Jonathan Takiff: Take that, Wii! Sony creates PlayStation Move

THE GIZMO: PlayStation Move Control System.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN: 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 in more of the "casual gamer" 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.

WHO'S ON FIRST: 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 game system.

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.

But with Sony's revamping, the Eye Toy's wide angle lens now tracks a unique glowing ball at the tip of the Move Motion Controller remote and feeds back that extra positioning and gesturing information to the game console with such accuracy it's spooky.

And that glowing ball sometimes changes color to reflect whether you're doing well or running out of life. (Beware the dangerous red sphere.)

THE GAMES PEOPLE WILL PLAY: For my test run, Sony sent over five 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). And with no serious study of the operator's manual, either. On-screen tutorials show ya how.

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 literally puts a player into the picture amid whimsical computer graphics scenery and characters (bugs, robots, creatures from a distant planet) that the player swats at, blows to safety with an electric fan, beautifies or colors with the controller.

Fun for all ages.

_ If your little ones crave an animal buddy, they could be charmed by the on-screen and highly responsive "EyePet." I found the "action" slow and repetitive. But hey, you can't train a real pet in a minute, do you?

This Move title requires the gamer 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 (I named mine Eyegore) will plop right in your lap.

There's also a 3-D viewing option that works with one of the new sets and the special 3-D viewing glasses Sony is pushing. (The maker cautions against children 6 or under using the glasses and recommends an occasional "timeout" for all ages.)

_ "Sports Champions" is a title many Move customers will invest in first. It holds up well in comparison with Nintendo's original and ultra-popular "Wii Sports."

I was particularly impressed by the software's reactions to my body shifts, as well as hand/paddle coordination in table tennis and the option to use two Move remotes simultaneously for archery and beach volleyball to get more lifelike simulations - and exercise both arms. There's also disc golf, a gladiator duel and boccie.

_ For comparison's sake, Sony also sent the "Racquet Sports" title from Ubisoft. Stadium graphics and announcing are more realistic, and the play is more forgiving in beginner's mode.

_ Unlike the above, 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.

HARDER STUFF: 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 (à la the Nintendo Nunchuck) for more serious first-person shooters/role playing games like Ubisoft's "R.U.S.E." and Bandai Namco's "Time Crisis: Razing Storm."

And free upgrade "patches" are now available for PS3 players to put a Move on Capcom's "Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition," Sony's "Heavy Rain" and EA Sports' "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11."

Send e-mail to takiffj@phillynews.com.