Sony â??not camera-shyâ?? as MS bans Natal snaps

Sony has told Develop that it is actively allowing the press and public to take pictures and video of its upcoming motion controller, Move.

In fact, the platform holder recently allowed various members of the press to take snaps of the device at a recent showcase in London, which Develop attended.

Today news site VG247 reports that Microsoft will not be allowing video or photography at its "technology-free" pre-E3 Project Natal showcase.

It is almost certain that the newest and nearest rival to that technology – Sony’s PlayStation Move – will be seen at E3 with no restrictions on taking pictures and filming footage.

“We’re very hands-on with Move, we’re not camera-shy” a Sony rep told Develop. “We are showcasing a range of games that showcase Move’s broad range of experiences, and so we have no issue with allowing people to see Move and record what they like.”

The developments come as both Sony and Microsoft try to allure audiences to new technologies in which consumer confidence is vital. Motion control remains a relatively uncharted technology in the last three decades of game development.

Microsoft’s proposed ban on cameras will likely fail to encourage those who have already expressed doubts about its controllerless peripheral.

Traveller’s Tales company director Jon Burton recently told Develop that his own experience with the hands-free controller raised concern.

“I was actually more impressed with Sony’s motion capture solution than Microsoft’s Natal,” he said.

“[Natal is] exceedingly clever,” he said, “but the lag on the input and lack of physical buttons is really going to restrict the kind of games that can be done with it.”