Customer Reviews

PlayStation Move Starter Bundle

5 star:		(237)
4 star:		(61)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

The Starter Bundle makes it quick and easy for those who already have a PS3 to get an idea of what Move is about. Depending on what you already have on your PS3 and of what/how you are planning to play, all you may need could be just the Move controller and nothing else or you may want to order some additional controllers instead of this bundle.

If you don't have a PS3, then the PlayStation 3 320GB System with PlayStation Move Bundle should be the way to go.

WHAT YOU GET, WHAT ELSE YOU MAY NEED/WANT

Briefly, this is what you get in with this bundle and I will make it very short because there's a lot of info. at the Amazon page:

* Move controller, of course
* PlayStation Eye camera (must have for the Move to work)
* Sports Champions (Ping Pong is simply awesome, some of the games play much better with a second controller)
* A disc with Demos which should be available at the PSN store as well

Depending on how you are planning to play your games, this is what you don't get but may end up buying eventually:

- One more additional Move Controller (some games will either require two controllers or will play better with two)
- Navigation Controller(s) (you can use the DualShock in your left hand but it feels weird)
- One or more extra USB wires if you don't have enough already to charge your new controller(s) OR
- Dedicated charger, especially if you have more than one Move controller and/or Navigation controller(s)

GO FOR THE STARTER BUNDLE OR NOT?

The Motion Controller and the PS Eye are the minimum needed to bring 'Move' to a any PS3 console. No exceptions. If you already have a PS Eye then the controller alone is the only purchase necessary. On the other hand, to fully enjoy certain games, you may want TWO Move Controllers. This starter bundle makes sense if you don't have the Eye already and you are into the type of games that Sports Champions has. You could still get it and then sell the Eye if you already have one. The same goes for the Sports Champions. It comes sealed so you can sell it as 'new' and recover some funds in the process.

MOVE'S MOTION CONTROLLER

The Wikipedia has a very thorough review of the technology inside the controller - impressive. It's probably worth going there to get an idea of what's under the hood.

From a user's point of view, the Move could be viewed as approximately the right side of the DualShock 3 where the motion tracking function is the R3 analog stick, R1 is the MOVE button and the R2 becomes the Move's T(rigger). You also get the 4 Square/Circle/X/Triangle, in a square (not 'diamond') formation, the PS button as well as the START and SELECT. So far, the most used buttons during gameplay were the MOVE and the T(rigger).

In addition, you get a wrist strap. At the opposite end of the microphone-shaped Move there's a USB Mini-B port for charging and another port that seems to be proprietary - must investigate.

The controller is quite substantial as far as both size and weight - I like that and liked its being shaped in a way that makes it easy to grab and hold. Very much like a microphone or a very thick magic wand; NOT a remote control.

Based on my experience so far, Move's ability to track your motions far surpasses anything that I'm aware of in the gaming universe. Every single movement, up/down, left/right, toward/away and wrist rotation are accurately captured and almost instantly reflected on the screen and so is acceleration that would usually translates as 'force' in games such as sword fights or ping pong. In addition, there is haptic (tactile/rumble) feedback, a little too weak in the games I played so far, making the gaming experience that much more realistic.

I am not writing a lot about the Eye camera because... it's just there and it's not the subject of this review. For as long as it can see you, it simply does its part so that you may enjoy your game.

THE GAME

Sports Champions consists of 6 separate events where you play through one of the available characters either against the other characters provided by the game or against another player - will need a second Move controller for that. As expected, there are levels of difficulties, medals and various bonuses.

PING PONG shows Move's nothing short of amazing ability to track its controllers position in 3D space and, better, even detect moves such as wrist rotation and to track acceleration as 'force' and do it in real time. Playing Ping Pong is challenging, fun, frustrating and addictive. My entire arm, from wrist all the way up to the neck hurts already and I'm not even done with the Bronze Medal challenge yet (almost there).

ARCHERY is probably second most popular, at least in our household. We like it because, unlike PING PONG, we don't sweat a lot while playing it. ARCHERY is also one of the 3 included games that make it quite clear that you will be much better off with TWO Motion Controllers. Some of the challenges look quite cheesy - shooting at floating money bags but we've spent some time playing it and it's likely that we are going to play some more in the future.

The GLADIATOR SWORD FIGHT game, even more than ARCHERY would benefit from TWO Motion Controllers - one for the sword/axe and a second for a shield. With one controller only, you must pull the trigger to raise and use your shield or use the sword otherwise. Yes, Sony gave us BUTTONS but the game is ten times more realistic when you actually push your shield forward the way you would actually do it in real life rather than pull the trigger to raise the shield and, at the same time push the Move button while making a 'push' motion.

BOCCE... ever played it? I have a couple of times. Plays well with one controller but it can be a little boring. Good simulation.

FRISBEE GOLF is not bad. Actually played it in real life on the course we have at the nearby state park. It's a little slow but it's good relaxation after you sweat yourself out on PING PONG or GLADIATOR.

VOLLEYBALL, again, can be so much better with two Motion Controllers. Also, be careful if you play in a room with low ceilings or anything that hangs from the ceiling like a ceiling fan or a priceless crystal candelabrum.

Considering that Sports Champions is an early game, my expectations were not that high but, surprisingly, Ping Pong exceeded my expectations. I've been playing real Ping Pong ever since I was 11 or 12 so I probably know what I'm talking about and the Move version of Ping Pong is GOOD. As for the others... sword fight, not so good. Archery was okay, Bocce was so-so, Frisbee Golf not too bad.

For the games I've played so far, this is NOT a couch experience. On the Sports events I was sweating after a few minutes and my Move arm is now hurting from the wrist all the way up to the neck.

MY RATING

It's 5 stars for the technical merit, ease of setup and for the overall experience. Hopefully, lots of good games will be coming quickly.

Length:: 3:11 Mins

Positives:
Intuitive design.
Excellent precision.
Realistic anti-waggle feedback.
Almost no detectable delay.

Negatives:
Obnoxious disco ball light.
Bundle comes with only 1 controller.
You must have plenty of space to play with it.

In a nutshell - the Move brings the motion tracking of the Wii to the awe-inspiring graphics engine of the PS3. It's enough to make one salivate at the possibilities.

Please note that I'm rating this primarily from a family/kid oriented perspective (given how we use it in our home), and not as a hard core individual gamer. This is just my opinion - for what it's worth - and I don't intend to offend anyone's sensibilities. My intent is not to stoke a PS3 vs. Wii war, and I'm just using the Wii as a comparison point, given my personal experience with both systems.

While I was an early Wii adopter, most of my game investments have been for the PS3 (Bioshock 1 & 2, Infamous, Fallout 3, IL2 Sturmovik, Valkyria Chronicles, ...), primarily for the depth of gameplay and graphics that it makes possible - especially on large screen televisions.

Well, the Move signals that the PS3 has finally caught up with the Wii and in many ways has actually surpassed it.

Unfortunately, though the implementation of the Move is technologically a 5-star, the fun quotient for this particular game is closer to a 3-star - especially when a kid-oriented audience is concerned.

What is awesome about the Move?
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1. The Playstation Eye Camera actually follows the bright light at the end of the controller, so is able to sense the minutest movements in all three dimensions. It is actually fairly uncanny how well it tracks your movements. This brings an air of realism to games that is sometimes unreal!

2. The accompanying games are well executed and quite bug free - a huge feat in itself. In addition, the games seem to have an amazing amount of physics realism that really begins to get challenging at harder difficulty levels. For instance, with archery you need to consider the parabolic trajectory of your arrows which gets progressively more important as the targets move farther out from you.

3. The motion controller acts as a navigation controller so you don't need your DualShock PS3 controller. Press the "T"rigger button, and then use horizontal/vertical gestures to navigate the PS3's XMB interface.

What bothers me about the starter bundle?
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1. There isn't a single game that can be played simultaneously by a family of 4. I remember very fondly the family tennis games with the Wii - but that's not going to happen here. The only games that support 4 players, require each player to take turns in sequence (i.e., Bocce Ball and Disc Golf).

It's also a pity that the games are fairly limited in number - no tennis, bowling, or even golf.

2. It comes with only one motion controller.
This is a problem because some of the games in the pack really require 2 controllers for it to be fun. For example, without a second controller games like archery devolve into a point-the-controller exercise, which is rather fatiguing for small arms. For adults, Gladiator Duel feels a bit silly with just one controller.

3. Gone are the friendliness of the Mii characters. The characters on the Move starter pack are mildly annoying - and even quite aggressive in jeering at you when they win - which was off putting for my youngest. Fortunately, you can shut them up with a click of the Next button.
In addition, you can't customize your avatars - which used to be a source of endless amusement for kids (and parents) when using the Wii.

4. Each time you play, you start with a predefined character (Kenji, Giselle, etc.), and these characters are shared across all family members. As a result, kids don't get to have a "personal best" score associated with their own character. This was a key draw for us on the Wii, as we kept trying to better each other's scores. Unfortunately, Sports Champion doesn't give us the same emotional attachment to a character - and there's no permanent digital scoreboard that let's the kids feel superior to us.

Conclusion:
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If I were rating just the hardware, I'd give it 5 stars. My rating is for the overall enjoyment that my family and I derived from the starter bundle.

In summary then, we liked the Move - but with some caveats.

1) It isn't a game changer for family evenings - we'll still use our Wii for that.

2) I'm awed by the technical brilliance of the Move, and I'm waiting for games that will take full advantage of it.

In the meantime, it definitely is a fun curiosity that I'm sure I'll use occasionally.

Happy Move-ing!
~Damodar.

I've had a PS3 since Nov. of 2006 and consider myself to be a hardcore gamer and technophile. I've been researching the different controller schemes for quite some time and I feel that Sony has the right combination for it's motion control device (MOVE). The problem I've had with the PS3 is finding a game that my wife can play with me that really allows her to share gaming time with me. Since the Move has come out she asks me everyday for a game of bocce (a highly addictive and competitive gaming event included in the Sports Champion game). I picked up the Sports Champions bundle along with an extra move controller and the navigation controller. The camera and controller combination that Sony has employed with this device allows for true 1:1 tacking of your motions which makes it easy to lose track that you have a controller in your hands as you are taken in by how well you can control your character in the game. Yesterday, I had a friend of mine over that owns a Wii to get his take on the device. After playing it 6 hours straight he told me that he loved the controller and how it performed and that he was considering selling his Wii to purchase this. Try it yourself and make the decision but from what I've found, it is a solid device and will only get better. Congrats to Sony.

The Wii was a revolutionary experience, and really really fun. Nintendo did a great job with it and deserve all the credit (and money) they got for it.

The Move takes what the Wii did and builds on it with great success. It's just a better device. Precision and accuracy are considerably better, the device feels good in your hand, and with standard Sony design, it just looks better. I've always been a proponent of matching (all black) media equipment, so I never liked how my Wii stood out like a sore thumb in my entertainment center. The Move fits a lot better.

The Wii's precision left a lot to be desired. The hand icon would shake a lot as you were pointing and clicking, even when I was aiming directly. That's no longer the case with the Move. It really feels like it's a mouse for your TV; that level of control, that level of accuracy, that level of precision.

The games are good, although I've always enjoyed Wii games, so I'm not sure that Sony has done any better on that front. That said, I'm sure as more and more games come out for this, it'll be better than the Wii games (just because PS3 games are always awesome.)

One final thing is price. You already spent nearly $300 on your PS3, and then another $100 for this is a lot of money when you can get a Wii for $200. So if you are budget conscious, perhaps the Wii is the better option. The Move is certainly better, but not for someone who would also need to buy a PS3. What I"m saying is, don't buy a PS3 just so you can get Move. If you have one already, definitely go for it. If you don't, and you want to save some money, go with the Wii.

Enjoy!

I've been playing this game for a couple hours after picking it up at Walmart. The bundle came with Sports Champions game, move controller, PS eye, and a demo disk of some other move titles. It was all easy to set up. The games on Sports Champions were very fun. Table Tennis is a blast, and I still can't believe the accuracy of the move. Putting spins on the ball is a blast and I love how you can hit it soft or hard. Disk Golf, Archery, and Gladiator duel are the only other games on Sports Champions I tried, but they're all fun. I have two move controllers, and playing Gladiator duel and Archery is a blast. After 15 minutes of Gladiator duel I was sweating big time. The Shoot was included on the demo disk and I enjoyed it, I'll pick it up when it hits stores in October. The move is way more accurate than the Wii, which brings in more fun. It's also nice to have HD graphics, that's another thing that I hated with the Wii. Yes it's a little more money than a Wii, but it's worth it and its just a better product. If you're on the fence about this or you love Wii, go pick this up. Very fun!

If you've ever seen how a Wii works, with waving controllers, then you have a sense of what the PS3 Move is all about. This system brings your PS3 into the world of motion sensing technology. It ends up being both better and worse than the Wii.

This PlayStation Move Starter Bundle is just that - the bare bones to get you started in the world of "Move". You get the camera, which is absolutely necessary. You get a controller, which is also necessary. Then you also get one game, which isn't exactly necessary, but is fun.

Camera: The camera is the core of the Move system. Where the Nintendo Wii has tilt sensors in their controllers, to know which way you're angling your hands, the PS3 takes a different route. They literally have a camera pointed at you to see what you are doing. This means they can have very fine responses to your movements. You can swing hard or soft, slow or fast, high or low, and the camera tracks it all.

This is great because the level of detail is great. This is also challenging because it means you have to stand where their CAMERA wants you to stand, in their "box". Normally with our Wii we stand anywhere we want, close or far apart, based on the game. Here you really don't have a choice. That can be challenging for people with less-than-ideal living room layouts.

Controller - The main controller for Move looks like a magic want with a globe stuck on the top of it. The globes light up with different colors which is neat. They are comfortable enough in your hand. Many games, though, want a single person to have two of these globe-controllers, one for each hand. Other games want you to have the globe controller in one hand and the secondary controller in another. Since this starter pack only comes with one globe controller and nothing else, it means you'll have challenges playing many of the one player games, never mind any two player games.

Game - The starter pack comes with "Sports Champions" which has a number of basic sports games - disc golf, archery, table tennis, sword fighting, and that sort of thing. Again some of these games want you to have two controllers just for one person to enjoy it fully. If you want two people to play, you need two controllers. So just buying this starter pack alone will NOT be enough. You'll want to buy extra controllers as well.

I have full length reviews of each of the components (for example the wand controller) separately in their single item sale locations, rather than turning this starter bundle review into a gigantic 8 page opus. Suffice it to say, if you enjoy games that involve movement, you'll want to get this starter pack - but you should also promptly buy more controllers and better games. There is a lot of potential here, it's all a matter of setting up your room to handle the requirements, and then buying games you love to play!

It's worth noting that the Move system is only going to work with games that were coded to use the Move system. You can't randomly stick in any old PS3 game and expect it to know how to use the Move system inputs.

Well recommended.

Rating: 9/10

THE INCLUDED GAME: This isn't my favorite motion-control game ever (that honor would probably go to Metroid Prime 3 or either of the Super Mario Galaxy titles), but it is hands down my favorite casual motion-control title. It is stunningly accurate. I've heard some complaints about table tennis. Table tennis is hands down my favorite sport in this game. As a semi-professional table tennis player, trust me -- it works accurately.

Archery is also a blast. As is, strangely enough, Bocce -- a game I never had much fun with in real life. Another winner is the gladiator duel section of the game. This is the closest motion control has gotten to the 1:1 "lightsaber" or "Lord of the Rings" moment so many have wanted since the Wii was first announced as the "Revolution."

The game isn't perfect. Using two controllers almost seems to be a marketing gimmick to get you to buy a second controller, even if you don't need one. While Gladiator is somewhat better with 2 controllers, archery works MUCH better with only one Move controller. Archery is twice as hard with two controllers.

Complaints and quibbles aside, this really is a fine game. It's pretty much what we were promised by Nintendo with Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. While fun, those games felt lacking. Sports Champions really is the perfect motion-control sport game. It just took it 5 years to finally arrive.

THE CONTROLLER: It works fine for what it does and it's far more accurate than even the Wii Motion Plus, but $50.00 per Move wand is a lot to ask. Especially when the batteries run dry in less than 6 hours and take a good 4 to recharge. This is VERY annoying. I thought my first controller was broken, but the second Move controller I bought was charged for the same length of time and took just as long to recharge.

The other problem with the Move controller is you need a decent sized living/gaming room. It's not as bad as the Kinect (to own a Kinect and properly use it, you must reside in a castle), but the Move needs a MINIMUM of 8 feet to work optimally for games. If the space between your furniture and your television isn't at least 8 feet, you're spending money on something that will not work properly on certain games (including some of the events in Sports Champions).

THE PS3 EYE: Unless you're in a VERY well-lit room with LOTS of natural front-lighting (in other words, you only play during the day), your image will be grainy and full of colored splotches. This affects the game, because you are able to take photos "holding" a virtual bow, paddle, sword, etc. and, all the photos I've taken, have shown a barely visible grainy version of me holding the item. This makes them unusable (you're allowed to upload them to Facebook). Sony really needed to get this right prior to release.

NAVIGATIONAL CONTROLLER (not included with the starter bundle): This was originally titled the "sub-controller" and that was much more fitting. Sony is somehow getting away with charging $30 for half a dual-shock. Only, it's not really half a dual-shock as it features NO RUMBLE. So, you're getting half a six-axis, right? NO. There is NO motion control feature included for your $30. This, to me, is the most disgusting thing about the Move setup, especially considering you REALLY DO need the navigational controller for games like RE5 and Heavy Rain. I guarantee Sony will add rumble to the navigational controller within the next 6 months. So, if you're not a hardcore gamer, I'd wait.

OVERALL: I've spent a LOT of time with the Move, the Wii and the Kinect. If you want ONLY the most CASUAL as CASUAL gaming can be type games, the Kinect is your toy. It certainly has the more impressive technology. But, if you actually game because YOU enjoy GAMING, the MOVE is the motion-control item for you. Owning the Kinect, Move and the Wii, I feel safe saying the Move is the most accurate of the motion control controllers and also the happy medium between casual and hardcore games. The Move is the motion controller for everybody.

I hope this helps.

The PS3 Move is way better than the wii. With the Sports champion game you get a real taste of how much more precise and depth of range than anything I have ever played on the Wii. The games that you can play on Sports Champions are all fun, and after I moved the coffee table and played a few matches of volleyball I actual worked up a pretty good sweat. I did not think I would like volleyball because I did not think it would translate very well. But I was amazed at how quickly I felt like I was really bumping and setting and spiking the ball. In all the games having the vibration feed back in the move really gives a tactile dimension, that makes you feel like your making contact. This is only the beginning, I really can not wait to see what the game developers will be able to do and come up with in the future.

A few quick points.

1. The bundle is a good deal, with game sports champion (and game demo disk), controller, and eye toy. Easily comparable to guitar hero when it came out. Remember it is an add on controller not a whole new system.

2. The control is precise and does take a little time to get used to but I think the learning curve is small enough for small children or seniors to get with out difficulty.

3.You do need room from the eye toy, and you do need room to move around.

4. I will be getting the gun control attachment, that I think will make the shooting games a lot funner and less tiring to play.

5. Given this is the basic set and the beginning, I do believe this is only the tip of the iceberg.

I think for anyone who already owns a PS3 this will be something you will want to get sooner or later. Your not going to play everything with a motion controller but there are definitely games you will not want to experience any other way.

When Sony first announced the Move controller, I'm sure everyone was scratching their head with questions like: Why bother, Nintendo already has this covered? What's with the glowing ball? Why the camera?

Forgot all you've learned with the Nintendo Wii. I have the utmost respect for Nintendo for getting the motion control ball rolling, and I enjoy the Wii system for what it is, however, the motion control on the Wii is not all it's cut out to be. I'm sure like many of you, when you first got the Wii at launch, thought the motion sensor would track your every move. You couldn't wait to bowl, box, or swing a sword, just like you would do in a real environment. The sad truth is, all of the wiimote's movement which "talk" to these games could easily be accomplished on your couch - even laying down. A simple flick of the wrist would translate to an on screen action. No need to stand up and bowl, why bother doing a full arm swing of your sword when it can be done without much effort on your part. In 2009, Nintendo released the Motion Plus add on for the Wii mote which certainly make it a lot more accurate, but not enough games support it just yet, and it still doesn't come close to what Sony has done.

So what makes Sony's PS3 Move such a big deal? Well, for one thing, we're dealing with true 1:1 motion control. That funky glowing ball that was the brunt of many jokes happens to be the key to tracking your every moment; this, in combination with the PlayStation Eye. Once you begin to play any of the Move's games, you immediately sense you are not dealing with anything like the Wii. Not only does it sense anywhere in view your hand is, but it also detects how close or far you are to the TV.

Sports Champions is amazing. The Table Tennis is so realistic, it's almost eerie. All the sports included are a blast to play (well, except for the Frisbee thing which I don't find interesting even in real life). Unlike WiiSports or Resort - you WILL work up a sweat because you will not get anywhere trying to sit in a reclining chair while the PS3 reminds you that your not in range. ;-)

The other two games I've checked out were the EyePet and Start the Party. Both games use live camera feed, so now the player is inside the game! Yes, true augmented reality here folks. Your pretty illuminated PlayStation Move Controller, suddenly becomes another object. Just look at the screen, you're now holding a Paint Brush, a tennis racket, or Ray gun! Folks, you have to see this to believe this. Yes, combining the player with the game's objects and its surroundings is another thing the Wii can't acheive.

Overall, I'm so blown away by the Move's accuracy, The starting line up of games isn't much yet, but there's something for everyone and any choice will put a smile on your face. Plus, Sony and other manufacturers are already releasing patches to incorporate Move control into existing games like Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition, Tiger Woods 11 and much more. Oh, and loving the demo of "The Shoot" - can't wait for October. The system is very easy to set up -- and calibration is easy and super fast.