All three major consoles currently on the market feature some sort of motion controller. The Nintendo Wii is pretty self explanatory while the Xbox 360 has the Kinect and the PlayStation 3 has the PlayStation Move. While this is all fine and dandy for console gamers it generally leaves PC gamers in the dust when it comes to motion controllers – that is, if it wasn’t for Razer.
The reason I say this is because Razer has just announced today that their Hydra motion controller for the PC will be made available this June for $139.99 bundled with the critically acclaimed Portal 2. If you’re looking tog et down on the device early be on the look out in May as pre-orders are set to open sometime next month.
And, for those of you wondering if the Hydra will work with your favorite games your in luck as Razer has posted all 125 of of Hydra compatible games for your viewing pleasure here.
The Nintendo Wii has long been one of the most popular consoles on the market. Much of the consoles success has been attributed to the fact that its motion controller is extremely easy to pick up and play for just about everyone. However, now that Microsoft and Sony have debuted their own motion controllers with the Kinect and PlayStation Move, respectively, Wii sales are beginning to taper. So, what is Nintendo supposed to do when sales for the once extremely popular console begin to drop? According to reports, drop the price.
These reports suggest that Nintendo may be dropping the price tag of the Wii to a paltry $150 on May 15th. Why May 15th? We aren’t exactly sure but from the time of this writing it’s only about a month away so stay tuned and we’ll be able to confirm if this is true or not.
While the Nintendo Wii may be viewed by some as a gimmicky console it introduced to the mass market motion controlled video gaming. Following the massive success of this console both Microsoft and Sony came forth with their own offerings in the form of the Xbox 360 Kinect and PlayStation Move, respectively. The PlayStation Move, in particular, is very similar to the Nintendo Wii in the sense that it’s a, well, motion controller. The Kinect, on the other hand, features an entirely new technology that allows gamers to utilize their entire body as the controller thanks to its 3D camera.
However, seeing how Kinect is still fairly new software developers are still figuring out what to do with it. Sure, there are some fun games on the market that utilize Kinect but in terms of ground breaking killer apps there hasn’t been much. Well, according to Microsoft, 2011 is the year where the Kinect will really shine. Microsoft’s own Neil Thompson recently sat down with MCV to say that Kinect is what the company is focused on with everyone gearing up to “really deliver” as the year goes on.
What will we see come from these efforts? We aren’t quite sure just yet but we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Valve is by far one of the most influential game developers of their time largely thanks to their Half-Life franchise. However, while Half-Life and its successor (appropriately named Half-Life 2) were immensely popular, their Source engine has come to power many big name titles including CounterStrike: Source, Left 4 Dead and Portal. As you’re sure to know, Valve is gearing up to launch Portal 2 come April 18th for the PS3, PC and Xbox 360.
Seeing how the game is basically a first person shooter (minus the shooter) many have assumed that Valve would be shipping the game with PlayStation Move support. Well, if you’re a hardcore Move enthusiast you may want to look away as Valve has confirmed that there will be no support for Sony’s motion controller in Portal 2. Below is their statement:
“There’s a story making the rounds regarding Portal 2 support for PS3 Move. Unfortunately this quote was “lost in translation” — Portal 2 does not include support for Sony’s motion controller.
For those currently shaking your hands in anger at the computer screen don’t worry as it’s completely possible that Valve will add Move support as a patch later on. Or, if you want to be fancy, you can just wake for folks to hack th Xbox 360 Kinect to work with the PC version. Your choice.
A new video has hit YouTube today showing off Microsoft’s highly anticipated Project Natal. The game that is being played throughout the demo is entitled Ricochet, which we’ve seen before. However, while we’ve seen both the technology and gaem put on display in the past, the video clearly shows that the hardware is evolving and is getting more precise than ever.
Unfortunately we’ll have to wait until later this year to try it out ourselves.
Yesterday, the new iPhone leaked and today, Project Natal has leaked. That’s right, pictures of a seemingly production model Project Natal peripheral have leaked.
In addition to pictures of the peripheral, pictures of the peripheral’s manual also leaked. From them we learn that Project Natal (at least this one) will require its own power source. Additionally, it has something called a “tilt mechanism” what exactly this is, we don’t know, but perhaps it will factor into some of the titles released exclusively for project Natal.
Think you were going to play all of the latest racers on Project Natal when it ships later this year? Well, you probably are but according to the director of SBK X Superbike World Championship, chances are they aren’t going to be very good. This has nothing to do with the graphics or Project Natal not working properly but instead due to the fact that motion controllers are just too inaccurate. Imagine coming up to a sharp turn and your motions are interpreted improperly. Frustration? You bet.
However, I’d like to see how Playstation Move stacks up against Project Natal in terms of racers. Considering it couples all sorts of technologies with the Playstation Eye it’s supposed to be super accurate. Accurate enough to play a racer? Only time will tell.
According to rumors over at VG247, the upcoming PlayStation Motion Controller will be renamed “Arc”. Other rumors had it called “Gem” and “Sphere” — Sony has yet to confirm or even comment on anything. Microsoft has yet to reveal their official name for “Natal” as well.
If you’re looking to get in on what is sure to be one of the hottest game releases of 2010, you should check this out — Microsoft has recently put up a web page letting us know that they are looking to bring 18 new developers on board to develop exclusively for their forthcoming motion controller codenamed Project Natal.
Of course, the jobs are all based out of Redmond, Washington where Microsoft Game Studios is headquarter so those not willing to relocate need not apply.
Red Steel 2 is shaping up to be a great game but just how many people will get the chance to play it remains unknown considering it is being released on only one console; the Wii. Sure, the Wii has sold ridiculous amounts of consoles but it’s generally hypothesized that the majority of those sales were to the casual players. Considering Red Steel 2 is what some would call a “hardcore” game, it would only make sense that Ubisoft would bring it to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 but that wasn’t a possibility up until both Microsoft and Sony announced their own motion controllers.
Well, it seems that Joystiq recently sat down with the creative director of Red Steel 2, Jason VanderBerghe, and questioned him of the possibility of seeing the title appear on other consoles. He responded that he would love to see the Red Steel franchise appear on other consoles but ultimately the decision would be up to Ubisoft.
