14 DAY TRIAL // Despite not making an official announcement it seems that hardware developer and video game publisher Sony is aiming to launch its PlayStation Move motion tracking device on the PC, with full support for those developers that will integrate it into their games and for those modders who want to find new uses for it.
The intentions are made clear by the presence of John McCutchan, one of the main engineers that have worked on Move during its development process, at a GDC panel that is called “Update on PlayStation Move Development.”
Here's the full description of the panel that will take place at the Game Developers Conference, “This talk will bring developers up to speed on developing for the PlayStation Move controller. We will cover developing for the new PlayStation Move Sharp Shooter accessory. We will discuss the new Move Server project that will make it possible for academics and hobbyists to develop software using the PlayStation Move controller on their own PCs.”
It's not clear why Sony is talking more about modders and academics than about professional video game developers, but this could be just the beginning for a PC-oriented Move roll-out that could take place all during 2011.
At the moment Move is integrated into more casually oriented video games for the PlayStation 3, but February will see the release of the first-person shooter Killzone 3, from Guerrilla Games, which will integrate motion tracking and later in the year the tactical shooter SOCOM 4 will also use Move and its subcontrollers.
The main rival of the PlayStation Move, the Microsoft made Kinect device, has been left wide open by its creators, with modders able to modify it to support PC games from World of Warcraft to first-person shooters.
Microsoft also suggested that it would be offering more official support soon for Kinect on the PC.