PS3 Bundle Speaks Volumes About Playstation Move
By Jared Newman | Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 8:39 am
I’m not in Germany for GamesCom, but Sony’s big announcement from the video game trade show was a Playstation 3 bundle that includes the Playstation Move camera and motion control wand, one game and a 320 GB hard drive, for $400.
Interesting strategy. By opting for a motion control bundle with a bigger hard drive and price tag than the standard PS3 model, Sony is sending a clear message: This is motion control for the devoted gamer. Come for the roomier hard drive, stay for the fancy new peripheral that lets you play real-time strategy games on a console.
At least I hope that’s the message. After all, a $400 console is twice the price of Nintendo’s Wii, and $100 more than the Kinect Xbox 360 bundle Microsoft announced last month. Sony’s kidding itself if it thinks the occasional gamer is going to sink $400 into a game console, especially now that so many cheaper options exist.
So, hardcore gamer target audience it is, then. I don’t have a problem with that, but I’m a little confused by the bundle’s inclusion of Sports Champions, the Playstation Move’s token imitation of Wii Sports. If the intended audience doesn’t care about the Wii, why bother? R.U.S.E., a real-time strategy game that will support Move, might be a better choice, but I understand if publisher Ubisoft would rather sell the game at retail.
Again, it comes down to Sony (and Microsoft, to be fair) not having its best motion control games ready at launch. The lineup of Sony-made launch titles are decidedly casual, and games that are retrofitted to the Move, such as Resident Evil 5, are pointless to folks who are perfectly comfortable with traditional controllers. Sorcery, Sony’s most promising attempt at a full-length motion-controlled adventure, won’t launch until next year.
The Wii has already made motion control skeptics of people who spend a lot of time and money on video games. To capture their imagination again, Sony still has a lot of work to do.
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August 18th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
I don't believe that Sports Champions is only targeted to the Casual gamer. Yeah it has an easy mode along with expert mode so it appeals to both types at the same time. I'm a core gamer and I can see that it will have tones of replay value plus it's a really good way to show your casual friends what the Sony Move is all about . It's like the perfect selling tool for core gamers to get more casual gamers into the Move. I think its a really good strategy for Sony to include it this early on in the game. I'm sure we'll see more games bundled with Move in the future ie Killzone and Ruse but for now Sport Champions is a good fit.
August 18th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Exactly, I agree. From what I've read, I think Sports Champions will provide an experience that core gamers can enjoy while pulling in casual gamers at the same time.
August 18th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Good move for Sony. Bundle pack wasn't a deal. It was the same cost as buying a Move Bundle+PS3.
I think the inclusion of Sports Champions is to teach the consumer how to use the Move controller.
October 2nd, 2010 at 5:18 am
Well you could just buy a PS3 and the move bundle separately. But you would be paying $400 for a 160G HD instead of a 320G HD
August 18th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
You make a valid point, but from all of the impressions I've read… hard core gamers are actually enjoying Sports Championships. While it may be nothing groundbreaking as we've had a similar experience on the Wii already… every single preview I've read has been impressed with the precision and the games available in Sports Champions. Plus, as a hardcore… we already know of the wealth of core games using Move… so Sports Champions will provide a nice distraction from those experiences. If Sports Champions was NOT a good experience, I would question its inclusion. But since it is… I think it actually makes sense. As a core gamer, it gives me a chance to try something I might not have otherwise paid for.
August 18th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
Do you work for PC World as well?
I saw this same article there under your name.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/203613/sony_ps3_mo…
August 18th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Hey Mandy,
Some of Technologizer's content is syndicated to PC World, which is why you'll see some of the stuff we write here show up over there. Sometimes they change the headline.
Incidentally, I also write for the Today @ PCWorld blog, but you won't see those stories here on the 'nologizer.
August 21st, 2010 at 5:53 am
Can I use playstation move for rpg game?
August 26th, 2010 at 6:00 am
Still would have been nice to have Sorcery on launch day. Some of the stuff on this Champions game looks interesting… well ok… one thing… the sword fighting. Who knows, maybe the precision of the Move will actually make me enjoy those Wii Sports type games that just completely sucked on the Wii.
August 26th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I have the Move (got through House Party) and have enjoyed the demos they sent me. I have a Wii and grew frustrated with there version of Ping Pong. I have so far really enjoyed the games. I think the big thing that many non-gamers will like is Start the Party. I did not play it until I had some people over and that was the game that people loved. Watching yourself and friends on the screen was a blast, especially after a few drinks. I had non-gamers wanting the system after that.
One advantage that the Move has over the Wii is it can also do some tracking of you. Not like Kinect, but the Ping Pong requires one to move forward or back depending on the shot. It will also tack if you are on the left or right of the table.
I have not seen it in the games I have, but I understand games can also have head tracking. As in a fighting game one would be able to duck out of the way. The body tracking will be dependent on the developers putting it in.
My one conclusion after having played with the Move for a few weeks is that it is not simply a more accurate Wii. It adds more elements to it than that.
May 26th, 2011 at 7:09 am
Dude, you should tell me in which youre planning to publish a lot more.
November 1st, 2011 at 12:05 am
Thanks for sharing. i really appreciate it that you shared with us such a informative post..
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