OOO K

I was under the impression that they thought the technology was there, it just wasn't cost effective.

"So when we were working with the 3D cameras we felt the cost of the camera outweighed the advantages of what it offered. "

That quote is near the top of the first page. 

What I got out of that is that they looked into it years ago and decided that it cost too much for what they wanted to do. Now may be a different story. It looks like they stopped looking into 3D camera stuff before Move. 

"Eurogamer: Did you have a stressful meeting with the execs when you pitched Move?

Anton Mikhailov: Yes. And, actually, at that time we were investigating a lot of technologies. We were looking into 3D cameras like Kinect. That started way back in 2002, so we already by that time had stopped that research. We worked with the London Studio guys on that."

It looks like the research was done a while ago.

So... it's not that the tech isn't advanced enough, or that it isn't there, it seems to me that it was more of... at the time they looked into it, the tech wasn't where they would have liked it to be, at the cost they would have liked it to be.

To everyone above, go watch the Dr. Marks videos.  They're quite insightful as to what was going on with the tech.  For 3D tracking, there was kinect, and there was a brightly coloured object.  To tell the truth you can do a lot of what Move can do with just a ball and a stick (Which was demonstrated).  So when they were weighing in options; expensive camera for 3D tracking, or a ball and a stick... for 3D tracking.  Both did the same thing at the time and one is a lot cheaper than the other.

kinect is awesome and the hardcore titles that the 3rd parties have in the works show, sony is talking pure bs in terms of what the kinect tech can achieve this gen. sony does know tech, but the have proved this gen that they dont always choose the right tech to back. case in point the move,i used to own the move and after playing it awhile i was extremely disappointed with it, its a slightly better wiimote, except u have to calibrate it every damn time to play a game is pure bs.  the move with be a good success for sony, but kinect will prove to be a even more of a success for m$.

my kids just played on kinect at asda and it could not keep up with them, actions happened about half a second later and sometimes when they jumped too much too quickly it just could not keep up, sorry, but the play session with kinect pretty much confirmed my knowledge of kinect and i know for a fact that lots are lies are being spread about kinect right now..

1. did you play any hardcore move games before abandoning it??

2. have you watchesd the tech demos for virtual reality and bject modelling using move, it has more promise than kinect

3. most move owners here do not agree with the slightly better wiimote theory....

lets just pretend for one second that Sony had not abandoned Kinect technology

let us imagine Sony came up with that exact same product that Microsoft has released now, with exact the same launch games and tech behind it.

let us further pretend Microsoft had chosen to go the other way and develop a Motion controller with buttons and tracking in 3D Space.

is there anyone supporting Kinect right now who could honestly say that they would buy a PS3 in that case, because Sony has the better motion controls?

Or would it rather be that the ridicule would never end for trying to sell the Eyetoy again?

i don't expect an answer, just ask yourself people, you know the truth.

I suspect PS3 fans would be singing the praises of highly advanced controllerless gaming with its whole new vista of potential and dissing the Xbox dildo. And the Xbox fans would be celebrating the superior precision, responsiveness and feedback afforded by the hand-held motion device, while dissing the new PS camera as already tried and failed technology with only a slight improvement and no real application for hardcore games.

End of the day in the console wars it's got nothing to do with the best technology, it all about which technology your side is using, and who is selling the most.

It was an interesting read. I suspect in 2002 the 3D technology was a bit limited and the ball on a stick was a more cost effective way to go. I think Sony made a call to switch directions, and then invested in going that direction, at some stage there was a point of no return where ditching the ball on a stick and returning to a controllerless 3D camera concept was not a viable option for this generation, perhaps in part because of the massive losses Sony suffered in the early part of this generation. So even with a better 3D technology Sony were too far down the ball on a stick solution that they had to see it through to completion. Seems like Anton still thinks the current 3D camera tech is too limiting and is only willing to go back to it after another generational improvement on the technology. But he's clearly indicated an interest in re-opening up research when the tech is at the level they want it to be.

Interesting times ahead.

I REALLY DON'T SEE SONY GOING BACK IN THE 3D CAMERA DIRECTION AGAIN AFTER SEEING THAT PATENT LEAK WHICH ALLOWS FULL BODY TRACKING WITH A MOTION CONTROLLER USING A ULTRASONIC TRANSMITTOR...

Did we need another thread with the same downplaying we've read for the last year.  Kinect works, move on.

Jneul, you have kids (no need to answer)?  By the way most users here would say move is not just a slighter better wiimote largely due to the huge majority of users that are Sony fans.