Last June Sony announced their plans to take on the Nintendo Wii with their own motion-control system for the PlayStation 3. After much development, the company has now unveiled the first set of proper details as to what those controls will look like and what kind of games will be offered for it. PlayStation Move is the final name for the system which, similar to Nintendo's Wii remote, nunchuck and sensor bar, involves three components. The PlayStation Move motion controller will track the movements of players through 3D space while the PlayStation Move sub-controller is an optional secondary device that will be used for navigation and control of in-game characters and object. The two are combined with the PlayStation Eye camera to create a tracking system that Sony promises will be "a motion-based, high definition gaming experience unlike anything on the market".

The PlayStation Move motion controller offers a number of advanced motion sensors which Sony claims will deliver more accuracy than it's competitors. These include a three-axis gyroscope, a three-axis accelerometer, a terrestrial magnetic field sensor, and a colour-changing sphere on the top that will be tracked by the PlayStation Eye camera. Together they will allow the PlayStation 3 to detect the precise movement, angle, and absolute position of of the player's hand in 3D space. Up to four of these controllers can be connected to the PS3 at one time.

The PlayStation Move sub-controller offers an analog stick and directional buttons and uses the same wireless Bluetooth connection and rechargeable battery system in use by the current PS3 controllers. In, fact players have the option of using their current SIXAS-enabled controllers as a substitute for the sub-controller. 

The PlayStation Eye camera, which has been on the market for awhile, will be given new abilities with this system, allowing it to capture a player's voice or image and make use of Augmented Reality technology to deliver more immersive experiences.

The PlayStation Move system will be launching some time this fall. No word on cost yet. 

There will be twenty new games planned for the new system over the current 2010 fiscal year and Sony says there are 36 third-part game studios currently on-board to keep the flow going including Electronic Arts, Capcom, Konami, Sega, and Ubi Soft. 

Of course Sony will be making their own games for the system and this week they offered demonstrations of two titles, one for families and another for their core hard-core gaming audience.

Move Party

A collection of mini-games that make use of Augmented Reality technology, Move Party captures you within your living room and projects it onto your television, mixing your world with cartoon elements. The result are quick, fun, fast-moving games where you must use the controller to swat at goofy bugs or paint on the screen. The controller in your hand changes into different tools for each game. A large vegetable, a tennis racquet, a big foam hand, whatever the goofy premise calls for. These tools can have their own physics, bending, twisting, as you use them with the motion controller vibrating with feedback in response.

The focus is to provide an all-ages party experience, where a group can gather and watch each other appear on TV, performing hilarious tasks.

Motion Fighter (working title)

By contrast Motion Fighter aims for a more mature, older demographic and delivers a focus on realism. The fighting game uses both motion and sub-controller to simulate the ducking, weaving, and lunges of street boxing. Players are taken through a series of gestures they must perform in order to execute the game's fighting style, to perform upper-cuts and jabs, and blocks. As you can see from the screenshots below, it will be an intense, stark game that will feature a great deal of blood and physical bruising from the fighters.