I got to play a PS3 today. A recent graduate in my program came into one of my classes, and she happens to be developing a downloadable game for the PS3. I was excited to hear her speak about how she started her career and even more excited to play the prototype on the PS3.

While the prototype was not complete, much of the artwork and animation was in place. My classmates and I were all very impressed when she put in the cheats so we could see the final forms for the creatures you can control.

I watched a few people play using only motion control - no buttons or analog sticks. The game is a 2D/3D hybrid that is very dynamic and captivating. It was amusing to watch some of my classmates use the motion control, over-compensating and wiggling around in an uncoordinated dance.

When it was finally my turn, I moved the controller in more moderate movements and found that it was quite intuitive. I enjoyed moving my character with only motions themselves, rather than being artificially separated with button-mashing or stick-pushing.

However, I found that the motion control was not as revolutionary as I would have hoped. At its heart, I was still just moving a controller around, but at least it was in a 3D environment (rather than the confining limits of analog sticks, triggers, and buttons). While the motion control felt natural, it was not as if I merged with the game. Even if I was playing on an enormous projection, it made no difference.

So where will games go next? How will motion control become innovative rather than boring? I am excited to play the Wii and compare. I hope developers will take advantage of the next-gen possibilities of the Wiimote and the PS3’s motion controls as they become more commonplace. We may not have the Virtual Reality we once dreamed of for the future, but at least we can create a more immersive experience through the motion control in the next-gen consoles.