Sony E3 Press Conference Recap

Sony E3 Press Conference

After the spectacle of the Nintendo presentation yesterday, Sony needed something big to really impress their audience. The PlayStation Move add-ons, which look very similar to Ninendo’s Wii remotes, did not answer that need. Sony still delivered, however, with their announcement of 3D support for many PS3 games.

The PS3 system software update will provide 3D support on all current versions of the system, which means gamers will not have to go out and buy new hardware on the console side of the equation. What they will still need to buy, however, are 3D-ready televisions and 3D glasses.

Sony demonstrated an extensive gameplay video of Killzone 3, complete with 3D effects, and they provided everyone in the audience with 3D glasses. Audience reaction seemed to indicate that they were impressed with both the game and the 3D effects added to it. Other upcoming PS3 games will have 3D support, although truly capitalizing on the 3D experience will have to wait for the technology to become widely adopted (if it ever does).

Reaction to the PlayStation Move was not quite as enthusiastic, but Sony assures us that this technology is better than the competition (i.e. Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox Kinect). We will have to wait for the reviews to hear the final verdict. The technology consists of three devices: the Move Controller ($49.99), the Navigation Controller ($29.99), and the PlayStation Eye camera ($39.99). This seems pricey, and each player will need a set of the controllers, making the complete package nearly as expensive as buying an entire Wii system. Hopefully, the price will go down once it hits stores.

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To demonstrate the PlayStation Move, Sony showed off a couple of games.  Among them was Sorcery, a Harry Potter-like game where the character runs around with a magic wand, casting spells, drinking potions that turn him into a mouse, and zapping creatures. The other demo game was Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, which undoubtedly reminded the crowd that Nintendo proved golf games make good demos for motion sensing technology.

Both of the games are controlled using the PlayStation Move motion sensing technology. Moving the Move controller sends actions to the character, while the Eye also sends responses to the controller. At one point in the Sorcery demo, after shaking a bottle of potion, the light on top of the controller changed colors to indicate that the potion was ready. It all seemed pretty fluid and natural, and Sony claims their motion sensing technology will make it easier for game developers because of that more natural responsiveness.

Next, Sony unveiled PlayStation Plus, an extension of PlayStation Network that will apparently add more features to it. They also announced some new games, including  the PSP games Invisimals and God of War: Chains of Olympus. They also announced the sequel to a game that received wide acclaim and a huge fan base: LittleBigPlanet. The first edition of the game allowed users to create their own worlds and games, and LittleBigPlanet 2 will expand upon that established model, offering more tools and more expansive online sharing.

To watch the entire Sony press conference or fast forward to the segments of gameplay, visit Gamespot.com.

Tags: PlayStation Move, Sony, Sony E3 press conference