At E3 last week, Sony announced the new PlayStation Plus subscription service for PS3 owners. The service will run on top of the continued free PlayStation Network, and will provide additional content and goodies for those who subscribe.
For a $49.99 yearly subscription, Playstation Plus users will have access to free games and DLC, discounts at the PlayStation Store, early invitations to certain betas, and free monthly episodes of Qore. PlayStation Plus users will also be able to access Full Game Trial's where they can try games before they buy. This feature lets users play the full game for an hour before being asked to purchase.
At its launch on June 29th, PlayStation Plus will give subscribers:
- PSN game WipEOUT HD
- Full game trial of inFAMOUS
- PSP minis and PS One Classics such as Fieldrunners, Age of Zombies and Rally Cross
- Premium avatars & themes
- DLC levels & map packs
- Access to virtual library of free games as long as users are Plus subscribers
To sweeten the deal, Sony is running a Limited Time Offer offering subscribers 3 free bonus months for signing up. If a yearly subscription isn't for you, you may choose the 3 months subscription for $17.99. If a subscription isn't in your budget - keep on enjoying the free Playstation Network service!
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Not to be outdone by the details surrounding Microsoft's Kinect, Sony announced their own motion control system, the PlayStation Move Starter Bundle
The PlayStation Move will utilize the Playstation Eye camera for precise motion-controlled. It comes with a Wii Nunchuk-like subcontroller which has a d-pad and analog stick, but no motion sensor. Unlike the Wii, the controller and subcontroller do not tether together. Both the controller and subcontroller utilize the same lithium ion battery that the regular PS3 controllers use, chargeable by connecting using the mini-USB cable. (Compare to AA batteries of the Wii) They connect to the Playstation 3 consoles wirelessly using Bluetooth.
The motion capability in the controller uses a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, colored sphere and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor to pin-point its location.The colored sphere is what the Playstation Eye uses to detect the presence of the Move. It changes colors based on the Eye's detection of colors in the background i.e. if there is no orange in the background the sphere may be orange. It can also sense depth on the Z-plane because of the colored sphere and the Eye camera.
The Playstation 3 will allow only four peripherals at a time, i.e. four Move controllers at one time, or two controller + subcontroller sets.
Sony will be releasing a motion-control game similar to that of Wii Sports, called Sports Champion which contains events such as Gladiator Duels, Table Tennis, Frisbee Golf, Archery, Beach Volleyball and Bocci. First impressions of the Gladiator Duel event that was showcased at the GDC were that it required more finesse and skill than that of the Swordplay in Wii Sports Resort. It comes with a selection of enemies, unlockable weapons, and action-game fashioned graphics.
While some of the games with motion-control support are more family friendly such as Move Party, Little Big Planet and Eyepet, players can expect other games to be more adult-oriented like SOCOM 4. According to Sony, 20 titles will be available for the Move by the end of (fiscal) 2010, and 36 companies have signed on for development of Move games including Disney, EA, Capcom, Konami, Sega, Ubisoft, and more.
The Playstation Move is available for pre-order today through Amazon.com.
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Rumors have been abuzz on the internet for quite some time, speculating that Sony's motion control system would be called the Gem or the Arc. None were right though, as Sony announced at the GDC that it will officially be called the Playstation Move. The Playstation Move takes on the Nintendo Wii dominated motion-sensing market, and is supposed to be more accurate.
The Playstation Move will utilize the Playstation Eye camera for precise motion-controlled. It comes with a Wii Nunchuk-like subcontroller which has a d-pad and analog stick, but no motion sensor. Unlike the Wii, the controller and subcontroller do not tether together. Both the controller and subcontroller utilize the same lithium ion battery that the regular PS3 controllers use, chargeable by connecting using the mini-USB cable. (Compare to AA batteries of the Wii) They connect to the Playstation 3 consoles wirelessly using Bluetooth.
The motion capability in the controller uses a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, colored sphere and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor to pin-point its location.The colored sphere is what the Playstation Eye uses to detect the presence of the Move. It changes colors based on the Eye's detection of colors in the background i.e. if there is no orange in the background the sphere may be orange. It can also sense depth on the Z-plane because of the colored sphere and the Eye camera.
The Playstation 3 will allow only four peripherals at a time, i.e. four Move controllers at one time, or two controller + subcontroller sets.
It will be available in three packages, a stand-alone package for those who already have a Playstation Eye, a starter kit with the Move wand, the Playstation Eye and a game, and an ultimate bundle with a Playstation 3 console. Pricing and availability has not yet been determined but Sony is hoping to get the starter kit in under $100. It is slated for release sometime this fall.
Sony will be releasing a motion-control game similar to that of Wii Sports, called Sports Champion which contains events such as Gladiator Duels, Table Tennis, Frisbee Golf, Archery, Beach Volleyball and Bocci. First impressions of the Gladiator Duel event that was showcased at the GDC were that it required more finesse and skill than that of the Swordplay in Wii Sports Resort. It comes with a selection of enemies, unlockable weapons, and action-game fashioned graphics.
While some of the games with motion-control support are more family friendly such as Move Party, Little Big Planet and Eyepet, players can expect other games to be more adult-oriented like SOCOM 4. According to Sony, 20 titles will be available for the Move by the end of (fiscal) 2010, and 36 companies have signed on for development of Move games including Disney, EA, Capcom, Konami, Sega, Ubisoft, and more.
The Playstation Move comes as a direct competitor to the success of the Nintedo Wii's motion-system. The Move is hoping to make the Playstation 3 more family-friendly.
It won't be without competition, though. Microsoft's Project Natal is still lacking details and is expected to release around the same time as the Move.
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Sony announced that its Motion Controller, to be used in conjunction with the PS Eye camera, has been slated for a Spring 2010 release. Sony claims it's Motion Controller provides 1:1 Tracking and true 3D Pointing.
At last week's Gamescom, Sony executive Kazuo Hirai added "One of the things is that we just don't want to put out the controller. We need great software that supports the controller at launch. It's something that we've been working on for the longest time."
It was showed off at the convention with demos meant to show the possibilities of their motion control system, including sword swinging, tennis, third person shooting, archery and drawing.
More details and specs have been promised for the Tokyo Game Show in September. Check back for updates!
Sony's rival Microsoft is also planning a release in 2010 of their "Project Natal" motion technology.
With the Playstation Eye Camera players will be able to use any object as a "controller". The system apparently will be able to use any real-world object in similar ways. It can also save these objects to profiles in order to use them later on.
Another interesting feature of the Playstation Eye Camera will be facial recognition. It will be able to recognize different features on faces, including noses and eyes, will be able to tell gender, and recognize facial expressions.The camera itself features four microphones, two zoom levels, and the ability to capture video (up to 120fps).
According to an interview with Eurogamer, Kash Hirani, head of developer services, and Paul Holman, SCEE's vice president of R&D; "What most people are really surprised about is the precision," said Hirani. "The army has had this sort of technology for a long time... but when you see a consumer space device with this level of accuracy - that's when developers say, 'Wow.'" When asked about whether it's more precise than devices currently on the market such as the Wii remote, Holman stated, "It's another generation forward, or even a couple of generations."
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