PS3 controllers ‘Move' into Wii domain

Individual controllers are $50, but the $99 bundle is the best option for most. It includes a controller, a game, and a PlayStation Eye camera, required to detect some player motion.

More than 20 games work with the motion-sensitive controllers, and some recently released titles (Heavy Rain, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11) will be adapted to take advantage of them. Upcoming compatible titles include LittleBigPlanet 2 and NBA 2K11.

Sports Champions, a compilation of low-impact sports games included in the Move bundle, will appeal to those with families. Frisbee golf is intuitive; if players know how to throw a real flying disc they’ll have no trouble competing. Bocce Ball isn’t just for the Huxtable family anymore, now it can be played indoors after a dinner party.

The controllers work well with more action-packed games too. Kung Fu Rider, which challenges players to use martial arts moves while racing through Hong Kong on an office chair (I am serious), is joyfully frenetic.

The good:

** The controllers work and feel great.

** The color-changing, rubbery sphere atop each controller looks cool, and is tracked by the camera. Different players’ controllers use different colors, making them easy to tell apart.

** Higher-resolution games look better than what can be created on the Wii.

** The camera allows pictures to be taken of the player and used in a game (Kung Fu Rider). The camera also has a microphone.

The bad:

** Controller’s vibrate, but do not emit audio like the Wii’s.

** The controllers use internal batteries, meaning they must be charged via the USB ports on the PS3. With only two ports on the newer PS3 models, a separate $30 charging station may not be considered optional.

** Players must calibrate the controller and camera often, usually before every game.

** Select and Start buttons are oddly placed.

** The camera can be confused if there’s too much action going on in its field of view.

** No Mario Kart!