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On November 19, 2006, Nintendo launched its fifth home console to the world. The Nintendo Wii was both ridiculed and praised for its unique controller system — the Wiimote — which detects movements in three dimensions.

Three and a half years later, the Wii has dominated the market, shattered sales records, and put its two main rivals, Microsoft and Sony, on the defensive. Both companies are responding with motion-based controllers of their own, though.

Microsoft has generated some big buzz with the revelation of Project Natal, a new camera-based system that requires no controller, just the movement of your body to function. And yesterday, Sony officially announced PlayStation Move, a controller setup that utilizes a camera and a remote-like controller to interact with the screen.

Here’s the question we have for all of you gamers. Which next-generation controller system excites you more: Microsoft’s Natal or Sony’s Move?

Our poll for this week’s Web Faceoff ends on Sunday, March 14, at 12:00 p.m. PT. Let us know your choice, and don’t forget to leave your opinion in the comments!

What excites you more: Microsoft’s Project Natal or Sony’s PlayStation Move?polls

PlayStation Move in Action

Project Natal Announcement

Tags: microsoft, Natal, Nintendo, playstation, playstation move, project natal, sony, Wii, wiimote

If you’re a gamer, you might have heard about yesterday’s news about the PlayStation Move, Sony’s answer to the Wii Remote and Microsoft’s upcoming Project Natal motion controller. In a demonstration yesterday, the company showed off the device, which utilizes remote-like controllers and the PlayStation Eye camera to capture your movements and turn them into actions on the screen.

We’ve seen plenty of screenshots and heard a lot about the controller’s capabilities, but we wanted to find out for ourselves whether it really could make the PlayStation more competitive with its counterparts. That’s why I decided to take the system for a test drive here at the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, California.

Did it live up to expectations? Could it challenge Nintendo and Microsoft in gaming? I’ve got some thoughts on the matter:

PlayStation Move: Sony Played It Safe

First, a little bit about the PlayStation Move: It’s a two-part control system. First are the handheld controllers, which act essentially as Wiimotes. The main controller comes with a lighted color ball on the top though — this is an essential component for the second part of the Move: the PlayStation Eye camera, which tracks your movements on screen. Combined, you get a controller system.

When I held the remote-like device in my hands and actually got to play with it, I immediately became aware of two things: its accuracy and its augmented reality features. It feels just a little more precise than a Wiimote with the MotionPlus controller. Because it uses the camera rather than the sensor bar that the Wii utilizes, it can more accurately catch your motions. It also translates them onto the screen with your face on the TV.

I was impressed with the augmented reality aspect of the PlayStation Move more, though. The lighted ball on my controller turned first into a paintbrush, and then a fly swatter. It didn’t have the lag that a lot of other systems deal with, which made the experience enjoyable.

Is it that much better than the Wii, though? To be honest, I think the answer to that question depends on how developers use the PlayStation Eye camera to enhance their games. If they focus on the controllers, then it’s just a fancy Wiimote. If it focuses on bringing you into the game via the camera, then there are some real possibilities.

In the end though, Microsoft’s Project Natal is still going to garner the attention and the hype, as it is a bolder step into motion control. Sony essentially played it safe with the Move, while Microsoft’s implementing an all-or-nothing strategy with Natal.

Here is me in action with the PlayStation Move:

PlayStation Move Demo Video

Tags: games, gaming, microsoft, Natal, Nintendo, playstation, playstation move, project natal, sony, video games, Wii, xbox

Oh, sure — the Wii’s Virtual Console may put you in direct contact with some of the best titles from yesteryear, but for the purists in attendance, it just feels like cheating. If you’ve been hanging onto that Super Nintendo (or Super Famicom, as it were) and you’ve recently been dealing with the emulation itch, Neoflash just might have the remedy. The Neo SNES / SFC Myth cart is pretty much the most magical cart you could ever slap into your classic console, offering up ROM support for “99.5 percent” of SNES games. Better still, titles can be offloaded from your PC and onto the cart via USB, making the entire transfer process a cinch. Of course, the $169 price tag will likely offend all but the most dedicated of retro gamers, but hey, at least you’ll be staying true to those “roots” you value so highly.

Neo SNES / SFC Myth Flash cart brings emulation magic to your aged console originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Wii has seen its fair share of related modifications, and while our favorite Nintendo mod still has Pixar written all over it, this one just might take the cake for the Big N’s freshest console. Created by an obviously obsessed (and über-talented) Ghostbusters fan, the Nintendo Wii Proton Pack is a fully functional device that beautifully complements the Wii version of the Ghostbusters video game. For those doubting the thought that went into this, take a listen: the Blue Power Cell accurately reflects how much power you have left, and the Thrower has been designed to covertly hold both the Wiimote and the Nunchuk. Better still, the Wiimote’s internal speaker enables the pack to make true-to-film noises. Hit the source link to get a better look, but we’d recommend suiting up in your best 80s era, ghoul-busting garb before diving in.

Ghostbusters Wii mod sets a new bar, proves that dreams do come true originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Nintendo DSi XL, the latest installment in the Japanese gaming company’s handheld range, has finally been granted a U.S. on-sale date and price tag, some four months after it went on sale in Japan under the name DSi LL.

Those hoping to grab the new device — which bucks the trend in the consumer electronics market with its larger-than-previous-model’s-dimensions — should note that it will launch on March 28 for $189.99, around $20 more than its current stablemate.

As well as offering a wider viewing angle (better for sharing), the screens of the Nintendo DSi XL are 93% larger than those of the Nintendo DS Lite, which Nintendo says will provide a “more vivid and engaging play experience” appealing to a wider demographic than the older gamers that the platform has attracted. The device comes in burgundy and bronze and includes a larger pen-like stylus offering a more “comfortable grip

The handheld will come with some Brain Age trial games pre-loaded, as well as the Nintendo DSi Browser and Flipnote Studio, a creative app that lets users make animations.

Other news from Nintendo sees Super Mario Galaxy 2, the sequel to the hit Wii game, launch on May 23, while the 100 Classic Books eBooks offering will go on sale in June for $20 — not exactly a bargain considering such copyright-free titles are available free online, but a price some may be willing to pay.

Tags: Nintendo, nintendo ds, video games

Nintendo just announced that its new DSi XL (known and sold as the DSi LL in Japan) will be hitting North America on March 28th, and will retail for $190. In exchange for a couple mm of extra thickness and a significantly larger footprint the XL pairs two 4.2-inch LCDs for a jumbo-sized look at your well worn, oft-rehashed DS catalog. The unit will retail in Burgundy and Bronze flavors at launch, preloaded with two DSiWare Brain Age games, Photo Clock, Flipnote Studio and the DSi Browser. Unconvinced? Check out the teardown of the LL edition right here while you wait your turn to consume this American style. Feeling left out in Europe? Don’t, because you guys are getting the XL on March 5th. PR is after the break.

Update: Nintendo put out a feel-good promo video, we threw that below the break as well.

You can follow Joystiq’s ongoing coverage of the Nintendo Media Summit here.

Continue reading Nintendo’s oversized DSi XL heading to the US on March 28th for $190 (update: video)

Nintendo’s oversized DSi XL heading to the US on March 28th for $190 (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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