The motion-sensing revolution – along with the all desperate promises of the last two E3s – is nearly upon us. With Microsoft’s Kinect coming in November and the Playstation Move readying a September 17th launch, prepare to flail in a sea of reviews and details for both new interfaces.


COMING THIS FALL!!!

Reviews for the Move have been surprisingly positive so far, although its bland, tech-demo-y launch titles aren’t tearing anyone away from Red Dead Redemption. Sony’s Playstation Blog lists just about everything you’d want to know about the Move in its Ultimate F.A.Q., including some welcome news about tracking and lag:

Q: How precise is PlayStation Move?
A: The PlayStation Move is tracked completely 1:1, so its complete position and orientation are known. High-speed data from internal sensors is combined with sub-pixel PlayStation Eye camera data, allowing precise measurement of a wide range of motions, from the tiniest movements to most vigorous swipes.

Q: How much “lag” does PlayStation Move have? Is there a noticeable delay of my motion to the action performed onscreen?
A: The PlayStation Move has similar sensing latency as the DUALSHOCK 3 controller — for many PlayStation Move games, this is about 22ms, though it can vary somewhat between games. Modern HDTVs unfortunately have much more latency, usually on the order of 60-160ms. If your TV has “game mode,” make sure to enable it.

The F.A.Q. also has a sense of humor. Long sigh emphasis mine: 

Q: Do you need to stand when using PlayStation Move? Do you need to sit?
A: [LONG SIGH….] No, you do not need to stand. As long as the camera has a clear, direct view of you and the PlayStation Move motion controller, you can play while standing, sitting, slouching, reclining, etc.

Take that, Kinect!

So will this be a bold new direction for the user interface, or is it just another highfalutin Sega Genesis Menacer? If you’re willing to place an early bet on Sony’s motion-sensing technology, you can pick up the basic Move bundle for $99.99 on September 17th.