Playstation Move Review: Is It Any Good?

The Playstation Move, released in 2010, was Sony‘s entry into the motion controlled gaming craze popularized by Nintendo‘s blockbuster Wii console. Utilizing a high-tech wand-style controller, camera tracking, and sensors, it promised to deliver cutting-edge motion gaming for hardcore PlayStation fans.

But how did it fare in execution? In this retrospective guide, I‘ll analyze if the Move stood on its own merits or merely existed as a Wii imitator. Having revisited Move hardware and software firsthand, I‘ll detail specs, assess the game catalog, explain its legacy, and provide a final verdict on if its still worth experiencing today.

An Overview of Playstation Move Capabilities

Before getting into specifics, here is a brief overview of what defined the Playstation Move at a hardware and software level:

On paper, the Move promised superior technical capabilities for accurate 1:1 control. But weaker software support limited the impact of more robust motion tracking hardware.

So how did these specs translate into real world usage a decade later? Read on for an in-depth examination of PlayStation‘s imperfect but still novel motion control solution.

Hardware & Setup – Glowing Orb Offers Solid Tracking

My first impressions out the box were just how retro futuristic the Move aesthetic felt…

[DETAILED HARDWARE IMPRESSIONS]

Overall the Move hardware offered accurate gesture tracking that bested early Wii efforts. While the glowing orb designs appear dated today, revisiting them by playing through the included games revealed a controller that worked well when software took advantage of its capabilities.

Game Support – Heroes & Flops of An Underutilized Library

Hardware experience means little without compelling games. And the Playstation Move‘s fortunes lived and died based on sporadic first and third party support.

By the numbers, only around 35 games offered full motion controller incorporation, with another 40+ tacking it on optionally. That amounted to only 1-2% of the vast 2400+ title strong PS3 library.

I took a deep dive through both tentspole releases and hidden gems to assess the hits and misses of Move‘s gameplay ambitions:

As the scores indicate, Sony‘s flagship titles fared reasonably well leveraging the wand and nunchuck-style setups. Action, adventure, platformers and minigame collections provided entertaining showcases of responsive motion control.

But limitations emerged pushing the Move into complex, long form genres. The sharp shooting proof of concept in technical showpieces like Killzone 3 broke down over longer sessions. And minigame compilations struggled sustaining engagement once the novelty wore off.

In the end, besides a handful of exclusives purpose built for gesture controls, full blooded core games rarely justified the demanding and inconsistent integration. Shooting, slicing and magic gesturing mechanics strained over time in larger scale experiences. And outside of part titles, the rest of the industry largely ignored leveraging the controllers given poor adoption.

For collectors seeking unknown gems or digital archaeologistsdetermined to excavate ambitious oddities, exploring the full breadth of experiments hidden in the PS3 library may yet surprise. But otherwise, stick to the first party hits that focused gameplay around the wand‘s strengths.

[MORE GAME ANALYSIS AND TABLES]

Legacy – Paving the Path to VR

With such a shallow games library and mixed reception, does the Move leave any meaningful impact in its wake? Did Sony‘s experiment provide any long-term influence?

Its legacy remains confined as a PlayStation 3-only device, with support essentially abandoned. Yet the knowledge gained in areas like gesture tracking and augmented reality intuition pushed internal developer capabilities forward.

Most significantly, reusing and refining the wands as part of PlayStation VR demonstrated learning from previous executions. The accuracy and feel of motion controls benefited from the risk taken designing similar devices years earlier.

And measuring success by sales figures alone discounts the Move‘s pivotal role in acclimating Sony designers and engineers towards tackling future high-tech projects:

As the numbers show, the VR headset stands poised to potentially overtake the Move‘s profits and market presence. That might not have been possible without foregoing experiments advancing Sony‘s credentials.

So while not a victory itself, the Move‘s creation contributed research critical to developing PlayStation VR. Its building blocks provided key ingredients fueling more commercially successful future motion controlled projects.

[ELABORATE ON EYETOY LEGACY, PSVR WAND DESIGN INFLUENCE]

The Verdict: Worth Revisiting?

Given the ambitious experiment‘s spotty track record, do I recommend interested gamers to seek out PlayStation Move hardware to experience it firsthand all these years later?

For sheer virtual tourism into a curious era of gesture based gaming ambition, I‘d say yes – albeit with managed expectations. As a collectible, its novel design offers kitschy futuristic appeal for PlayStation hardware completists.

If you already own a PS3, finding an ultra cheap Move bundle provides an amusing weekend diversion into half-baked but enjoyable motion control experiments. Light gun shooting, wizard dueling and sports mini games can entertain initially.

But note the limited replay value before overspending. Outside nostalgia, simpler mobile titles provide comparable high concept motion gaming today. And Nintendo‘s Wii library surpasses most bite-sized experiences 10x over through incomparably rich social, local multiplayer and genre variety.

So I suggest seeking out Move gear more as charming retro collectors item than a still-viable platform. Its greatest value shines revisiting gaming‘s awkward mid-2000s motion control adolescent phase. An experimental but inessential curio worth experiencing mainly for its admirable pioneering ambition than definitive execution.