Working out with Fitness and Exercise games on the Sony Playstation 3

Some good news for Sony in the Playstation Move / Xbox Kinect wars. Among members of the media who have already tried both, many are declaring Sony’s controller more precise and offering a more satisfying and integrated experience. According to PC World, Sony “seems to have the lag-free precision-tracking parts down pat, arguably better than either of its competitors“. USA Today says “Overall, Move feels responsive, and the PlayStation Eye camera seems to track movements well”. While CNET says “the PlayStation Move is currently our favorite entry in the motion control competition. Kinect works well enough, but it’s not always as responsive as you’d want, or at least that’s how some of the games we tried felt”.

That’s three very strong reviews from three of the most trusted names in video game reviews. Of course Sony shouldn’t rest on its laurels: all it needs to do is think of the lesson of Betamax vs. VHS (or even motion control-less Playstation 3 vs. Wii) to remember that the best technology doesn’t always translate into the winner. But it’s a good start for them.

Details are still sketchy about Playstation games specifically geared towards fitness and exercise, but I’ll pass that on as soon as I hear anything.

In other news, Sony Move pre-order links are now live on Amazon. If the experiences we’ve had buying the Wii Fit are any indication, it’s never too early to order yours!

At the E3 conference in Los Angeles, Sony announced some more details about the Sony Move.

The new motion-sensing controllers will hit stores in North America on September 19, 2010. On the day of launch there will be 15-20 games which support it.

There will be several parts that make up the Sony Move experience.

1. A PlayStation Eye camera. This is the same as is currently available, and will probably sell for the same price as it does today, about $34.99. I’ve always been impressed by the Playstation Eye’s technology but not the anemic amount of games designed around it, so it’s nice to see it’s finally getting a second chance at life by making it an integral part of the Move.
2. The PlayStation Move Controller. This is the picture you’ve  seen floating around, which looks like a black ice cream cone with a colorful ball on top. This is the equivalent of the Wii remote, and will sell for $49.99 each.

1. The PlayStation Move Navigation Controller. This is the equivalent of the Wii nunchuk, in that it’s used in conjunction with the wand controller for things like moving characters around. This will sell for $29.99 each.

Sony will be selling the Playstation Eye, the Move controller, and a game called “Sports Champions” in the PlayStation Move Starter Bundle for $99.99. Sports Champions will include archery, frisbee golf, bocce, ping pong, sword fighting, and beach volleyball. The concept is a lot like Wii Sports Resort, but of course with more photorealistic graphics.

It’ll also sell this bundle with the PS3 console in the PlayStation Move Console Bundle for $399.99

When Playstation Move officially launches, about 10-15 games will launch with it was well. Time will tell if Sony takes the lead with Playstation Move, if Microsoft takes the lead with Kinect (not sure about the technology yet, but as usual Microsoft marketing has outdone itself with the name…I’ll bet you’ll see people spelling it Kintec, Kinetic, Kinnect, etc), or if Nintendo will hold the lead with its Wii.

The winner among the three should be the company that has the most consistent and accurate motion sensors, combined with the highest quality games. The good news is, regardless of how it turns out, we the consumer should be the real winner.

UPDATE: all the links above are live links to pre-order on Amazon. Click them to become one of the first to experience the new controls–and if history is any indication, these will be hard to come by when they’re released. As usual, Amazon has a policy where if the price decreases between now and the launch date, it’ll give you the lower price.