A constant refrain by some developers is that Sony's PS3 console is difficult to program for. The complexity of the Cell architecture means that studios have to devote more time to learning how to extract the maximum result from the hardware. First-party exclusive games show us that the PS3 is capable of great things, but in general mutiplatform games tend to perform worse on the Playstation 3.
That might all be ready to change with the upcoming launch of Sony's motion control hardware. While it looks more complex than Microsoft's competing Natal system, Sony's ball-and-wand device might actually be easier on developers. The system uses a combination of buttons, accelerometers contained in the "wand" portion of the device, and LED light from an opaque ball to send information to the PS3. A camera mounted on top of the player's TV captures the location of the end of the ball, as well as its relative distance from the screen by comparing its size from one frame to the next. The accelerometers triangulate with this data to determine the rotation, angle and speed of movement.
While the hardware is complex, the job for developers is made rather simple. Sony's system provides devs with a simple set of numbers that describe the position of each wand in space, as well as its angle and orientation. All the developer then has to do is plug that data into their game to control movement of objects. Rather than the Wiimote, which gives developers data about user "gestures", the Sony device is much more precise, and inputting motion control should be a snap for programmers.
By contrast, Microsoft's Natal system looks simpler, but is in fact more complicated. A camera mounted on top of the user's TV captures movement, like in the Sony system, but there is no handheld device. Instead, the device will need a complex set of software tools to identify and capture the relevant information from the field of vision. Is it your turn to play? Natal has to figure out that it needs to ignore your friend, who won't stop moving around on the sofa next to you. Did your mom or dad just walk into the room? Natal needs to ignore those, too. It's cool technology if Microsoft can get it to work, but for the first time this generation, Sony has taken the more straightforward approach.
While it is impossible to predict how the "motion control wars" will play out with consumers, one thing is clear: Sony's system will make it easier for developers to focus on games, without having to worry about the motion part.
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