New motion-reading controller is a good move for Sony’s PS3

Actually, the Wii is relatively primitive compared to Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3. It doesn’t support true high-definition video, for example, at a time when two-thirds of American households have upgraded to HD. But the Wii led the way with its famous hand-held controller, which lets users play games by moving their bodies.

At last, both Sony and Microsoft have developed hardware devices that will add motion control to their existing consoles. Sony will go first; on Sept. 17, the company introduces PlayStation Move, a $100 upgrade that supplements the familiar game push buttons with light and pictures, as well as motion.

The Move controller is a sleek, black gadget that will remind you of a “Star Wars’’ lightsaber, except for its bulbous, clown-nose tip. That silly-looking sphere works a lot of the Move’s magic. It glows in a variety of colors, depending on the game, and the glow is interpreted by the PlayStation Eye, a small video camera mounted on your TV and plugged into the PS3. The Eye follows the glowing Move bulb to precisely aim tools or weapons inside the games. I found the results more satisfying than the Wii’s motion controller, because Move made it easier to aim at precise points on the screen.

Like the standard PS3 controller, the Move is powered by a rechargeable internal battery. You must plug it into a USB connector on the PS3 to power it up. The Move doesn’t come with a separate charging cable, but the one for your standard controller will work, or you can pay $30 for a standalone charging station. Sony will also sell an optional $30 navigation controller, for two-handed games that require more precise motions, like first-person shooters.

The basic Move kit includes Sports Champions, a collection of athletic games that nicely demonstrate the Move system’s versatility. I couldn’t resist the archery contest, though I was lousy at it. But I was more impressed by Disc Golf, a Frisbee-tossing game that showed off the Move’s precision. Move gives you a remarkable degree of control over each throw, letting you angle the disc up or down, or put some extra spin on it so it curves left or right.

The Move camera is the descendant of Sony’s old EyeToy technology, which let gamers project live images of themselves into certain compatible PlayStation games. The Move Eye goes a good deal further. In some games, you not only see yourself on screen, but the controller in your hand is transformed into some handy gadget you’ll need for playing the game.

For instance, a zany title called Start the Party features a variety of mini-games suitable for playing with friends. In one of them, you appear on screen, looming over an animated ocean and clutching a folding fan. Parachutists start drifting downward toward the shark-infested seas. You desperately wave the game controller-turned-fan, trying to blow the skydivers onto rescue rafts before they hit the water. It’s exceptionally silly, but quite immersive as well.

I’d have liked to check out Move’s performance in my favorite type of game: first-person shoot-’em-ups like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Too bad the batch of compatible games I received didn’t include any action titles. But they’re coming; two of next year’s most promising, SOCOM 4 and Killzone 3, will both be Move-compatible. I’ve never liked playing shooter games on the Wii, but I suspect I’ll be happier with a Move controller in hand.

But then, the Wii and Move may both seem obsolete after Nov. 4, when Microsoft starts selling its Kinect game controller for the Xbox 360. This $150 device will be the first hands-free game control system, using an array of cameras and microphones to track players’ body movements and voice commands.

For Xbox fans and first-time game console shoppers, Kinect is a good excuse to wait a couple of months. But for PS3 owners in the mood for Wii-style action, Sony’s already made the right move.

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.