for such a product. Remember how few games there were for EyeToy? This is because the developers did not understand how it could be used.

EyeToy produces a very unusual type of data. This is not just an unambiguous signal that developers are accustomed to: a button is pressed - “Yes”, a button not pressed - “No”. These are some kind of ragged movements, a chaotic flow. When developing for EyeToy, you have to very much filter the data to select the ones you need. Same with Move.

[Gaming addiction:] But before you, developers making games for the Wii have already encountered this.

[Anton:] They encountered it, but they didn’t solve it, but got around it.

[Gambling addiction:] Did you cheat? (smiling)

[Anton:] One could say so. Before the Wii, all game actions were controlled by buttons. Jump is one button, turn left is another, shooting is the third. If games were made smarter, the motion controller would be used contextually. For example, they would need to swipe left to make the character turn left. This is logical, right? And at first it was like that. But then the developers, not knowing how else to use the Wii Remote, began to attach contextually non-oriented actions to it. For example, forcing the player to draw a circle with the controller to open a door, or draw a zigzag to make the character jump. That is, the buttons were simply replaced with movements.

By the way, we are very glad that our studios did not go this route. This only makes games more difficult and spoils them, rather than moving them forward. Using motion to replace a button is wrong. You need to do things on the motion controller that you can't do with a mouse or a gamepad. For example, drawing.

So, back to the Wii Remote. At first people liked the controller because it was new. They tried, played, jumped with all their might with him. Then they got tired of it: it’s true, it’s stupid to wave your arms and jump when you can just press a button. And they stopped trying, reduced the range of movements, and began to play sluggishly.

Have you seen them doing the Wii run? Do you think they're running? They just stand still and move the controller up and down - and the console thinks it's running. And try to retrain them now! People have forgotten that they used to want to do context-sensitive actions, they wanted to move, they wanted the console to understand their actions, to recognize their body position.

[Gaming addiction:] So did the Wii teach them to gamble wrong?

[Anton:] The Wii was simply dishonest in its marketing. People were promised then, five years ago, that the Wii would do what was only now possible with Move. I'm not against the Wii at all. Nintendo released its system when it was impossible to release Move. This is a bold step. Wii brought new players. People enjoyed it. No, Wii was an undoubted breakthrough, a success. The Wii and Move just have different philosophies.

Philosophy

[Anton:] When Nintendo developed the Wii, it wanted to make an intuitive controller. So that anyone can pick it up and play. Don't understand what a mouse and keyboard are? Take the Wii Remote and point it like a finger.

Move has a different philosophy. It's not a finger, it's not a pointer - it's a peripheral device. We looked at Move as a mouse, as a data source. It is, of course, intuitive, but this is not the main thing, the main thing is that it is hardcore, it has a lot of applications. For example, it allows you to transfer games from PC to PS3 - entire genres that were previously unavailable on the console. Like strategies, for example.

[Gambling:] Listen! Last March, the following story appeared on the Internet. They say that Sony engineer Anton Mikhailov “with the help of certain manipulations was able to connect the Move to a PC and play StarCraft 2 with it.” Naturally, everyone had a question: if Sony engineer Anton Mikhailov could do it, then can an ordinary user do the same?

[Anton:] Connecting Move to a PC directly is a no-no, and for various reasons. Many PCs simply don't have enough power to handle all the data flow that Move generates. In addition, we simply do not have enough resources to provide Move support for everyone operating systems- on Windows, on Macintosh, on Linux...

But we want people to be able to write their own applications for Move, so we have now launched a special system, Move.Me. It allows you to connect your PC to PS3 with Move over the network. The PC will treat the PS3 and Move combination as normal peripherals, the PS3 will perform all the data processing. Move will work like a mouse, and the buttons on it will simulate a keyboard. The PC will not even realize that a console controller is connected to it.

Thanks to Move.Me, Move application developers will be able to use just a computer - any computer, even a laptop. All calculations will be performed by the PS3, and the computer will be completely offloaded to work with programs.

[Gaming addiction:] Is that how you played StarCraft 2?

[Anton:] Yes, and I did pretty well. Did you know that the skill of playing StarCraft is measured by the number of actions per minute - APM, actions per minure? So here you go professional players APM - 300-400. Trained amateurs like me have 110-120. For ordinary players - 40-60. I started playing with Move and in five days of training I raised my APM to 80. That is, I lost about 20% of my speed. In my opinion, a good result.

In general, I played a lot of PC games on Move before we had prototypes of games written specifically for Move. I wanted to see if the controller’s precision was enough for traditional hardcore genres - RTS, FPS, flight simulators... I even played such challenging games, How Descent.

Interface with your brain

[Gambling Addiction:] What about the price of Move? Do you think it turned out to be accessible in the end?

[Anton:] More or less. At least, significantly more accessible than it could be. You know, technically we had the opportunity to release a kit that would consist of a controller like Move and a camera like Kinect. But it would cost $250 - almost the same as a console - and would definitely flop at retail.

Then we met with the developers of our main studios and asked: what is more important to you, more or less accurate tracking of the position of the entire body or very accurate positioning of the hand. They said that the second thing was more important to them - the position of the body was already allowed to be tracked by the EyeToy camera, and for many this was enough.

[Gaming addiction:] Is it okay that when Kinect came out, no one remembered about EyeToy?

[Anton:] I was very upset, by the way. The first Kinect ad I saw looked exactly like an EyeToy ad, but no one noticed! But the principle of operation is similar, the games are similar: the camera sees a skeleton that is jumping and waving its arms, and separates it from the wall.

Another conversation is that Microsoft I did everything very well. I'm amazed that Kinect doesn't require a lot of calibration. Tall or not, fat or thin, you can just stand in front of her and play - I can imagine how difficult it was to do this technologically!

You know, there is such an anecdote: they say, in the 70s, one professor, going on vacation, gave his student a problem: teach a computer to distinguish a person from a dog, and a dog from a chair. The professor thought that the student would solve it over the summer. But when the professor returned from vacation, the student had not advanced one iota. And we are still all together trying to solve this student’s problem - to teach a computer to distinguish a person from a dog. Microsoft has at least somewhat succeeded in this.

[Gaming addiction:] You and Microsoft are now moving in the same direction - towards motion gaming, towards the abandonment of buttons, right?

[Anton:] No no! You can't give up on buttons! This is our fundamental disagreement with Microsoft! We need buttons! Here are three undeniable arguments in their defense.

First, buttons are the gaming experience. Buttons are needed not only for positioning accuracy, but also to be pressed. Take the gun. Do you want to shoot with an air gun? Well, no! You want to pull the trigger. You want to turn the steering wheel, not just move your hands in the air. The clicking of the gearbox, the recoil of the trigger - it's all part of gaming experience, without this the game will not be so interesting. The Kinect style is exciting and new, but I don't think it's the future. People are fetishists, they need accessories, and buttons are one of them.

Secondly, we perceive and process tactile sensations much faster than any other. The muscles in the fingers are some of the most precise. The delay between the time you feel something with your fingers and your reaction to the stimulus is only 5-10 milliseconds. For hearing it is 20 milliseconds, for vision it is 80-100. No other interface will give such a controversial reaction. You feel like you've finished pressing a button and are already reaching for the next one, almost without delay.

Thirdly, sometimes you just want to have a button that will allow you to give a command while just lying on the couch. Try jumping while lying on the couch - if the Kinect requires it! Kinect is not suitable for games like Mario or Assassin's Creed. After all, it’s impossible to jump like Mario or run along walls like Ezio!

In general, we will not give up buttons in the near future. A button is the fastest way from the brain to the screen.

Although every time I talk about this, there is someone who raises their hand and says: in the future we will not need buttons, we will remove the signal directly from the brain. So be it! But the problem is that in the brain the nerve impulse “I’m thinking of jumping” is no different from the impulse “Come on, I’m jumping!” There is no difference between physical movement and thinking about it. Imagine if your avatar did everything you thought about while you played?

In a word, Microsoft is great with its Kinect, but to say that Kinect is the future of all interfaces is wrong.

[Gaming addiction:] So, buttons are needed as an interface for interacting with our brains?

[Anton:] Well, yes. They just speed up the game.

Game noise

[Gaming Addiction:] Did you lean towards a specific game genre when developing Move? Was it made, for example, with an emphasis on shooters or strategies?

[Anton:] No, this is the task of game developers. And our task is to offer them a working tool that gives the exact position of the hand in space. Move is your hand in virtual world. Move can be any object that a person holds in his hand - a knife, fork, gun, shovel.

We divided these instruments into three categories: a magic wand (arbitrary passes in the air), a sword (sharp movements, sport games, something like Wii Remote), pistol (precision aiming, shooting range). And the developers already determined for themselves which approach was closer to them.

[Gaming addiction:] Aren't you offended that Move is called only a more accurate version of the Wii?

[Anton:] No. We made Move for our own purposes, without regard to the Wii. We were more interested in the experience people had playing on the EyeToy than on the Wii. But we still suffered with Wii players.

[Gaming addiction:] Why?

[Anton:] I already mentioned that the Wii ruined the players, drained the excitement from them. They are used to the fact that they can play tennis and win by moving only their hand, without jumping or swinging. They have a stereotype of playing with a motion controller in their head. And when they started to transfer this model of behavior from Wii to Move, Move simply did not accept them. I dismissed their flickering as noise, thought that they were warming up - but they weren’t playing at all.

And we had to explain to people through video training that playing like this is not interesting, it’s not correct. But people didn’t understand this! It never occurred to them that they could play poorly - they thought that our device was bad.

[Gaming addiction:] That is, the process in a person’s head is already programmed with the wrong process, right?

[Anton:] Yes exactly! People just didn't realize how much control and simulation there was on Move. She is simply fantastic! But this is also an extreme. The console could tell who was playing well and who was playing poorly, and as a result, we all played terrible. When we tested games - bowling, for example - out of six people, five simply could not roll the ball to the end of the lane because they were throwing it incorrectly.

I once brought home a frisbee simulator. So none of us could throw that Frisbee! The only one who succeeded was a man who plays Frisbee professionally. So he was pleased: he walked around all evening and told everyone what great game We have done. But we understood that this The game is not great!

Do it exactly game Move is much more than just a simulator. The developer needs to be very attentive to complexity and gradually, in small steps, increase it. Teach a person. Let the console forgive him mistakes at the bronze level, help him a little with the wind at the silver level, and at the platinum level it requires him to have perfect playing technique. If a person is not an athlete, he simply cannot play differently. This kind of gradual progression was exactly what the Wii lacked. There people quickly learned to win, achieved maximum level- and soon they were tired of playing, because there was nowhere to improve further.

In a word, here we must not fall into either extreme. If the game gives everyone one star, everyone will consider themselves losers and give up. If the game gives in, that will also be a problem. At the same time, some things cannot be simplified. You can't simplify your pencil: if you draw poorly, there's no way around it.

[Gaming addiction:] Test in the head: as a person from a console company, tell me, will the PC die and should it die?

[Anton:] Not worth it! I grew up on PC and I don't want it to die. But at the same time, I don’t think that PC is the driving force of the industry. In terms of innovation - yes, you can do a lot on a PC technological games, the likes of which consoles have never dreamed of. But the statement that only PC drives progress is incorrect.

You need to listen to the voice of the PC market very carefully. Not everyone there has dual-slot video cards and Core i-7 processors. Those who sit on forums and fight for fps are hardcore. This is an important, but not the target audience for games. There are only a few thousand of them, and nothing will change whether they buy the disc or not. The real power is the owners of mediocre computers and the owners of more than a hundred million consoles of the current generation. Many millions of just gamers versus a handful of hardcore gamers. PC doesn't solve anything - but it's definitely good that it exists.