The Channel Wire

June 03, 2009

Every move you make, Sony and Nintendo will be watching you. On Tuesday, both companies unveiled motion video game technology that tracks user movements.

Sony and Nintendo introduced the new gaming features hot on the heels of Microsoft's Project Natal's motion control system announcement the day before.

At the E3 Conference in Los Angeles, Sony lifted the veil on new technology for PlayStation 3 that employs a camera to track player hand movements. The offering is similar to the PlayStation Eye accessory that is already available. The new Sony product is slated for release in the spring of 2010.

For gamers on the go, Sony is set to release the new PlayStation Portable, the PSP Go. The product is 40 percent lighter than the PSP-3000 that's already on the market and 50 percent smaller.

The PSP Go has slide-out controls, Bluetooth and 16 GB of internal memory. The product's big advantage over the current model is that gamers can download games from Sony's online store and don't have to worry about using the Universal Media Disc.

Sony is not doing away with the PSP-3000, which will still be available for $170.

The PSP Go hits shelves in the U.S. on Oct. 1 with a $249 price tag. The system will be available in Europe at the same time and in Japan on Nov. 1.

Not to be outdone, Nintendo also announced a slew of new offerings. The company is coming out with the WiiFit Plus, an updated version of the hot-selling system this fall.

Another new Nintendo product is the Wii Motion Plus for the Wii controller that reportedly provides better precision control for users.

Additionally, Nintendo demonstrated a new plug-in for the Wii Remote controller dubbed the Wii Vitality Sensor. The accessory is clipped onto a user's finger which takes the pulse of the gamer. The company, however, did not disclose further details of the add-on.