PS3 to get Wii-like motion sensor?

Sony rumoured to be preparing its own Wii-killing wand controller

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding what Sony might be unveiling at the upcoming E3 gaming extravaganza. We’ve already got an inkling of what’s coming on the handheld front, but along with the PSP Go!, the Japanese tech giant may also be lifting the veil on a whole new PS3 controller as well.

The idea behind it is simple: beat that poxy Nintendo Wii at its own game. The new peripheral is expected to be a wand-like motion sensor, much akin to the Wii Remote. The difference, sources claim, is that it will be far more precise at measuring movements than Nintendo’s current technology.

“Sony's controller apparently used LEDs (light emitting diodes, essentially little electric light sources) and a small webcam to track the device's movements,” says Variety’s Cut Scene blog. “Because the camera can read different color lights and the shape and angle of each light, it's much more accurate than the Wii-mote.”

According to Kombo.com, early prototypes are already believed to be in the hands of a select few developers, tasked with coming up with a range of new motion-sensing games to support the launch of the new controller. It’s still unclear what the final product will look like – the prototypes reportedly look “kinda funky” – but it’s safe to assume that it will be a significant divergence from the current SIXAXIS and Dual Shock 3 controllers. The device pictured on the right is actually a Gametrak Freedom, but we’re probably going to be looking at something along the same lines.

This is all still rumour and speculation right now, so you should season it with a usual amount of salt. There’s some good evidence to back it up though, in the form of a patent that Sony has already acquired for a motion sensing controller that closely resembles a Wii Remote.

Interestingly, Sony might not be alone in taking the Wii head on – Microsoft is also believed to be buying into motion sensing tech. So far, Sony has won the bulk of pre-E3 hype, but Microsoft may still have a few tricks up its sleeve to boost the Xbox 360 in what has been a quiet year so far. Meanwhile, Nintendo is gearing up to launching its own Wii remote upgrade, in the form of Wii Motion Plus.

Link: PlayStation