It’s been a great run at the top of the motion gaming pile for the Nintendo Wii but its age and rather obvious performance weak- nesses are beginning to show, more so ever since the big boys in the business got serious about motion gaming. Microsoft’s controller-less Kinect gaming system is still some time away, possibly coming our way year-end (if not later), so Sony’s really fired the first crucial salvo with the launch of the PlayStation Move gaming system. I put the system through its paces and tried to answer the question on most of our minds — is it just a Wii-clone, or does it bring something new to the table?

The comparisons to the Wii are inevitable, to be honest. Technology wise, it is a Wii-mote (the Wii’s motion sensitive remote) on steroids. With the Wii, the sensor bar sits by the TV and beams out infra-red light that a camera in the remote picks up in order for the pointer to function, and the orientation sensors within detect movement.

Move flips this around, with a camera (called the PlayStation Eye) next to the TV picking up the glowing ball on the end of the controller. The PS3 then maps your position precisely in the 3D space by just inferring relative movement based on your previous position, and the size of the ball determines the distance from the controller.

What this translates into in terms of gameplay is a massive increase in accuracy — no longer do you just casually flail your arms or flick your wrists — with the Move, you can make small changes in the angle at which you hold say a table tennis racket to introduce topspin or backspin, or swing a golf club all the way to add power to your shot. The implementation of these nuances is spot on, bumping up the Move controller far far ahead of the Wii in terms of sheer accuracy and responsiveness. It’s that darn good!

And it’s easy to pick up too, for anyone who’s already got a PS3. Besides the four standard buttons (X, , Square, and Triangle), the Move controller also features the large Move button up front, and a trigger (T) button at the back. Both of these buttons are well placed, which is just as well since they are crucial to the Move experience. There’s also a Navigation controller, which is an optional add-on and can also be substituted by your regular PS3 controller.

So really, buying into the Move experience is about as easy as picking up the Move Starter Kit for your existing PlayStation 3, since this bundles the PS Eye, one Move controller, and a disc with nine game demos that’ll get you up and gaming in no time at all. For those looking to splurge, there is a charging accessory and a shooting attachment for shooter games also available.

But it’s really down to the games available that support the Move functionality, and the launch title list is promising. Highly recommended is Sports Champions (Rs 1,499), in a sense the Move’s main launch title. Sports Champions is a great showcase of what the PlayStation Move is capable of, and the games — Bocce, Disc Golf, Archery, Table Tennis, Gladiator Duel, and Volleyball — let you enjoy hours of casual gameplay. This is just what the console needed — something that lets folks pick up a game, play it for a bit without getting bogged down in difficult controls and complex storylines.

Many game developers and publishers are building in software updates to current games to support Move functionality, and if the current titles are anything to go by, this is going to get even better as more folks come on board. In the end, the Move delivers exceedingly well, and would’ve scored a perfect ten in my books if there were more launch titles. The starter kit is priced just right, and with motion gaming taking off, Sony’s got the right mix of ingredients in the Move.

• Rating: 9/10
• Price: PlayStation Move motion controller - Rs 2,499, Navigation controller - Rs 1,899, Starter Pack (includes Move motion controller, PlayStation Eye camera and a Starter disc) - Rs 3,650
• URL: http://bit.ly/cGQCn2

Case in point

Getting phone cases right for the iPhone is a toughie. You either end up adding bulk to the device, or they end up sticking in your pocket and gathering lint, as is the case with most silicone cases. I’d all but given up on using a case with the iPhone, until

OtterBox recently launched a couple of new hybrid silicone cases that add a hard plastic shell to a silicone case so you can slip your iPhone in and out of your pocket without forsaking a good degree of protection. The Commuter Series, available for the 3GS and the new iPhone 4, add very little to the size of the device, but the combined effect of the corner silicon padding and the tough polycarbonate case means that should your iPhone fall, the case cushions the impact rather well. Trust me, it works, and the price is justified. Oh, and there are a range of colour options to suit your style. Colour me impressed.

• Price: $34.95 (for the Commuter range for the 3GS/4)
• URL: http://bit.ly/9lImxY