In fact they were ”lucky” Microsoft made ”such a big deal” with Kinect, as otherwise they wouldn’t have got ”as much coverage” from the press.
”It’s very interesting that you say that - because ever since we announced Move at E3 last year, I’ve always felt like we were lucky that Microsoft made such a big deal with Project Natal,” explained Yoshida-san, responding to Move and Kinect’s close launch dates.
”In a broader sense, we are categorised as “motion gaming” - if we were just doing Move, we wouldn’t have had as much coverage and attention from media and consumers.”
”Because you have Kinect versus Move, or Natal versus Motion Controller… I’ve always felt that that helps to convey our message in terms of what’s unique about Move. In our mind, from the beginning, we clearly understood the difference between what Microsoft is trying to do and what we have been doing,” he went on.
”I feel like it’s a great thing, to have the Kinect versus Move versus Wii comparison.” The Sony boss may have been flattering to Kinect in terms of the PR it fed Move indirectly but the technology behind it he was less than enthused about.
”I think that 3D cameras, technology-wise, are not anything like a secret. There are lots of technologies being presented by tech companies. I have no doubt that all companies have tried it and evaluated it, and have come to their own decisions.”
”Yes, including ourselves - we’ve been doing camera research from the PS2 days, and of course we looked at 3D cameras. If you remember, we once did a presentation during one of our industry events using an early prototype of a 3DV or Primesense camera - talking about new technology directions. So yes, we’re very, very familiar with the technology.”
PlayStation Move is available in the shops now while Microsoft’s Kinect will be launching later this year in - November 10th in the UK for £130.
