Playstation: Move - Unoriginal?

[Dave]

Today, I happened upon a very nice surprise. Whilst looking through various video games news websites, I finally stumbled upon the new look Sony controller and the name of said contraption. Sony have announced that the new controller will be called the "Playstation: Move". After a huge amount of speculation, they finally named the controller and have given us a little more info on what it will do. However, that is not the most interesting part of the announcement. No! The most interesting part of the announcement goes to the picture that was realesed with it...

Spoiler

Yes! Sony have announced that they will be releasing a sub-controller to compliment and help the original controller give us an:

unmatched accuracy through advanced motion sensors, including a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, and a terrestrial magnetic field sensor(!) - along with the colour-changing sphere that is tracked by the PS Eye.

Personally, I cannot believe that they have done this. To my mind, it just looks too similar to what the Wii has done. Nintendo must be laughing their asses off at Sony right now because the look of that thing is terrible. They have taken what the Wii done with their controllers, stolen the idea, concept and overall design and still came up with a horrible looking thing like that. We all know that Microsoft and Sony are copying the Wii. However, did they need to make it that obvious?

 

[ABMorales787]

Looks like they took the Wii controller and painted it. I commented a similar thing in the Sony 3D thread. They are trying way too hard to push the PS3. Its doing just fine but they want it to pull as much money and maybe more than the HD TV's. The PS3 doesn't need this. A motion sensor camera should be enough. It was their idea. But a Wii style controller is completely unnecessary. First the idea of a 3D PS3 and now a Wii rip-off. The control might be a bit of a success, but it can also come back to haunt them. Sony needs to thing smart and look for their own thing.

 

[Slyfox696]

Yeah, and the Wii just stole the design that remote controls for televisions have used for years and painted it white. Seriously, people think that Wii now owns the only design for handheld remote controls, and that anyone who uses something similar is copying them?

What a joke. The Playstation controls look just like a remote control for television, which just so happens to be the same as the Wii. How many different designs do you think you can have that will fit in one hand? The options are limited.

This doesn't look like a Wii remote as much as it does the remotes of every television in the world.

 

[Dave]

Yeah, and the Wii just stole the design that remote controls for televisions have used for years and painted it white. Seriously, people think that Wii now owns the only design for handheld remote controls, and that anyone who uses something similar is copying them?

What a joke. The Playstation controls look just like a remote control for television, which just so happens to be the same as the Wii. How many different designs do you think you can have that will fit in one hand? The options are limited.

This doesn't look like a Wii remote as much as it does the remotes of every television in the world.

I see where you are coming from but there is such a striking similarity between the two that it was always going to be targeted for this exact reason. Then again, if they had made it one handed, like the Microsoft version, they would have been called unoriginal for that too. Yet again, it is Sony being reactive rather than proactive and have been left to "copy" other designs. As you say, there is only a certain amount of controller designs in the world.

No one is saying that Nintendo owns the right to this design but you cannot deny how similar they look. Then you have the fact that they are already taking the idea of motion control from the Wii. They were always going to be called unoriginal and for good reason. It is completely unoriginal. I wouldn't say that Nintendo were unoriginal though and I think that you are wrong if you are hiding behind the defence that every remote looks the same. Nintendo broke the mould with the Wii remote and now every one is jumping on the bandwagon. I have yet to see a TV remote with a sub-controller.

 

[Slyfox696]

I see where you are coming from but there is such a striking similarity between the two that it was always going to be targeted for this exact reason.

Really? What's similar about them? The fact they had a wrist strap? Because, outside of the similarity displayed with every TV remote in the world, it looks completely different. There are more buttons, it's a different color, the body where it is held is slimmer, and the off hand remote is not just a cursor stick.

Please tell me of the similarities, outside of the fact that both the Wii remote and this remote look like all TV remotes.

 

[Dave]

Really? What's similar about them? The fact they had a wrist strap? Because, outside of the similarity displayed with every TV remote in the world, it looks completely different. There are more buttons, it's a different color, the body where it is held is slimmer, and the off hand remote is not just a cursor stick.

Please tell me of the similarities, outside of the fact that both the Wii remote and this remote look like all TV remotes.

Well, you could start with the most obvious of the similarities: that it is a right hand remote and then an off-hand remote that looks very similar to the Wii Nunchuk. The only major difference between the two is that Sony has taken the technology and reversed it somewhat. Instead of the Move picking up the sensor in front of the TV, the Move is picked up using the Eye on top of the controller. Given that the WiiMote is 4 years old, you would expect that the technology is going to better for the Sony version but given that it is going to be $100 for the starter pack, you would be hoping for something that doesn't look similar to the competition.

I look at that controller and all I keep saying to myself is how similar it is to the WiiMote. Don't get me wrong, it does look more comfortable than the WiiMote and obviously the technology is stronger. Also, one of the objectives Sony set out to do was reduce the amount of unnecessary buttons that are evident on the Wii. Apparently they were found to confuse the user and Sony wanted to streamline the controller to make it more accessible and easy to use.

I am not arguing that the Sony alternative is not going to be better because it damn sure will be. However, aesthetically, at first glance, it looks like a Wiimote and Nunchuk without the wire to connect both sets of controller.

 

[Slyfox696]

Well, you could start with the most obvious of the similarities: that it is a right hand remote and then an off-hand remote that looks very similar to the Wii Nunchuk. The only major difference between the two is that Sony has taken the technology and reversed it somewhat. Instead of the Move picking up the sensor in front of the TV, the Move is picked up using the Eye on top of the controller. Given that the WiiMote is 4 years old, you would expect that the technology is going to better for the Sony version but given that it is going to be $100 for the starter pack, you would be hoping for something that doesn't look similar to the competition.

I look at that controller and all I keep saying to myself is how similar it is to the WiiMote. Don't get me wrong, it does look more comfortable than the WiiMote and obviously the technology is stronger. Also, one of the objectives Sony set out to do was reduce the amount of unnecessary buttons that are evident on the Wii. Apparently they were found to confuse the user and Sony wanted to streamline the controller to make it more accessible and easy to use.

I am not arguing that the Sony alternative is not going to be better because it damn sure will be. However, aesthetically, at first glance, it looks like a Wiimote and Nunchuk without the wire to connect both sets of controller.

So now your position that it looks like the Wii remote is that it has two controllers, one for each hand? THAT'S how it looks like the Wii remote. Fine, I can play that game...

Did you know that the Xbox controller is just like the Playstation controller? After all, it's held in two hands, and has four buttons on the right side. So, basically it's the same thing. Of course, Playstation stole that design from Nintendo, who stole it from...and so on.

I'm sorry, but to say the PS Motion controller is rip off of the Wii is just silly to me. When your comparisons are that it looks like every tv remote in the world, and that there are two of them, then I just can't buy your argument. I've already explained how they are different, and the differences are far more noticeable than the "similarities".

To anyone with a modicum of reason, they'll see this is just a game controller, and does not rip off anyone for the design, aside from the design that is ripped off by everyone.

 

[Lee]

Hmm I'm in two minds about this one, the similarities between the wii mote are striking (in particular to the black model that was released last year).

Alas though it seems more similar to their PS3 DVD controller, however the similarity is there. But Sony stealing ideas from Nintendo? Never. Nothing like Shoulder buttons, analogue sticks, rumble features and 3D gaming all of which were taken from elsewhere.

 

[Ty Burna]

To be honest, I prefer the look of Sony's remote then Nintendo's. It looks like it'll be far more comfortable to hold than the blocky straight edges the Wii remote has. I don't know what to think about it to be honest. I'm not a fan of the Wii as it is, the novelty of it wore off on me pretty quickly, but Sony may be able to create far more detailed games that involve motion detecting than Nintendo will. That could be a cool thing considering the hardware the PS3 is pimping out.

That being said, sure it may look unoriginal, but like Sly said, it looks like a remote, in fact it looks similar to the old XBOX DVD remote that you got when you purchased the kit that got elongated and slimmed up. Same situation, it looks like a fucking remote, I don't know what more you can do to change the shape of a remote. Maybe make it a glove or something? Not practical but hey at least it's different than a standard looking remote.

Either way I really don't care, I'm not going out to buy everything necessary in order to use it. I prefer my video games the old school way, sitting on the couch with a controller in my hand, vegging out.

 

[Blade]

Look? The similar look is what you people are pointing out?

Sony have been stealing ideas for quite some time now and vaguely and weakly disguising them as their own ideas. 2 generations ago, Nintendo put analogue sticks on their N64 controllers, in a twist on the classic joystick model. Sony added to it by.... Putting 2 analogue sticks on their controller. Inspired. And since then Sony seem to have lived by the motto of "Take that idea, but put MORE STUFF ON IT because then it'll be better!" And this is what they're doing here, but now they're being so incredibly blatant and shameless about it that it's a little sad. But I suppose, since Nintendo had such huge success with their motion sensing controller it, Sony decided to, in a move of unbelievable innovation.... Do the exact same things. Except with a ball on top, apparently.

After reading over all the news about Playstation Move, I just had to face palm, because it seems that Sony just don't get it. The Wii was created under the concept of 'Make games easier for people to play'. Less buttons, playing the games with motions and actions that people use every day, incredibly easy to use and nothing flashy or intimidating. And Nintendo seemed to have struck gold with this concept, the Wii is the 3rd biggest selling home console of all time. Meanwhile, Sony went for the concept of 'Shiny and lots of technology cause specs matter!!!!' approach, and they're last in sales for this generation... Hmmm, see a pattern here. So clearly, to help make some money Sony decided to take the Wii controller, file the curves, paint it black and add some buttons and make it more complicated.

Add some more buttons and make it more complicated. See what that does? It takes pretty much everything of what made the Wii so successful and throws it under a bus. Really, Sony? Are you that stupid? *sigh* That is why Sony just don't get it...

 

[JS13]

Im not fond of this idea, the reason i never bothered with a WII was because when i play video games i love to sit and be lazy, i cant be moving about all over the place.
I will try the control but im positive i wont like it