PlayStation Move controller to become a research tool

Sony's new software Move.Me enables the Sony PlayStation Move controller to act as an input device for PCs -- via a PS3 console -- allowing the development of applications beyond waving a stick in the air in the name of gaming.

We all feel pretty badass standing in front of our TVs with a PlayStation Move controller in hand, a guttural scream of anger emanating from our lungs towards all we slay with our invisible swords, but Sony believes we can do so much more with this technology -- maybe even save the world!

Okay, maybe not save the world, but Sony is aiming the Move.Me specifically at academic researchers, university lecturers and students as well as good old programmers who just want to play with the technology.

Sony is hoping that the Move can eventually be used as a tool to help in physical therapy, rehabilitation and sports science, which is unsurprising considering the extra revenue those outlets would bring. Still, we're all for the use of gaming technology in medical applications -- our attempts at porting our NES Zapper from Duck Hunt to MRI scanning was none too successful.

Microsoft's own motion-tracking peripheral, Kinect, has been subjected to a plethora of different hacks, ranging from 3D imaging to multi-touch interfaces, Minority Report style. None of these were (strictly speaking) allowed by Microsoft until they released the software development kit last month.

Sony has obviously realised extreme hacking is an inevitable future for the Move system and so is opening its arms wide for a big collaborative hug with developers, welcoming all kinds of hacks and apparently hoping some good can come out of it. We hope so too.

The Move.Me application will be available for download from the PlayStation Network in spring.