The Sony PlayStation Move was just recently launched and folks at iFixit – the DIY repair company have already published a teardown analysis of the new motion controller from Sony. While the teardown itself makes for an interesting study, one of the more standout revelations is in the way PlayStation Move differs from Wii Remote with respect to the controller location tracking technology.
According to iFixit, the method used on both these consoles is vastly different. The Wii Remote contains an IR sensor. This is used in conjunction with the IR emitters placed near the TV so that the console can detect the movement of the Wii Remote using triangulation methods. The tracking methodology is basically two dimensional.
On the other hand, PlayStation Move tracks three dimensional movement. The PlayStation Eye camera recognizes the X/Y position of the glowing orb on the Move controller to detect two dimensional movement. In addition to this, the relative size of the orb is also tracked in order to measure the third dimension of movement.
In case you are wondering, Microsoft’s motion controller – the upcoming Kinect makes use of a webcam to track movements. Check out a comprehensive study of its technology here.