PlayStation Move takes aim at Wii

One-upsmanship fuels excitement in the video- game world. Today, it's Sony's turn to claim "leadership" position again with the PlayStation Move -- a combination of peripheral gadgets and games for the PlayStation 3.

On the surface, Move seems designed to lure more of the casual gamers crowd that rival Nintendo courts so well with the Wii. But Move also will provide (on other new or freshened PS3 titles) more complex play options for serious gamers.

Move is built around a gyroscopically enhanced, force-feedback-laced magic wand with buttons that you point, slash and wave at the screen. Say that and people invariably reply, "Oh, like the motion-sensing wireless remote for the Nintendo Wii!"

Well, yes, there's that.

But Move also builds on a second motion-tracking tool -- Sony's camera-based peripheral called the Eye Toy that actually predates the Wii by several years, having first been sold in 2003 as an add-on for the PlayStation 2.

Placed on top or just below the TV and plugged into the game console, the Eye Toy camera originally worked with special software to insert players into the on-screen playing field, while their waving hands and arms and voice commands became the control mechanism.

This also happens in some of the new Move games and is the modus operandi of Microsoft's Kinect camera/microphone peripheral, coming in November for the Xbox 360.

For my test run, Sony sent over some of the 14 software titles launching with the Move, four of which would qualify as casual games -- fun activities that multigenerations can play together (two at a time, max, unless you're gaming online).

Yes, some of the titles are Wii-like. But the Move versions for PS3 provide more precise feedback and much higher-resolution graphics to show off your HDTV. Plus, shouting at the screen sometimes gets you somewhere.

If you already own a PS3, you can make a Move for just $100, buying a bundle of the Eye Toy, a Move remote, the solid "Sports Champions" title and a demo disc with other game previews. (Alone, a Move Motion Controller costs $50.)

"Start the Party!" is a logical first play activity -- after you've cleared a minimum 8-foot play space between you and the TV and positioned the Eye Toy camera on top of or just below the set on a standard-height TV stand. On this mini-games collection, the camera puts a player into the picture amid whimsical computer graphics scenery and characters that the player swats at, blows to safety with an electric fan, beautifies or colors with the controller. It's fun for all ages.

If your little ones crave an animal buddy, they could be charmed by the on-screen and highly responsive "EyePet." The game requires the player to sit on the floor to play and stroke (with hands or remote) a fuzzy, four-legged creature using on-screen toys and play modes acquired over time. Here, too, the gamer is visible on screen and is so accurately tracked by artificial intelligence that the creature will plop right in your lap.

It's OK to sit down on the job when playing "Kung Fu Rider," a more complex chase and dodge game through an urban landscape with mobsters in hot pursuit and obstacles everywhere. Skateboard game fans will find the premise amusing, as you wheel and rail around town seated on an office chair.

Not to confuse matters, but there's also a supplementary $30 Navigation Controller for the PlayStation Move that's wielded (optionally) in the left hand (a la the Nintendo Nunchuck) for serious first-person shooters and role-playing games such as Ubisoft's "R.U.S.E." and Bandai Namco's "Time Crisis: Razing Storm."