PlayStation Move off to strong sales start

PlayStation Move, a new motion-sensing peripheral for the Sony PlayStation 3, is a hit among gamers in the Americas – to the tune of 1 million units sold in just one month. That's the news today from Sony HQ, which says that it is struggling to keep up with consumer demand. "We had to go back and increase production twice, we're absolutely maxed out right now," Sony exec Jack Tretton told Reuters today.

Tretton said that Sony expects shortages to continue through February of 2011. According to Reuters, the Move is available at 30,000 retail outlets in the Americas; the device recently launched in Japan, and has sold upward of 1.5 million units in Europe. These numbers are good news for Sony, which had looked to the Move to help reverse months of sagging hardware and software sales. (Read our full rundown on the new crop of motion-sensing devices.)

"The Move may finally prove whether someone who plays a Killzone or fighting game can like motion gaming as much as their grandma likes to use motion gaming to bowl," Stephen Totilo, deputy editor at the gaming blog Kotaku, recently told the Monitor. "If Sony nails that and makes motion gaming cool for the traditional PlayStation gamer, that will be a big breakthrough."

So how has the PlayStation Move stacked up?

In our recent review of the PlayStation Move, Horizons blogger Chris Gaylord praised the responsiveness of the Sony peripheral. "Sony's combination of wireless controllers and a video camera allows for near 1:1 movement within a 3-D space," he wrote. "While gripping a Move controller, your on-screen sword, magic wand, or ping pong paddle will match your every contortion. Roll your wrists, lunge at the camera – Move will keep up with almost zero lag."

Still, he admits the Move has its limitations. "While Sony has nailed the feeling of motion-controls, the illusion falls apart if the camera ever loses sight of a controller. This won't be a problem for most people, since games don't ask you to do any behind-the-back tricks," he notes. "But small living rooms may cramp the Move. Sony recommends you stand eight feet away from the camera. Any closer and you'll quickly fall out of frame."