14 DAY TRIAL // The PlayStation Move motion controls system for the PlayStation 3 allows the Sony device to really capture the existing user base of the Nintendo Wii, especially since most Wii owners are looking to upgrade to a high definition experience, at least according to games industry analyst Michael Pachter.
Microsoft has been showcasing its impressive Xbox 360 and Kinect sales in recent months with data from the NPD group, while Sony hasn’t exactly been willing to share the figures for its PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Move devices.
Pachter believes this will change, however, as the Move enables the PS3 to attract Wii owners who want to upgrade their experience to a high definition one, while not changing things all that much.
“Move positions PS3 to capture a large share of the Wii "trade-up" crowd. As Wii owners seek an HD experience, trading up to the PS3 makes a lot of sense. Clearly, Microsoft has tried to position its Kinect bundles to serve the same purpose, and as people trade up (largely as they get older and wealthier), Xbox Live offers a pretty compelling alternative to the single-player experience on the Wii.”
Pachter believes the Move, given that its similarity to the motion controls from the Wii, with a remote and a camera, is certain to attract more Wii owners willing to enhance their experience while not modifying it altogether, like with a Kinect that doesn’t require any sort of controller.
“Sony positioned Move to make the transition to an HD console comfortable, and if you've played with Move, you will agree that it provides a very Wii-like experience, albeit in HD. I think we'll see Sony continue to sell PS3s at a rate higher than Wii sales (except perhaps at holiday with these crazy Christmas sales [messing] things up), suggesting that they are capturing a portion of the trade-up crowd.”
The winter holiday season is slowly starting these weeks and Sony already launched several bundles of its PlayStation 3, some complete with the PS Move peripheral.