Why I Want a PS Move and Why I Won’t Get One

I’ve played first-person shooters on the Wii, using the Wiimote and Nunchuck, and like you’d expect they weren’t very good. It’s difficult to translate the fidelity of dual analog sticks to a motion controller — any motion controller — but a video on Ars Technica made me reconsider the PlayStation Move and how it’s used with Killzone 3.

The video in question is from iWaggle3D.com, a website dedicated to showing off the Move controller, so it’s not surprising that the narrator praises the implementation for the most part.

But he also has a critical eye, and shows off some very clever things Guerrilla Games has done to make the motion controls in Killzone 3 intuitive. Watching that video makes me believe that Move controls can work for traditional FPS games like Killzone 3. Combine that interest with Move compatibility in Heavy Rain, Resident Evil 5, and Dead Space: Extraction, and that’s four big reasons for me to get a Move. These are games made for a discerning, hardcore gamer like myself, with motion controls that don’t look forced or half-assed. Between the Kinect and the Move, I’m leaning way more towards the latter.

But after browsing through Amazon my desire was quickly quenched.

It’s not that the Move costs too much money — I don’t have a problem with the price — it’s that there’s no all-encompassing bundle. Say what you will about the Kinect’s game library (or lack thereof), but at least it’s easy to buy. It’s just one peripheral that requires a one-time purchase that comes in one box. The Move consists of three separate components, four if you count a game, five if you count the optional extra Move controller some games require, and the biggest bundle only come with three of those five accessories. You need the PlayStation Eye (a separate peripheral altogether that you may or may not already have), the Move controller (this is the one with the bright ball), the Navigation controller (this is the one with the analog stick), a game, and depending on the game you might need a second Move controller.

The biggest bundle comes with the Eye, Move, and a game, but no Navigation or second Move. The game is Sports Champions, Sony’s answer to Wii Sports, and in a nice attention to detail all the required motion-control accessories are featured prominently on the cover of the box.

All Move compatible games have this helpful logo, but this seems like the least Sony could do to ease customer confusion. It’s also nice that the Sports Champions bundle comes with all the accessories displayed on the box cover, so you can just buy the bundle and be set, but this kind of bundle should be made for all high-profile games.

Killzone 3 is already being hyped as a system seller, as evidenced by the PS3 bundle with the game and the huge $130 Helghast Edition, so why not take the hype one step further and make a Move bundle with all the accessories Killzone 3 would need? After all, if you bought the original Sports Champions bundle you’d still be missing the Navigation controller. And if Killzone 3 can apparently sell a console, why can’t it also sell a peripheral?

Splitting up the accessories like this is a problem because it feels like I’m buying more than I have to. To get a motion controller, singular, I have to buy two separate accessories. There’s a psychological hurdle here that I can’t seem to get over: Why must I buy two things to get one thing? I wouldn’t have this problem if everything came in a single box because the packaging would emphasize the fact that these accessories are just parts of a whole, useless when separated. By packaging each piece separately Sony is implying that each one is a stand-alone product, which simply isn’t true, and I can’t bring myself to buy three separate packaged items that only work when brought together. (While the Wii’s controller is sold in two parts as well, many games only require the Wiimote,  so I can still walk out of the store with a single box and be able to play some games. One controller for one player; the Nunchuck is just an extra.)

Overall, the marketing and distribution for the Move seems confused. I understand the logic in splitting up the accessories so that people can pick and choose what pieces they want, but the lack of a comprehensive bundle is just weird. Perhaps it’s a sign that the Move isn’t actually for discerning, hardcore gamers like myself. Most “casual” games only need the Eye camera and Move controller, so maybe my wants are still in the minority.