PS3 motion games only need one wand

Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida has told Eurogamer that launch titles for the PS3 motion controller will only require one of the handheld wands to play.

Demos at the E3 unveiling focused on the wand's precision and the potential for using two at once, but Yoshida said the barrier for entry has to be "as low as possible".

"The ultimate goal or wish for us is if you have two controllers, like we demoed at E3, we can do something really amazing. It's like putting your arms into the TV, like a gaming space, and you have total control of the 3D space in front of you," Yoshida told Eurogamer in an interview published today.

"But because of cost-of-goods and, you know, people have to have the PlayStation Eye camera as well, we are approaching the launch by making sure that all games that we create can be played with one controller and the camera. We will also introduce options for if you happen to have more than one controller available. Experiences will be enhanced if you purchase a second."

Sony said at E3 that up to four wands could be recognised by the PlayStation Eye at once, with their movements tracked and reflected in software.

And Yoshida said that despite the accomplished nature of the E3 tech demos, development of the wands is ongoing. "It's been an iterative process that we are still continuing," he told Eurogamer, "so every version gets better and better and has some features added or removed. We are still continuing that process."

Asked whether Sony was closing in on the final design, he said: "Yeah I think so. Ha ha. We have to finish sooner than later."

The motion controller is due out in spring 2010 and Sony has said it expects to talk about it in more depth at the Tokyo Game Show next month, although Yoshida said he couldn't make any promises on that front.