Rumour: Sony tested "PS3mote" earlier this year

According to this PlayStationLifestyle.net piece, Sony tested a motion-sensing PS3 controller in California earlier this year. From the site:

You can have up to 4 of these “PS3motes” connected at one time. A demonstrator at this focus group was there showing off the “PS3motes” capabilities, along with some mini-games to play. The mini games ranged from tennis, to fencing, to a “really really cool” paintball game. The demonstrator even used the “PS3mote” to play “Quake” on his laptop.

The “PS3mote” is said to be incredibly responsive and accurate. When the demonstrator crouched while playing the paintball game, the character on screen did as well.

The biggest concern of the demonstrator was that for these “PS3motes” to work they needed the tripod, which connected to the PS3’s USB port. It also needed to be set up in the middle of your gaming area, much like a “batter standing above home plate”. So this may not be in the final version as it seemed they were trying to come up with a more convenient method.

Blimey. This is the first anyone's ever heard of Sony working on a motion-sensing PS3 device, as far as we know. We'll check the SCEE on Monday. Full thing through the link.