When Sony unveiled their motion controller at E3 the response of the audience was underwhelming to say the least.  From all appearances, it seemed as though Sony was trying to capitalize on Nintendo’s Wii controller, and lessen the impact Nintendo’s new console was going to have on the PS3.  A form of “me too” permeated their keynote and questions began to fly.

After a few weeks of the rumors floating around, Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide president Phil Harrison was quoted as saying, “In a way I understand why people say [we stole Nintendo’s idea], but it is a little stupid, if you forgive the remark.”  Phil elaborated by describing how Sony brought 3D graphics to the console market with the advent of the original PlayStation, yet did not cry “foul” when Nintendo released their 3D capable console, the N64.  To help further squash the rumors, David Reeves, SCE Worldwide president and CEO, had the following to say: “We’ve had a positive reaction to the controller and obviously some people have asked if it’s a last minute thing.  It’s not - it’s been planned for around two and a half years.”

It’s entirely feasible that Sony has worked on and developed the controller in absolute secrecy for over two years.  However, it is difficult to imagine that there wasn’t a leak somewhere along the way giving even a hint of the controller’s motion capabilities.  Even harder to believe is that Sony would remain totally silent on their “in development” motion controller, especially once Nintendo started to provide hints about the Wii’s controller.

To further cloud the issue, we spoke with a developer from Electronic Arts when we were at E3.  It was the day of Sony’s announcement, and the question we asked was in regards to Madden 2007.  We were curious to know how EA planned on implementing the PS3’s motion controller, as we had just seen Nintendo’s adaptation of Madden 2007 on the Wii.  The developer looked at us for a moment, and then, in a wry tone of voice, said that they had only learned of the motion controller that very morning during Sony’s keynote, the same as everyone else.  Secrecy is all well and good, but you would think the game developers would need a bit of beforehand knowledge so they could perform proper game development.

In the end, did Sony have their motion controller in development for over two years, long before Nintendo provided information as to the Wii’s abilities?  It’s hard to say at this point, and we may never know, but it’s not inconceivable to think that Sony was scrambling for something that would help them “save face”.

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