Kotaku has already provided the first ever official, up-close look at the Sony's PlayStation Move motion-controller. Now, it's time to look at models pretending to play with it. Can't wait!

http://kotaku.com/5490887/first-look...oshop/gallery/ ...

No surprise here: Sony just officially announced the PlayStation Move motion controller at GDC 2010, calling it the "next generation of motion gaming" because it's so precise -- latency is about the same as the DualShock 3. As expected, it uses the PlayStation Eye camera to track the controller, and Sony says it becomes an "extension of your body." The plan is not only to engage casual gamers, but to use the precision of the controller to create "new experiences for core gamers" -- many of the demo videos we saw involved using a controller video in each hand, and there were quote a few demos of action / RPG games. We also saw a demo of Move Party, which uses the camera to do augmented reality gaming and video chat. The demos are pretty impressive -- Sony's not kidding when it says the Move is incredibly precise. There's also going to be a secondary "subcontroller" with an analog stick for shooters -- you can play all the way through SOCOM4 with just the Move and the sub-controller. (Yes, it's just like the Wii Nunchuk, only wireless.)

You'll be able to get Move in three ways: in a bundle with a PS3, standalone, and in a starter kit targeted at "under $100" with the PS Eye, a controller, and a game. That's all the pricing info we have right now, but it certainly sounds aggressive -- Sony says they're treating this like a major console launch, so expect to see this everywhere when it launches around the holidays.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/p...unched-at-gdc/ ...

At last, we've felt Sony's long awaited motion controller, now at last officially known as "PlayStation Move," in our unworthy, sweaty hands. We have a bunch of videos on the way, but for now you can revel in our first close-ups of the controllers in the gallery below. Here are some of our initial thoughts:
The controllers are light. Much more akin to the DualShock3 than the Wiimote in heft, and we're guessing that's due to Sony's continued love of rechargeable batteries.
The main controller does have some subtle vibration (not DualShock or Wiimote level, but present), but we're not sure yet about the subcontroller.
We hate to say this about "pre-alpha" software, but we're feeling lag. An on-rails shooter we tried out, dubbed The Shoot, was discernibly inferior to shooting experiences we've had on the Wii, both in precision and refresh rate of the aiming cursor.
The gladiator game is about as fun as it looks, we'll have video after the break momentarily. Unfortunately, while it's less of a defined experience than something like the sword game on Wii Sports Resort, you're still working through a library of sensed, pre-defined actions instead of a true 1:1 fighting game with simulated physics. Not that it isn't possible with PlayStation Move, just that it's not this.
The lightness of the controllers means we might be feeling less of that Wiimote fatigue, always a good thing! There's an aspect of the controller that feels a little cheap, but at the same time we wouldn't call it fragile.
As far as we can tell, the control scheme for Socom 4 is quite similar to dual-controller shooter setups on the Wii, with the camera moving based on your aiming cursor hitting the edge. It's hard to see this as the preferred hardcore setup, but we're told it's configurable, so we'll try and see what else is on offer.
The system seemed to have a bit of trouble understanding the configuration of our body in a swordfighting stance: even though we selected "left handed," it was putting our sword arm forward instead of our shield. Right-handers didn't seem to have similar problems, and we're sure this will be ironed out in time, but it certainly shows that the controllers aren't magical in their space-detection prowess.
As would be expected, you're supposed to stand relatively center on the TV, and at a certain optimal distance. The system is forgiving, but there's a sweet spot that users will undoubtedly have to learn.
Lag is less prominent on Socom 4, and we'd say we're pretty accurate with the controller already, though the framerate choppiness of this pre-alpha build obviously hampers that a bit. We did get a slight feel of being in "scene to scene" shootouts instead of a free-roaming FPS, perhaps a design choice to mitigate the limited camera movement offered by the controller, but we'll have to see more levels to know for sure.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/p...irst-hands-on/ ...

Remember the HarmoNESica? A brief refresher, then: it's what happens when you've got a copy of Super Tecmo Bowl, a Pocket Pal harmonica, and the desire to create a unique musical instrument. But if you don't have any of the aforementioned ingredients and just want the end result, eBay's got you covered as usual -- three HarmoNESicas have been gathering bids at the online auction house this week. Whether your pleasure be Dick Tracy, Super Mario Bros. 3 or The Legend of Zelda, there's a harmonica to match; and if (for some reason) you want to actually play one of the games, you'll find the ROM guts tastefully included. But before you make your bid, remember: there's more than one way to skin an NES cartridge.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/11/n...-gamers-cheer/ ...

Sure, in the past we've got a hearty chuckle out of initiatives that involved Redfly terminals and Clippy variants, but the question remains: how can we get cutting-edge tech into the hands of soldiers faster? We've recently come across some RFIs for DARPA projects aimed at developing apps and an App Store for Android and the iPhone OS, with two in particular -- Mobile Apps for the Military (DARPA-SN-10-27), and Transformative Apps (DARPA-BAA-10-41) -- catching our eye. The agency is calling for apps for battlefield, humanitarian, and disaster recovery missions, including command and control, mission planning, surveillance, reconnaissance, and language translation. Of course, if you start taking commercial smartphones out to the field there's the small matter of network coverage -- if you thought that getting a reliable connection in midtown Manhattan was an issue, what about downtown Kabul? Looks like DARPA also has plans for a military that brings its own towers with them, light-weight mobile base stations that could create a "secure mobile tactical network ... compatible with commercial smartphones." What do you think? Looking to help your country out, make a bit of money, or maybe a little of both?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/11/d...pps-app-store/ ...

Years ago, CyberConnect2 said they had a “Nintendo DS new project coming soon.” That game is about to be revealed.

CyberConnect2 is the developer behind .hack, Tail Concerto, and the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series.

A countdown clock popped up on CyberConnect2’s site. Time left until we find out what this is: seven days. However, we may have an early clue. Before creating a countdown site, CyberConnect 2 released a bit of artwork… in 2007.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/03/11...roject-reveal/ ...

Years ago, CyberConnect2 said they had a “Nintendo DS new project coming soon.” That game is about to be revealed.

CyberConnect2 is the developer behind .hack, Tail Concerto, and the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series.

A countdown clock popped up on CyberConnect2’s site. Time left until we find out what this is: seven days. However, we may have an early clue. Before creating a countdown site, CyberConnect 2 released a bit of artwork… in 2007.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/03/11...roject-reveal/ ...

We already know Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was designed as a) "Metal Gear Solid 5," and b) a T-rated game. Earlier today, Hideo Kojima reinforced both points on his Twitter feed. According to Kojima, Peace Walker started out as a PSP game, but eventually evolved into a "next-gen game on a portable device."

"Our goal was to create a traditional MGS game for PSP in the beginning. How do we translate it over on the PSP…but once we started the planning the direction slowly shifted toward a "MGS that evolves on a handheld." We did not think about the low specs, moreover we decided to make a Next-Gen game on a portable device."

He then noted that, although changes were made to the game’s systems and characters, the development team made sure not to stray from the "core" of Metal Gear. Also, since the game is aimed at a broader audience than MGS4, some design choices were based on the preferences of younger players.

"We studied what young people liked and without changing the MGS world, added different elements for gameplay. System, characters, story, voice acting, etc. We just made the entrance into the MGS world bigger without changing the core. A product with a serious story along with a strong message."

It’s interesting that Peace Walker was originally going to be Metal Gear Solid 5 on a portable platform, but that Konami decided to strip the "5" out of the title. Was it so that people wouldn’t turn their noses up at Metal Gear Solid: Rising on the Xbox 360, or were they afraid to give fans the impression that Peace Walker was the new direction for the franchise?

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/03/11...rtable-device/ ...

We already know Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was designed as a) "Metal Gear Solid 5," and b) a T-rated game. Earlier today, Hideo Kojima reinforced both points on his Twitter feed. According to Kojima, Peace Walker started out as a PSP game, but eventually evolved into a "next-gen game on a portable device."

"Our goal was to create a traditional MGS game for PSP in the beginning. How do we translate it over on the PSP…but once we started the planning the direction slowly shifted toward a "MGS that evolves on a handheld." We did not think about the low specs, moreover we decided to make a Next-Gen game on a portable device."

He then noted that, although changes were made to the game’s systems and characters, the development team made sure not to stray from the "core" of Metal Gear. Also, since the game is aimed at a broader audience than MGS4, some design choices were based on the preferences of younger players.

"We studied what young people liked and without changing the MGS world, added different elements for gameplay. System, characters, story, voice acting, etc. We just made the entrance into the MGS world bigger without changing the core. A product with a serious story along with a strong message."

It’s interesting that Peace Walker was originally going to be Metal Gear Solid 5 on a portable platform, but that Konami decided to strip the "5" out of the title. Was it so that people wouldn’t turn their noses up at Metal Gear Solid: Rising on the Xbox 360, or were they afraid to give fans the impression that Peace Walker was the new direction for the franchise?

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/03/11...rtable-device/ ...